Rotary Eclub- Butterfly StoryBook Participant
Age: 10 years old
Montessori by the Sea
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
SIERRA MARTIN
A Sailor's Dream
There once was a young boy with a huge imagination and even bigger dreams. One night he had a rather extraordinary dream. His dream was about three small Islands known as the Cayman Islands. The largest of the three was Grand Cayman, the smallest Little Cayman and the middle sized one was Cayman Brac.
In the dream the boy found himself on a rickety old Cat boat that his great grandfather had built many moons ago. As the boy hauled his first big load of fish aboard the wooden boat two white pelicans flew over to him. “Excuse me but do you know where we can find a large school of fish?” asked the first pelican in a squeaky voice. “W… Well…. to be honest umm, err, I don’t really know” said the boy nervously. “Hmm, now that I think about it, I don’t recognize you from around here” said the second pelican with a sense of annoyance in its voice, looking at the boy curiously. “Here have some of my fish. I have plenty to share. It’s only me so I really don’t mind” the boy said kindly. The pelicans greatly thanked the boy and continued their journey.
The boy gently sailed along with the warn Caribbean breeze toward land. He came across a mudflat held together by mangroves. Stuck in the mudflat the boy saw what he recognized to be a dolphin.
The magical creature seemed to be struggling to free herself from the shallow waters. Immediately the boy anchored his boat and waded through the water. “HELP, HELP” cried the young dolphin. “It’s ok, it’s ok, calm down” the boy said comfortingly. The dolphin calmed a little but was still thrashing around. The boy pulled and pushed with all his might and finally managed to get the dolphin to deeper water. “There you are little one, go find your pod and please stay safe my friend” the boy whispered sweetly to his new sea mat. Not long after the boy jumped back into his boat and sailed further around the Island. This Island was Grand Cayman He rested on the hot sandy beaches and enjoyed the fresh fish he had caught earlier that day. “I wish the Islands will always stay beautiful and wild” the boy whispered quietly to himself.
After some rest the little boy continued on his adventure across the crystal, clear, turquoise waters. He could see turtles bobbing their heads up for air next to him, eagle rays gliding majestically just under the surface of the water and the occasional shark cruising gracefully along the bottom. How lucky he was to be here. Finally he reached a very, very small Island with a large reef with waters deeper than he could imagine! This was Little Cayman and he had found his way to the Bloody Bay wall. The boy darted about chasing fish and finding the most unusual looking sponges and corals.
Soon the boy made his way back to Grand Cayman. As he drew closer to the land all he could see were tall buildings. It was no longer the landscape he recognized. His heart sank. The boys wish was denied. How could people do this? How could they not see the beauty of this Island staring them in the face? The boy sailed hesitantly to shore. He listened but there was no parrot song. The Cayman Parrots had fled. The dinosaur looking Blue Iguanas were no longer to be seen. The mangroves had been torn away and without them the land had begun to erode. The dolphins that had once roamed the Cayman seas passed by the Islands to find cleaner oceans.
Suddenly the boy awoke from his breath-taking dream. On his awakening he swore to do everything he could to protect the three gorgeous Islands and their waters at any cost! All he needs now is for the adults to listen.