29 views
Delphine learns to whistle
Delphine dolphin was a baby calf, who lived with her mother, aunts and grandmothers. One sunny morning, when she was playing in the ocean, she heard a peculiar sound. Curious by nature, she went in search of it. She found the sound was coming from her aunt Maggie. “Aunt Maggie, what is that peculiar sound?” she asked. “Sound? Oh, I am whistling, Delphine” “What is whistling, Aunt Maggie? Can I do it too?” asked Delphine, excited to learn something new. “Yes, yes, Delphine. Everyone can whistle. You only need to know the method” she smiled. “Aunt Maggie will you please, please, please teach me how to whistle?” Delphine asked, looking hopefully at her aunt. “Not today, dear Delphine. We are all really busy with the new baby, who will arrive any time!” declined Aunt Maggie to a disappointed Delphine. “It is okay, Aunt Maggie. Maybe you can teach it to me, later”, she politely said, while swimming away.
“I can learn to whistle on my own”, thought Delphine, “Let me try and whistle. Now, how did Aunt Maggie do it?” she pondered. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she decided to seek help from the other sea creatures. With a graceful swish of her tail, she swam towards the sea bed, in search of prospective teachers.
On the way, she found Sally squid, napping. “Hey Sally! How goes?” she boomed at the eight-armed squid. Sally was startled to hear her question, “Oh hello Delphine. I am fine, thank you. I hope you are doing well, too. How can I help you, Delphine?” “I want to learn how to whistle”, said Delphine, “Do you think you can help me? Can you whistle?” “Oooi, I am just a squid, I know nothing about whistles or whistling. I can teach you how to squirt, if you want. But whistling, you got to ask your family for that.” said Sally, closing her eyes and going back to sleep. “Hmm”, thought Delphine, “One down, plenty of fish in the sea!”, as she swam away.
She came across, Hoof, the seahorse. “Howdy Hoof! How are you on this lovely morning?” “Oh, don't ask Delphine. I am so tired, the babies are really troubling me. You know, male seahorses carry the babies. I want to just take some rest but I have no choice.” complained Hoof. “Maybe you can rest your fins on that rock, for a while Hoof.” Delphine sympathized. “Ah! Splendid idea, Delphine”, Hoof said, as he rested on the rock. “How can I help you, Delphine?” “Hoof, do you know how to whistle?” “No, my dear Delphine, seahorses don't whistle. But I know who can help you - Olly Octopus! He is a smart one, that mollusk. He will surely know how to help you. Off you go!” he said. “Bye” said Delphine, waving her fins at Hoof, as she swam in search of Olly.
She found Olly, at the sea bed, munching clams with all his eight arms. “Hey Delphine, do you want some?” as he offered a clam to Delphine. “Yes, thank you, Olly”, while popping one in her mouth. “Can I ask you something, Olly?” she said. “Sure, Delphine. What ails you, tell me” “Olly, I want to learn how to whistle. I heard Aunt Maggie do it, and I want to whistle too. Do you know how to whistle? Can you teach me? Hoof said you would know, and would help me” “Slow down. Delphine. Phew! I can't whistle - but I know how it is done. But I do know how to camouflage when faced by a predator - I can teach you that. Will that work for you?” Olly laughed. “Thank you Olly, but I want to learn to whistle. Once I learn that, you can teach me about camouflaging? Though where would I use it?” she pondered. “Okay, Delphine. Let me tell you all I know about whistling!” “Perfect”, shouted Delphine, excited to learn to whistle, finally. “Well here how it is done. Pucker up your lips and slowly pass air through them, right up till your blowhole. As the air will pass through your blowhole, a sound will emerge - that's a whistle”. Delphine tried to follow - she puckered her lips and passed air up to her blowhole. “PHOOO! PHOOO!” she exhaled but no whistle came out. “Don't get upset, Delphine, whistling is hard and it takes time to learn it. Now run along and go and practice. I need to finish my clams” he said. “Thank you Olly! PHOOO! PHOOO!” she went.
When she reached home, she found her grandmother sipping her tea. “Grandma, I learnt how to whistle!!! May I whistle and show you?” “Go ahead, Delphine!” said grandma. “PHOO! PHOOO! PHOOOOOOOOO!” exhaled Delphine. “See grandma! I whistled. Did you hear? Did you hear?” On hearing her, the other dolphins came to investigate why Delphine was so happy. They found her PHOO-ing, and all of them encouraged her. “Come here, my little calf. Let me show you a trick. You will start whistling in a jiffy. When you take the air in, you need to exhale forcefully through your blowhole, and you can whistle. The trick is to use force while exhaling”, grandmother said, patting Delphine with her fin, “Come on lassie, give it a try!” The other dolphins also urged her on. Delphine sucked in air, and held her breath, and exhaled loudly through her blowhole, the air rushed past her blowhole, making whistling sounds. “See”, grandma said, “You are whistling”. “What?! I can whistle? I can whistle. I can whistle Let me try it once again.” Again, she whistled. “I can whistle! I can whistle”, Delphine yelled joyously, swimming in circles, around her laughing grandmother. “Thank you grandma!” she chimed happily, as she whistled about. “Let us whistle a tune together, grandma!” Both grandmother and granddaughter, whistled a lovely tune, while all the other dolphins clapped and cheered them on.
© Natasha Sharma
“I can learn to whistle on my own”, thought Delphine, “Let me try and whistle. Now, how did Aunt Maggie do it?” she pondered. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she decided to seek help from the other sea creatures. With a graceful swish of her tail, she swam towards the sea bed, in search of prospective teachers.
On the way, she found Sally squid, napping. “Hey Sally! How goes?” she boomed at the eight-armed squid. Sally was startled to hear her question, “Oh hello Delphine. I am fine, thank you. I hope you are doing well, too. How can I help you, Delphine?” “I want to learn how to whistle”, said Delphine, “Do you think you can help me? Can you whistle?” “Oooi, I am just a squid, I know nothing about whistles or whistling. I can teach you how to squirt, if you want. But whistling, you got to ask your family for that.” said Sally, closing her eyes and going back to sleep. “Hmm”, thought Delphine, “One down, plenty of fish in the sea!”, as she swam away.
She came across, Hoof, the seahorse. “Howdy Hoof! How are you on this lovely morning?” “Oh, don't ask Delphine. I am so tired, the babies are really troubling me. You know, male seahorses carry the babies. I want to just take some rest but I have no choice.” complained Hoof. “Maybe you can rest your fins on that rock, for a while Hoof.” Delphine sympathized. “Ah! Splendid idea, Delphine”, Hoof said, as he rested on the rock. “How can I help you, Delphine?” “Hoof, do you know how to whistle?” “No, my dear Delphine, seahorses don't whistle. But I know who can help you - Olly Octopus! He is a smart one, that mollusk. He will surely know how to help you. Off you go!” he said. “Bye” said Delphine, waving her fins at Hoof, as she swam in search of Olly.
She found Olly, at the sea bed, munching clams with all his eight arms. “Hey Delphine, do you want some?” as he offered a clam to Delphine. “Yes, thank you, Olly”, while popping one in her mouth. “Can I ask you something, Olly?” she said. “Sure, Delphine. What ails you, tell me” “Olly, I want to learn how to whistle. I heard Aunt Maggie do it, and I want to whistle too. Do you know how to whistle? Can you teach me? Hoof said you would know, and would help me” “Slow down. Delphine. Phew! I can't whistle - but I know how it is done. But I do know how to camouflage when faced by a predator - I can teach you that. Will that work for you?” Olly laughed. “Thank you Olly, but I want to learn to whistle. Once I learn that, you can teach me about camouflaging? Though where would I use it?” she pondered. “Okay, Delphine. Let me tell you all I know about whistling!” “Perfect”, shouted Delphine, excited to learn to whistle, finally. “Well here how it is done. Pucker up your lips and slowly pass air through them, right up till your blowhole. As the air will pass through your blowhole, a sound will emerge - that's a whistle”. Delphine tried to follow - she puckered her lips and passed air up to her blowhole. “PHOOO! PHOOO!” she exhaled but no whistle came out. “Don't get upset, Delphine, whistling is hard and it takes time to learn it. Now run along and go and practice. I need to finish my clams” he said. “Thank you Olly! PHOOO! PHOOO!” she went.
When she reached home, she found her grandmother sipping her tea. “Grandma, I learnt how to whistle!!! May I whistle and show you?” “Go ahead, Delphine!” said grandma. “PHOO! PHOOO! PHOOOOOOOOO!” exhaled Delphine. “See grandma! I whistled. Did you hear? Did you hear?” On hearing her, the other dolphins came to investigate why Delphine was so happy. They found her PHOO-ing, and all of them encouraged her. “Come here, my little calf. Let me show you a trick. You will start whistling in a jiffy. When you take the air in, you need to exhale forcefully through your blowhole, and you can whistle. The trick is to use force while exhaling”, grandmother said, patting Delphine with her fin, “Come on lassie, give it a try!” The other dolphins also urged her on. Delphine sucked in air, and held her breath, and exhaled loudly through her blowhole, the air rushed past her blowhole, making whistling sounds. “See”, grandma said, “You are whistling”. “What?! I can whistle? I can whistle. I can whistle Let me try it once again.” Again, she whistled. “I can whistle! I can whistle”, Delphine yelled joyously, swimming in circles, around her laughing grandmother. “Thank you grandma!” she chimed happily, as she whistled about. “Let us whistle a tune together, grandma!” Both grandmother and granddaughter, whistled a lovely tune, while all the other dolphins clapped and cheered them on.
© Natasha Sharma
