The Heart of the Dolphin

Well, unfortunately this semester, my literary work sent to the Literary Edition of the Exponent didn't make it in. My previous 3 poems had made it, but this time I tried something different with a short story. I wrote it from the heart and it had a message - but I looked at it today and it wasn't there. And yet they called me last night to confirm it...odd...
So, since no one gets to read it in the paper, I figured I would share it with you on my blog. Enjoy!

The Heart of the Dolphin
by Chris Pherson
Junior, College of Education

Run.
Marty had one of those lives that no person would wish upon anybody.
Run from it all.
Marty’s parents only wanted him to monetarily succeed. They thought his real dreams and aspirations were ludicrous.
If you don’t run now, you may regret it.
Marty was forced to go into the career his parents wanted because his parents said "oh, you’ll make so much money, and you’ll be so happy, and you’ll make us proud. This other stuff you think about doing will have no value to you whatsoever."
Run.
But Marty’s real aspiration was to somehow, someway, work with his favorite marine animals - the dolphins.
Two years before he went into college, Marty experienced his first interactions with some of the most intelligent creatures on earth. He even had the chance to have a brief interaction in the water, and he never forgot the dolphin he bonded with.
"Duncan, how I miss you."
He never felt so free, so alive, so peaceful in all his life.
But the world and environment around him tried to astray him from the path, every time.
Yet his heart kept telling him that single word: Run. Run away. Run from it all and just do it.
Marty had been going through the same song and dance of his classes and everything that went with it now for 3 years. In his mind, he wanted to make his parents proud. In his heart, all he could hear and ponder was Run.
With every beat of his heart, he heard it: Run-run. Run-run.
And yet, he never stopped thinking about that facility, and that first interaction, and the grey-faced friend he met. It never left his mind. It couldn’t because it kept him sane from the crazy environment around him.
But Marty was also a strong Christian believer. He felt that if he pulled out of what his parents wanted, he would feel guilty. Plus, others had just told him to just give it a try, and if it didn’t work, he could do what he wanted. It was his life, right?
But Marty didn’t feel that. And that was what set him off.
That night, as Marty thought in bed, it was 3 a.m. But Marty didn’t care. He quickly threw some essentials in a bag, didn’t leave a note, and slowly crept downstairs before finally making it out of the house.
And then he ran.
He sped, not looking back, not regretting his decision. He wasn’t focused on anything else but making it to the facility. It didn’t matter whether it was open or not; he felt tranquil whenever he was near.
All Marty was focused on was his path ahead. He didn’t focus on the sides.
BAM!
Marty was sent flying into the air, hit by a van going about 55 on the highway.
He was unconscious.
The driver quickly got out of the van, devastated by what he’d done, and quickly dialed 911 on his cell phone. He tried to revive him before the ambulance arrived.
When Marty finally awoke, the doctors couldn’t believe it.
"It’s a miracle!" one said.
Marty’s eyes finally regained full sight.
"Where am I? What happened?" he said, groggily.
"You were running really fast across U.S. 1 and were hit by a van," the doctor said.
Marty realized it now. He did feel slight pain all over his body.
"Thankfully, the driver was able to get you out of your unconsciousness before we got you here. You are really lucky."
Marty felt lucky. Now he regretted running. But who saved him? And where exactly was the van going?
Marty’s parents did come to visit him later, but as it turned out, Marty had slept right through it...
...he couldn’t believe where he was. He was at the facility. Marty laughed with excitement. He quickly called for the dolphin he had met in his first encounter, the energetic young male named Duncan.
"Hey, Duncan! It’s me, Marty!"
Duncan apparently must have heard, because he gave a great leap out of the water and splashed Marty.
Marty laughed and said, "Hey, buddy."
But Marty couldn’t believe what he heard next.
"Hello, Marty."
Duncan was actually talking to him.
"Duncan? How can you talk to me? From what I learned, dolphins don’t have vocal chords like humans do."
"True, Marty. But you see, you’re actually in a dream. You’re sleeping. You see, in the real world, I’m actually the van driver that saved your life."
Marty couldn’t believe it.
"Really? Well, first, I have to say thank you."
Duncan nodded. "You’re welcome. And you see, I’m actually the manager of the facility. Now, I wonder - what would a young man like yourself be doing running across U.S. 1 at 3 in the morning?"
Marty swallowed hard. He couldn’t believe he was telling this to his dolphin friend - well, not really, but in his mind he was.
"Well, I was running away from my life. I felt like I needed some tranquility here. I felt like I had to be here because this is what I want to do with my life, and right now, I’m not getting a chance to do it."
Duncan gave a light dolphin-like chuckle.
"What’s funny about that?" Marty said with a slight defensive tone.
"Nothing. You see, Marty, I understand your problem. Sometimes we don’t get to do what we want. Sometimes we may have to go down a path we don’t want to travel. But eventually, there will come a point in your life where you need to decide - is this the path I want to continue taking, or do I find a different path to choose?"
Marty thought this over. Duncan was exactly right.
"You know what, you’re right. And being the strong Christian believer that I am, I know that God will let me know if I ever need to astray from the path I’m on, because God has a plan for all of us. And who knows, maybe God does have a bigger plan for me after I go through school."
Duncan raised his flipper and pointed at his head. "Now you’re thinking straight. I think your mind was all backwards before this accident. Oddly enough, I think now you have a better perspective than what you had."
Marty smiled. He felt happier in this dream, too. "Duncan, it all makes sense now. I can continue what I’m doing for now and try it out. But if it’s not want I want to do for the rest of my life, I can make the switch and choose a different path, because I believe God does have a bigger plan for me."
At that moment, the water rose up and pulled Marty in. When Marty popped up, the two were right next to each other.
"I think you can wake up now, Marty. My work is done." Duncan said. "High-flipper!"
With that, they did, and Marty awoke with a jolt.
Marty’s parents were still there.
"Marty! Oh son, we thought you were out for good again!" his mom said.
"C’mon son, let’s get you home before something else happens." his dad said.
Marty now had a new perspective and purpose for life. He knew that he would always have a zest for life and wouldn’t let the stress get to him.
Before he got up, however, next to him was a note and a necklace. It was a heart-shaped, silver pendant, with the word "DUNCAN" engraved on the front and a picture of his dolphin friend inside.
The note read, "Dear Marty, I’m glad we got to see each other again. And I’m glad that you realized to live every day of your life to the fullest, not to sweat the stress, and take things one thing at a time. God has a plan for you now, and he may have a bigger plan for you in the future. Best of luck, and I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon. Your friend, Duncan."
Marty smiled, yet wondered in his mind: Was that really the van driver, or was it Duncan? Was it really all a dream?
Either way, Marty knew that he was a better person now, all because he now had the heart of the dolphin - and God - to guide him to the future.