“Bring him to me.”
These were the words that Arion had heard the ship’s captain say in the howls of the storm that tossed their ship in the sea around like a ragdoll.
His breathing picked up, and he heaved a breath in as he pushed the soaked hair that was plastered to his face out of his eyes. It was over for him, and he knew it. The captain was talking about him.
Back when he had first bought his way onto the ship, he hadn’t known that the captain and his crew were wicked. They plundered and thieved for the fun of it, and Arion knew all too well that his luggage was full of special treasures, his lyre being one of them. And now, in the middle of a stormy night at sea, he was at a high vulnerability, with nothing to protect him. After all, he was a Greek poet and a musician! What could he do?
A last resort plan crossed his mind, and even though he was shivering from the rain that pounded every inch of him, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He looked behind him and saw that his doom had come. Three burly figures were running right toward him, one with his sword extended.
Death would most likely come to Arion in whatever choice he made, so he chose an idea that would give him just a few moments more of life. With one last glance behind him, he leaped into the stormy seas, just as the crew members reached him. The water was freezing, and after just a few minutes, he could feel himself drifting off into unconsciousness…
Arion blinked his eyes open, startled when he realized that he was on something that was moving under him. It felt smooth and sleek, and as he looked down, he saw a gray snout and big eyes, filled with sympathy and innocence. “A dolphin,” he breathed, filled with awe and wonder.
As he looked in front of him, he could see the land of Greece. It was the exact location that he had wanted to arrive at. He looked up at the sky again, to realize that it was completely clear. The storm had passed.
A few yards from shore, the little dolphin let out a quiet chirp, the only noise besides the quiet lapping of the waves. Boosting himself off of the creature with his arms, he scratched his tangled and disheveled hair. “Thank you,” he said quietly, not even caring that he was talking to an animal. “I am forever in your debt, and promise to always honor your kind.” The creature let out a click and dived into the water.
Meanwhile, the god Apollo was watching from above. He brought the dolphin up into the sky right next to Lyra the lyre, to show the connection that would forever remain between Arion and the dolphin. “Well done, Delphinus,” Apollo murmured. “You’ve served me well.”
This article was written by Anna, age 15, an Experience Astronomy student from Sheridan, Wyoming.