“Let’s play!” Once someone invites, Juanito never thinks twice before agreeing. He is a male seahorse barely a month old and hasn’t been taught much yet except to “Always say yes.” Besides being a hyper kid, he is a good follower. He never breaks any of the rules his parents have for him.
One cold day, Juanito is again invited for play. He smiles and swirls his tail in excitement. At some point of the play, one seahorse complains that it’s the same things they’ve been doing over and over again. “Let’s do something unique!” a playmate suggests. “Like what? Ahm, yes, why don’t we sneak out to the shore and see people?” another one says. “Exactly what I am thinking!” everyone else chorused.
Being very young, Juanito is getting confused hearing his friends. “What are people? My parents never told me about that,” he murmurs. The other seahorse beside him explains what people are. Juanito nods in approval and curiosity. “Creatures that aren’t a fish?! How exciting! I want to see them!” he exclaims.
“Okay, let’s plan about it sometime,” the oldest of the play group says after their play. “I mean, our trip to the shore to see people,” he reminds everyone. The group disperses and each one goes home.
Ar home, Juanito asks his parents about the new information he learned from his friends. “I want to see people! I want to see for myself how they look!” he begs. His parents’ reply, though, is a flat “No.”
“There’s a saying: ‘Curiosity killed the fish,’” his mother tells him. Juanito shrugs in disappointment, and then goes out grumbling, “I can always go whenever I like!”
For the first time, Juanito disobeys his parents. He swims to the shore all by himself. He sees children playing at the edge of the water.
One of the children sees him and yells, “Hey! I found a sea horse!” Then, very quickly, the kid snatches Juanito. He cries out for help, but there’s no one to hear him. The kid puts him in a cup.
The children start playing with their captive seahorse. “He looks sad,” another kid comments. The kids’ mother joins in. “This poor thing must be missing home,” she says. The kids look at one another. Then they put Juanito back in the water.
“I’m sorry. One day we’ll meet again,” the kid whispered before letting Juanito swim away.
Obviously, the experience almost costs Juanito his life. But he is happy for the adventure. And he never tells his parents about it.
In the months that follow, the seahorse community notices that the water is getting gray and there is hardly a fish swimming. Juanito asks his parents what’s going on and they tell him that people have been throwing trash into the sea. Juanito is shocked; he didn’t know that humans throw their trash into the sea. Then he thinks that maybe the kids that he met at the shore can help.
Juanito dares to go back to the shore. Good thing, the kid who caught him before is there. The kid’s family actually lives by the shore. He swims closer to get the kid’s attention, and the kid is glad to notice him.
He grabs a scrap of plastic with his mouth and showed it to the kid. “Ah, you want me to clean up the water,” the kid understands. The kid runs towards their house. Juanito waits but the kid doesn’t come back.
Juanito feels that his request to the kid has been turned down. He goes back to their home underwater, sad and determined not to come to the shore again. He is frustrated with people.
But after several days, the sea water clears up and fishes begin swimming around again. Then word gets around about a group of kids cleaning the shore and asking their neighbors to stop throwing trash to the sea.
Juanito smiles, glad to know that the kid didn’t fail him after all. “Someday we’ll meet again, my friend,” he says a message to the water, hoping for the current to bring it to the kid.
Edrienne U. Luego
12 years old Grade VI
Minglanilla Special Science Elementary School