Kira's Secret by Orysia Dawydiak

and killer whales. That is how they grow strong, fast and clever—if they survive.”
    â€œLike you?” Kira asked with a shy smile.
    â€œYes, like me.” Steen wobbled again, and this time she was certain he was laughing.
    Kira practiced the call until Steen told her to stop. She had mastered it. His ears were likely ringing more than hers.
    After the lesson, they continued to travel in silence, Steen and Kira in the centre, surrounded by a perfectly spherical array of dolphins. Below them she saw flat fish gliding along the bottom, and occasional lobsters stirring up the sand as they crept along. The kelp beds were homes for many fish that darted in and out of the tall, tree-like plants. Besides passing by small schools of fish, she noticed odd-shaped creatures she couldn’t identify. She remembered seeing pictures of some of them in the books Cody had borrowed from the library.
    Kira wondered what Cody was doing at that very moment. Wouldn’t he love to be down here with her, watching fish with spikes and whiskers, some of them glowing green. There were fish that looked like tiny ping-pong balls with fins, and others that resembled brown sticks. And the elegant winged rays gliding by like regal eagles. It was all so fantastic.
    Kira thought how fortunate she was to have found these dolphins. They were going out of their way to help her, a stranger, and not even a member of their species. She remembered books she had read, and movies she had seen that featured dolphins. She had always thought they were the most beautiful and intelligent animals on the earth. One of her dreams was to watch a dolphin show in Florida, and perhaps become a dolphin trainer some day. To work and play with them seemed like the perfect job, until she discovered she was a mermaid. Now she wasn’t so sure.
    â€œSteen, did you know that humans train dolphins to do tricks, and put them in shows for people to watch?”
    Steen gave her a quick sideways glance but said nothing for a while. “Yes, we know. It is a tragedy for those dolphins and their families.”
    â€œOh,” Kira said, surprised. “They always seem to be having so much fun. And don’t they get cared for, and get all the fish they want to eat?”
    â€œAll is not what it appears to be, Kira. Some may be treated well, but many are not. They are prisoners, taken unwillingly from their families and their homes.” Steen gave her a stern look. “Have you ever been kept in a small space, Kira? With enough room to move around, perhaps, but without the freedom to go where you wished, to play or to spend time with your friends, or eat the food you wanted?”
    Kira thought for a while. At first she wanted to say no, but then she remembered the times she spent in classes she hated, or in the house doing chores when she wanted to be outside.
    â€œAnd worse still,” he continued, “to be kept in cramped spaces knowing you will never be allowed out again. For a dolphin, it is the end of life, it is death.”
    Just then, Kira noticed a glow from the sea floor ahead of them. Steen flipped over on his side, and the other dolphins all flipped in unison, like a formation of fighter jets in aerial display.
    Then a sound that Kira barely heard: “We approach the palace,” Steen whispered.
    Kira didn’t know if she should speak. She whispered back, “What palace?”
    â€œMerhaven, where the merrow king and queen reside. They rule over this part of the ocean. They will probably know who your parents are, or where your family is.”
    â€œWhy are we whispering?” Kira asked.
    â€œShhh. Just swim for now. Do what we do.”
    With that, the ball of dolphins moved closer to Kira in the centre and descended toward the palace. At this distance, the palace shone brightly and Kira could make out movement all around it. Amongst the tall waving forest of kelp, there were merrows—dozens of them. She could