The Creature

This is Henry. This is Lulu. Today, Henry and Lulu are at the sea.

At lunch time, they eat strawberries and cheese and tomato sandwiches. While eating, they watch the waves splish-splash against the sand.

They watch water shimmer and shine in the afternoon sun. They watch the seagulls float on the water and burst into the sky to swoop and swirl. They watch the seals pop their little heads from beneath the murky water to peek back at the shore. Wait, that is no seal! That’s a creature!

Just the tip of the creature’s head and his big eyes peer out from the water. The creature watches Henry and Lulu. Henry and Lulu watch the creature.

The creature swims a little closer and now his long, beak like nose emerges from the water.

The creature swims even closer and now his mouth is showing. The creature smiles at Henry and Lulu. Henry and Lulu smile at the creature. He paddles faster to where the sand meets the sea and he shimmies out of the water. He frolics over to Henry and Lulu and wags his creature tail.

“He’s like a dog!” Henry says.

“He’s like a hairy seal with legs. But friendly!” says Lulu.

“Good creature!” they say together. The creature wags his tail even more.

Henry and Lulu feed the creature strawberries. He licks his lips. Henry and Lulu braid his long fur. When he sees his reflection in the water, he smiles with pride. Henry and Lulu build the creature a sand castle fit for a king. A creature king.

Henry and Lulu and the creature tell each other stories about getting into mischief. Henry and Lulu tell the creature about the time they hid their grandfathers’ shoes. The creature tells Henry and Lulu the story about the time he hid in the edge of the kelp forest and leapt out to startle the fish.

Henry and Lulu tell the story about the time they used their mother’s lipstick as a drawing device and drew a grand landscape on the walls of their home. The creature tells them the story of how he once sneaked into the sea queen’s palace to try on her crown.

Henry and Lulu tell the story of sliding down the stairs on pieces of cardboard. The creature tells Henry and Lulu about how he and his best seal friend dressed up as narwhals and infiltrated their pod. Henry and Lulu and the creature all laugh with delight at each other’s tales.

Henry, Lulu and the creature wade in to the ocean together to go swimming. The creature lets Henry and Lulu ride on his back. They see a shark fin and swim in the other direction, FAST! They see some eels squiggling around beneath them. They find an injured seagull, flapping in the water. Lulu scoops him up sand put him on her lap. They take him back to shore.

Once they are back on shore, Lulu says she will wrap the seagulls wing with flat pieces of seaweed to create a cast for the poor, injured bird. But the creature has another idea. He blows slowly and steadily on the injured wing.

He blows and blows and blows. The seagull straightens his injured wing. He flaps it and flaps it and flaps it and then he darts into the air. He is healed. Creature Magic!

They clap and hoot in celebration when Henry and Lulu hear from the distance a familiar sound. Their mother calling. “Henry, Lulu, time to go home!”

At the same time, out in the distance in the sea, the creature hears a familiar sound. “Creature, its time to come home” The creature’s mother yells.

Goodbye!