The Island

The People came to the pool every day. They swam and dived and
paddled with the creature. But they didn’t notice it was changing
before their eyes. Only the urchin noticed. He knew that the life of
the creature was trickling away like sand through his fingers.
A tribe on an island doesn’t experience happiness until a sea
creature forms a friendship with a blind boy and introduces the
islanders to joy. But the islanders are afraid that this new-found
happiness may one day elude them, so they capture and imprison
the creature that gives them such joy. Captivity soon drains the
creature of its vitality, but only the blind boy notices its growing
sadness. He helps the creature to escape, and together they
disappear — along with the happiness the islanders were so
desperate to cling to.