At the Gold Coast Beach the sand feels like rough sandpaper, and the water tastes like a sherbet lolly. All the people around me run to go into the salty sea to go for a swim. I do too. I run into the water just like a flying fish, desperate to get into the water.

I swim gracefully through the water like a dolphin. My skin feels like grey silk going through a sewing machine, but I swim through the waves and splash onto the cold wet floor. My eyes are as brown as mud and my eyelashes look like the hairs on the edge of a crabs claw. My big red lips are like coral sucking in fish - my favourite food.

One day I started swimming like I have never swum before. Suddenly, I bumped into something. I stopped swimming and looked at what I had bumped into. I saw a smooth long dolphin right in front of me. I patted the dolphin and it did a trick, just like a clown trying to make children laugh. I clapped for her but it was getting dark so I said goodbye to my new friend.

The next day I began to look for my friend. I searched far and wide, but couldn't find her anywhere. I soon gave up and began to swim back to shore, but soon I heard a loud dolphin noise. I turned around and saw her swimming towards me. I named her Pearl because grey pearls are very rare and they come out of the sea just like a dolphin.

We played games and did tricks for each other all day long. But one day a trawler came and put a net down. Pearl tried to swim away, but it was no use. The net had already got her. I tried to get her out by breaking the ropes. I broke five of the ropes and Pearl was able to squeeze through. She jumped for joy.

I broke all of the ropes so that the men in the trawler can't catch any more sea animals and so it sails away. Pearl gave me a kiss and swam off. I thought that that she was tired and just wanted to get some rest, so I swam home and returned the next day. She wasn't there. I soon realized that she wasn't coming back.

Many months later, I was walking on the beach and saw Pearl with a baby dolphin. She was a mother. I was very surprised and jumped for glee. I waved to Pearl and she chucked something in my hand. I opened up my hand and found two grey pearls. My dolphin friends swam away and I knew that they would always remember me.
 

Author - student from Browns Plains.