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"Stop worrying so much, Dahlaine She swims almost as well as her playmates do, and she finds most of her food out there in deep water It saves me all sorts of time She feeds herself, so I don’t have to bother She does seem to like berries--when they’re in season--but most of the time she eats fish"

"How does she cook them if she’s out there in the water?"

"What is ‘cook’?" Zelana asked curiously

"Just a custoht to try to keep her out of deep water, though"

"Why? She swi the surface, so what difference does it ave up There was just no talking with Zelana

2

Though Zelana would not have admitted it even to herself, her life was much more pleasant now that she had Eleria to love and to care for Since Eleria was able to find her own food and she had playrotto in the evenings was hardly any inconvenience at all Zelana was still able to create poetry and compose music, and Eleria served as a ready- to her, and she see to the recitation of Zelana’s poele word She was noell into her sixth year, but she continued to speak exclusively in the squeaky, piping language of the dolphins

Zelana considered that It wasn’t really all that much of a problee She decided, though, that perhaps one of these days she e she spoke and shared with her sister and her brothers It shouldn’t be too difficult Zelana had discovered that Eleria was very quick

As it turned out, however, Eleria was about two ju poetry to the child since Eleria’s infancy, and one day in the early autumn of Eleria’s sixth year Zelana happened to overhear the child reciting one of the poeuage as she went along Zelana’s poetry took on whole new dimensions when delivered in the squeaks and burbles of the dolphin language Zelana was fairly sure that the young dolphins weren’t really all that interested in poetry, but Eleria’s habit of rewarding their attention with kisses and embraces kept them obediently in place Zelana was very fond of dolphins herself, but the notion of kissing them had never occurred to her Eleria, however, seemed to have discovered early in her life that dolphins would do al for kisses

Zelana decided at that point that itcloser attention to the progress of the young child Lately it seemed that every time she turned around, Eleria had a new surprise for her

"Eleria," she said a bit later, when the two of therotto

Eleria responded with a squeaky little dolphin sound

"Speak in words, child," Zelana commanded

Eleria stared at her in astonishment "It is not proper that I should, Beloved," she replied quite formally "Thy speech is not to be used for mundane purposes or ordinary times It is reserved for stately utterances I would not for all this world profane it by reducing its stature to the commonplace"