In the warm waters of the ocean, there was a group of dolphins known for their playful nature. They loved nothing more than to dance about, leap into the sky, and playfully dive back into the waves. One fine afternoon, as the dolphins were busy creating their own fun, a seagull flew overhead. Having flown far and wide that day, the seagull found himself weary and in search of a comfortable place to rest.
Spotting the dolphins far beneath him, the seagull decided to land on the surface of the water and take a break. But he hadn’t been resting long before one of the dolphins leaped high into the air, coming down with a resounding splash that sent waves crashing toward the coastline. Some of these waves reached the spot where the seagull was resting, soaking his back and ruffling his feathers.
“I must ask you not to jump about like that,” the seagull protested. “You disturbed my rest. Pray keep your leaping and shouting to yourself, for I wish to have a little peace for a while.”
But the dolphins only laughed, and one of them said, “We are only having our afternoon’s play. Why do you not come and join us?”
“Join you!” cried the seagull. “Why, what am I to do?” But the dolphins were in high spirits that day. They set to work with their friendly tails and soon fashioned a ball out of seaweed.
“We will play at ball,” they said to the seagull. “Come, be our player in this game!”
The seagull still hesitated, feeling foolish at the suggestion. But as he saw the merry game the dolphins were playing and how much fun they were having, he thought he would join them for just a little while. So he took the ball on his beak and tossed it back to his friends beneath the waves.
At first, the dolphins were so full of fun that they forgot to be careful. One of the playful dolphins leaped high up toward the sun, missed his footing, fell back, and came muttering toward the surface of the sea, water dripping from him in all directions.
“You must take care,” said the seagull. “Do not play so near the coast; a rock may tear your side and hurt you.”
“Thanks for your advice,” said the dolphin, “but we are quite used to the place where we are playing.”
Still, as he said, one of them turned a little away from the land. And so they played and played, tossing up the ball until the sun began to sink and the seagull turned to go.
“You have made our game much gayer today,” said the dolphins. “Come often, and bring us news of the outside world.”
The seagull promised to do so, but as he turned to go, suddenly one of the dolphins said: “Wait but a little; we will give you a farewell jump.” And not thinking to speak again after that, the seagull was lost, a huge wave breaking over his head and dragging him into the depths and darkness of the ocean where he was drowned.
Moral: “Beware of being too confident in the promises of those who may be your enemies.”