The Dolphin and the Octopus: A Fable: The Fable Triad

By CS Simpson

What happens when the peaceful Advisor's Reef receives a frightening new visitor?

Escape from your daily routine and travel underwater to a colossal coral reef where the creatures of the world's single superocean look to wise advisors for guidance about relationship dynamics, changing careers, preconceptions about others, and more.

 

Complete The Fable Triad with The Elephant and the Dragon and The Mermaid and the River Otter.

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Though each of the fables are separate tales with separate characters, they're meant to embody the same global time frame and can be read in any order. They begin almost identically, much like Kipling's Just So Stories, in order to set the tone and rhythm as complementary to the other two. But—worry not! Each fable offers its own unique account without following the same pattern throughout. These fables are different in that there are several lessons and morals interwoven within the narratives themselves, instead of the classic idea of ending the story with a single, intended teaching.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: CSS Stories
• Release date: Jan 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201329488

CS Simpson

CS Simpson is a multi-genre writer of several short stories, some poetry, and a novel. Her work can be found in Shoreline of Infinity, the Pikes Peak Writers Anthologies, frontiertales.com, and her own self-published books, The Fable Triad. When she's not writing, editing, or stressing about writing, she's either devouring other author's books or playing The Sims and watching movies while sipping Diet Coke. She also enjoys short hikes with her husband and dog under the Colorado skies she calls home. Keep up with her writing journey at www.authorcssimpson.com Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @AuthorCSSimpson

Book preview

STORY INTRODUCTION

CREATED FOR ADULT READERS , The Dolphin and the Octopus is a new tale told in an old writing style. I grew up with a copy of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories (from 1902) and was fascinated by his strange accounts of the supposed origins of unusual creatures and language, talking animals in a non-picture book, and his clever use of language to make an important point. I wrote this story with the idea of creating a similarly timeless tale and to remind us all of the need for social courtesy in a gentle way.

In order to set the fable apart from most commercial stories, I’ve chosen to write my fables with an intentional lack of contractions, as well as deliberate repetitions of both phrases and ideas. These repetitions are meant to draw the reader into an ancient kind of suspended reality, reinforce a concept, and even give the story its own poetic rhythm.

Likewise, I chose the intentional use of lists in sets of threes, including the final tally of this book series—The Fable Triad. Many cultures revere triads because they’re seen as having a beginning, a middle, and an end—creating a sense of completeness.

Each character’s name is based on the area of the globe where scientists think these creatures may have originated, and I’ve included a pronunciation guide at the back of the book for those who are interested. The tale is set ages upon ages ago, when a single supercontinent was all that interrupted the Earth’s superocean, so the intention is meant to show (perhaps) that mankind adopted these names, with the character’s dominating personalities, into their respective languages over time. It’s also meant to show how immense and varied our world is, yet we all have a common beginning; a common existence; body, mind, and spirit.

My fables are unique in that they each have several morals interwoven within the narrative, instead of the classic idea of ending the story with a single intended teaching. The lessons represented in these stories are age-old, yet still timely for every culture.

Though each of my fables are separate tales with separate characters, they’re meant to embody the same global time frame and can be read in any order. They begin almost identically, much like Kipling’s Just So Stories, in order to set the tone and rhythm as complementary to the other two. But—worry not! The Elephant and the Dragon, The Dolphin and the Octopus, and The Mermaid and the River Otter each offer their own unique accounts and don’t follow the exact same pattern throughout.

I welcome readers of any age, and even hope that parents think of this story as a family book— perhaps one to be read aloud and discussed together.

Enjoy!

"Prejudice is a great time saver.

You can form opinions without

having to get the facts."

–  E. B. White

"If you judge people

you have no time to love them."

–  Mother Teresa

CHAPTER 1

AGES UPON AGES AGO , when a single supercontinent was all that interrupted the Earth’s superocean, a dolphin and an octopus managed The Oceanic Empire together in an immense protected area called Advisor’s Reef. Both advisors were caring, intelligent, and honest individuals who tried very hard to guide their fellow marine animals objectively, a legal word for not allowing personal opinions to influence a decision. Being trusted to oversee others is a very great responsibility, so they held this power very carefully.

The dark gray male bottlenose dolphin, named Makani (which means wind or breeze in Hawaiian), was known as The Playful One. He had a slick, streamlined body which was deep gray on his top half, but faded to lighter pale gray on his sides. His belly was nearly white and his dolphin face was made complete with a pronounced, elongated beak, which is why we call his species bottlenose. Makani’s eyesight and hearing were ranked highest among all marine animals, a gift that helped him stay alert to his watery surroundings. The tall dorsal fin on his back was broad and curved just right to provide stability and cut through the water easily. Makani managed others with enthusiasm and a sharp sense of humor.

The reddish-brown female