As he slides under my palm my fingers brush against his cool skin, which feels as soft as the finest mulberry silk. I'm weightless, suspended, my feet can't touch the ground. I tread water to keep afloat. As I awkwardly bob, the wild dolphin dives, surfaces, and floats effortlessly before me. He is spraying me with his sonar, perhaps to ensure that I'm not some erratic mechanical marine object - I am flesh and blood - a mammal-like him. The soundwaves from his echolocation permeate through me, I feel as if my insides are jingling and jangling. It's the strangest feeling. Foreign. This whole experience is weird yet so unbelievably wonderful. I think to myself, 'Shouldn't I be scared? This is a completely wild creature and I'm in his world ... not mine.' I answer myself immediately: 'He won't hurt you Mel, he wants to understand what you are. Trust him'.
I allow myself to surrender and become immersed in the moment. The dolphin has moved away, eyeing me inquisitively. I reach out and a grossly disfigured dorsal fin slices through the water towards me. The dolphin pushes his snout into my hand. I run my fingers over it. It's rough like sandpaper. I'm shocked by the contrast. My hand traces his mouth. It feels lumpy, scarred. My heart aches, I feel compassion wash over me. What has this dolphin been through? Does he have emotional scars as well as physical ones? He gently nudges me. I felt completely accepted. The feeling is foreign yet liberating.
Esta historia es de la edición July 2022 de Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 2022 de Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Spotlight on Vitamin D
Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, but safe sun exposure is still essential.
Coming up roses
Driven by a renewed interest in the flower’s power, a rose renaissance is dawning.
'I was given a 5% chance of survival'
When Caroline Laner Breure was hit by a car in an horrific accident on a Spanish holiday with her boyfriend, her body and her dreams were shattered. Somehow she found the will to go on living.
Time to celebrate our mothers
Author Kathy Lette gives a heartfelt thank you to her magnificent mum, Val - a baker of fairy cakes with the patience of a saint.
"I am lucky to be here" ”
Since the day she walked onto the MasterChef Australia set back in 2009, Julie Goodwin has openly shared her life. But in writing a memoir, she had to examine the demons she'd battled privately... until now.
JAMIE OLIVER at your service
Returning to the set of MasterChef Australia to help steer a path through grief and spread happiness, the celebrity chef is also at a turning point - he opens up about failure, love, second chances and his endless reservoir of joie de vivre.
From one mum to another
Princess Catherine's public announcement struck a chord with mum-of-two Jane Gillard. She shares her story of parenting through cancer- and offers hope for the princess and mums navigating their own health journey while raising primary-aged kids.
The courage of Princess Catherine "You are„, not alone"
It was a rare personal address that she shouldn’t have had to make. But with conspiracy theories swirling and the slimmed-down “Firm” under fire, Princess Catherine silenced critics with searing courage and dignity.
THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
When Tracy Hall fell for Max Tavita, she fell for a mirage. Max was a false identity created by a con man, and Tracy was the latest in a long line of women whose life savings hed stolen.
Amother's GIFT
In December last year, Australia’s first uterus transplant recipient, Kirsty Bryant, gave birth to Henry, a happy, healthy baby boy. The uterus that had made this little miracle possible had been donated by her mother, Michelle. Five months later, their first Mother’s Day since Henry’s birth feels especially precious.
