dolphins and the sea

My friend was telling me about an island, only 27 kilometres wide, long or square - I cannot quite recall. The island boasted a luxury resort where the very wealthy went to unwind. As she told me about it, I saw it appear, as though on a cinema screen. I could see an imposing building, probably about forty storeys high and very wide, made of grey stone or cement, and convex in shape, perched atop a tropical island. The image became increasingly clear and large, so that we eventually stepped into the picture - we were on the island, inside the resort, in a viewing room under the building. From there, we gazed out through vast glass windows to the surrounding sea, which was a strikingly beautiful blue, more lapis lazuli than sky. We could see a man swimming alone in the waves, and I wondered at his courage. Without us noticing, the viewing room had become part of the ocean, still enclosed by large glass walls; we now floated on the surface of a bottomless sea. The water was refreshingly cold and spectacularly clear - I could see down into the depths, into the darkness. Although relishing in the crystal waters, I felt somewhat anxious about the creatures that might lurk beneath. I looked around for signs of sharks and, indeed, big fish, perhaps six or seven, came swimming up through the water towards us. As they neared, I could see they were dolphins and knew, in their presence, we were safe. We welcomed them and they us, as they swam around us, close enough to stroke. The dolphins each wore hundreds of iridescent blue-green spots on their backs, and I could see their sharp teeth but did not fear them. One dolphin came close to me, facing me, and I put my arms around it, embracing it. My friend and I felt fortunate, blessed by both the divine sea and the friendship of the dolphins.

not as daunting as it seems

As I sang, my friend accompanied me on the clarinet; a striking and spare rendition of a well-known song. 

Next, I was walking down an urban street with another friend, and, as we walked, I told her about my musical experience. I felt convinced that singing was something that I had to pursue. The street changed and narrowed and soon we were walking along a lane, flanked either side by tall stone walls, heading toward the harbour. We could see the water at the end of the lane, which was rising at an alarming rate. The water - bright blue and very clear - towered before us, creating a third wall that was growing with each step closer. We were now wading through thigh-deep water. I caught sight of a whale's tail, disappearing into the king waves. The tail was frighteningly huge, and, judging by its size, the whale would be truly enormous. We stopped walking, afraid to go any closer. We watched the water and saw the whale's tail again. Suddenly, a man standing on one of the stone walls, reached into the water and pulled out a dolphin with a very strange shaped head. He placed it atop the wall. It was not a whale after all; what had seemed to be so terrifying and so large, was not so. The dolphin leapt off the wall and into the water in the passageway, swimming swiftly up the lane, past our legs. I wanted to touch him. As he turned and swam back toward the harbour, he brushed against my legs. I was delighted.

sea creatures

Walking through knee-deep water, ice blue and crystal clear. The body of water, though vast, seemed to be indoors, under a giant roof. Swimming in the water were all kinds of sea life: fish of many sizes and colours, small sharks, striped sea-snakes, neon jelly fish, florid sea horses, and nebulous life forms moving through coral and waving sea grasses.
Later, I was swimming in the ocean, way out at sea. The sky was grey and the water was immeasurably deep and dark. Fear crept into my body, rising within me. I scanned the water for shadows, sensing danger. With my mounting fear, I rose out of the water and found myself sitting on the edge of an old wooden jetty. From there, I could see several huge shadows moving through the water and I realised that I was surrounded by sharks and killer whales. The grey sharks remained submerged, zigzagging menacingly beyond the point at which the waves were breaking, whilst the black and white Orca jumped out of the waves, diving and dancing. Suddenly a killer whale leapt out of the water at the jetty, but a dolphin leapt with it and knocked it away from me, protecting me. I was delighted and, as the dolphin leapt out of the water again, I reached out and touched its skin, feeling it briefly as it descended back into the sea. A third time it reared up out of the water, but this time I could see that it had changed shape, that it was now a predatory shark, perhaps a great white, although not fully grown.