Lost In The Current
A sudden gust of sea wind ripped the woven straw hat straight off the older man’s silver hair. His right hand shot forward into empty air, his mouth falling open as his fingers grasped at nothing.
The hat tumbled over the wooden handrail and struck the water with a soft splash. A family walking along the boardwalk stopped in their tracks, leaning over the rail to watch the headwear drift out toward deeper water.
The man slowly pulled his outstretched arm back. He sank onto the weathered wooden bench, rested his elbow against his knee, and lowered his chin into his palm.
Below him, gentle swells pushed the straw hat further from the pilings. The woven brim bobbed upright against the blue surface, carrying it steadily out of reach.
A Ripple By The Pilings
A dark, smooth fin sliced through the surface just a few yards beyond the drifting brim. The man gripped the bench seat with both hands and stood up, leaning his chest against the pier railing.
A gray bottlenose dolphin surfaced through the swells. It adjusted its course, swimming straight toward the floating circle of straw.
The bystanders gathered beside the railing, their eyes fixed on the creature in the water below. Nobody made a sound as the animal dipped below the surface and emerged directly beside the hat.
The dolphin slowed its glide, nudging the edge of the woven straw with the tip of its rostrum. It circled once, positioning itself directly under the floating brim.
Reaching Toward The Water
The animal raised its snout upward, balancing the wet straw hat carefully on the bridge of its head. It propelled itself forward with slow kicks of its flukes, heading straight toward the boardwalk steps.
The older man dropped to one knee against the damp timber planks. He leaned his torso over the lower rail, extending both hands downward toward the waterline.
The dolphin surfaced directly beneath him, holding the brim steady against the wooden platform. Water dripped from the wet straw as the creature held its position against the light tide.
The man stretched his arm out, wrapping his fingers around the edge of the hat. He lifted it clear of the water, tucking the dripping headwear firmly against his chest.
The dolphin remained at the surface, resting its chin on the calm water just inches from the man’s knees. The man leaned down, his face breaking into a wide smile as he met the animal’s dark eye.
An Evening Wave Goodbye
The man climbed back to his feet, shaking excess water droplets from the woven straw. He settled the damp hat back onto his head and stepped back to his bench.
The dolphin turned slowly in the shallows, pushing away from the pier toward open water. The man sat on the wooden bench, raised his right arm high, and waved toward the wake.
The sun dropped low across the bay, casting a gold sheen across the ripples. The man sat alone on the bench with his hat firmly in place, watching a solitary dorsal fin dip beneath the gleaming horizon.
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