A Dolphin Wish

by Natalie Grant

  Can you hear me now, now that I’m in the water with you? Mia thought in her direction.

  Titania turned away, circled again, and then leapt out of the water in a perfect arc right over the top of Zarin and Mia’s heads. She landed on their other side with hardly any splash at all.

  Yes. Mia felt the jump had been Titania’s answer, though she couldn’t know for sure. She wished now she’d asked a more interesting question, something other than “Can you hear me now?” She watched in delight as the dolphins continued to bob and leap through the water. What would the just-right question be?

  The two dolphins sped away toward the rock wall. Then, they circled around and swam straight toward Zarin and Mia again. This time they leaped together over their heads, landing together in perfect sync. Joy radiated off the dolphins, shimmering through the air, causing everyone on the deck to break out in applause. Her family’s happiness beat in time with Mia’s heart. Maybe finding the exact-right question wasn’t the point. Whatever the question, the answer was joy. Sunlight danced on the rippling waves as the dolphins approached for another jump. Yes, today, right here in this moment, the answer was joy.