Seahorse Breelly is having a happy life with his parents and siblings. The family lives in a house at the deep coral reef. Breelly is a popular seahorse, very friendly and wise that many sea creatures often ask for his help or advice.
The family earns just enough money to support their basic needs. One day, during a casual conversation among the siblings, they come to realize that the family income will soon become insufficient as they grow up and need more things. Breelly’s older brother has an idea – he has to go somewhere and find a job.
Everybody resists the plan at first. But since the brother is old enough and already knows how to take care of himself, the family soon agrees. Right the following day, the brother leaves home.
Days passed and there is no news about Breelly’s brother. The family is getting worried. What if something bad has happened to him?
The mother, particularly, is becoming very sad. This is the very first time that a member of their family has left home. And they are not used to not knowing the whereabouts of one another.
Then one day Breelly receives a letter. The family thinks it’s from their long lost member. But, no, it comes from someone they do not know.
The letter asks Breelly to come to a place at the edge of the coral reef. Breelly hesitates. He is not familiar with the place. All he knows is that he needs to pass close to the surface of the sea in order to get there, and the surface of the sea is a dangerous place to be.
His other siblings suspect that it must be about their lost brother. His mother pleads with him to consider the invitation, hoping to hear something about her other son. Breelly gets convinced to go.
As Breelly approaches the part of the waters close to the surface, he passes by a community of sea creatures. He decides to take a quick peek. He is just about to make a turn when – suddenly – a flickering dynamite falls into the water. Panic ensues all over; seahorses, and the fishes and the other sea creatures are running away in fear. Then a big explosion rings out.
Breelly is lucky to have been able to escape to safety in time. He looks back and is horrified to see the vast destruction. Many seahorses and fishes died, their bodies mangled or blown to pieces. The nearby corals are smashed too.
The view so much depresses Breelly’s spirit. But he has no time to mourn for long. He needs to continue on his journey.
Soon, Breelly reaches his destination. An old turtle named Solientes welcomes him and explains the reason why he asked Breelly to come. Their part of the sea has been recently attacked by humans using dynamite. Many of the victims – hundreds of them – are recovering in Solientes’ house.
Solientes seeks Breelly’s idea on how stop the humans from causing harm to the underwater creatures. As they go around while discussing, Breelly notices a familiar face among the recovering victims. It’s his long lost brother!
Having found his brother at last, Breelly is fired up to think of a way to stop the humans from their practice of dynamite fishing. “If they don’t see any fish,” he tells Solientes, “they won’t throw dynamites!”
Breelly and Solientes immediately send a message to all the fishes to hide until it is safe to go outside. For a while, no fishes are seen in the sea. The humans begin to keep their dynamites away as they no longer have use for it since the fishes are already all gone. Many fishermen realize that it must be the dynamites that scare the fishes away.
As soon as the humans have reformed their destructive fishing practice, Breelly and Solientes send another message throughout the underwater community that it is now safe to come out. The fishes return and the fishermen have good catch again using safe fishing methods. And they all live happily ever after.
James Virneer H. Paraon
11years old
Grade V Labangon Elementary School