The Foolish Seahorse

         The waves of the sea were perilous and unceasing, tossing the little seahorse where it willed.

         The seahorse was in a complete state of panic. It would have dove deep into the depths of the sea, safe from the tempest waves, had it not become entangled into some netting cast away by reckless humans. The product of their carelessness might have caused this seahorse intense struggle, and a slow death.

*****

         An old woman had been scanning the beach for sand dollars, when here eyes fell upon something of interest. As she came closer to the helpless creature, she knelt down in front of it. The poor seahorse had become entangled in some broken netting, and was lying under the sun in the scorching sand, gasping for breath.

         "Oh, troubled thing, do you wish to be rescued?"

         "Do not touch me," the seahorse spat, "for it is by your carelessness that I have come to be like this."

         "Not I, but the fishermen. Now come, I give you life or death. Do you wish to return to your beautiful sea, or to be burned by the sun's rays?"

         "By my own hand, I shall return to the sea! I do not need you!" the seahorse cried, and began to squirm in the netting.

         The old woman just shook her head at the poor creature's foolishness, and stood up. She began to walk along the shoreline, scanning for more sand dollars.