The Momma Clan

Characters:

• Turtley: A wise, old sea turtle.
• Sparkle: A young, energetic whale shark.

A vibrant coral reef, now showing signs of damage.

 Turtley slowly swimming around a bleached coral head. Sparkle swims up to him, looking concerned.

Sparkle: Turtley! You look sad. What is wrong?

Turtley: Oh, Sparkle, it is this reef. It is not like it used to be. The colours are fading, and it feels empty.

Sparkle: I know, I have noticed it too. It is like the sun is gone, even when it is shining. What is happening?

Turtley: It is many things, little one. Some we can see, and some are harder to spot. The biggest problem is the water getting too warm.

Sparkle: Warm? I like it warm.

Turtley: Not this warm, Sparkle. Think of the reef as our home, like your favourite spot to zoom around. The coral, it likes things just right. When the water gets too hot, it gets sick. It loses its colour, and it cannot give us food and shelter like before. This is called bleaching.

Sparkle: Oh no! So, all this pretty coral it is sick?

Turtley: Sadly, yes. And it is not just the heat. There is also all the stuff we find in the ocean now. Things that do not belong.

Sparkle: You mean like those floaty, clear bags? I tried to eat one once, but it tasted yucky.

Turtley: Exactly. Plastic. And other trash. It gets in the water, and it is very bad for all of us. We can get tangled in it or eat it, and it makes us very sick.

Sparkle: Why is all that stuff here? Who put it here?

Turtley: It is the humans, Sparkle. They live on the land, and they make a lot of things. Sometimes, these things end up in our ocean. And there are so many of them now that it is a big problem.

Sparkle: Humans, I have seen them. They come in those big, noisy things that zoom on the top of the water. Some of them are nice, but some leave trash.

Turtley: Yes, some humans are trying to help, but many do not understand how their actions hurt our home. And it is not just trash. They also take too many fish from the ocean.

Sparkle: Take them? Where do they go?

Turtley: They eat them. And when they take too many, there are not enough left for us.

Sparkle: That is not fair; this is our home; we were here first.

Turtley: I know, little one. It is not fair. But we cannot give up. We must be strong, and we must find ways to stay safe.

Sparkle: But what can we do? We are just us.

Turtley: We can do a lot. First, we can be careful. We can stay away from the places where there is a lot of trash. We can learn to find the clean, healthy parts of the ocean.

Sparkle: That makes sense. I do like the clean water best. It is easier to see my yummy plankton.

Turtley: Exactly, and we can also spread the word. We can tell other sea creatures about the dangers. The more of us that know, the better we can protect ourselves.

Sparkle: We can tell the dolphins; they are really good at talking to everyone. And the octopuses. They are super smart; they might have some ideas.

Turtley: That is a great idea, Sparkle. And remember, even though things look bad now, the ocean is strong. It can heal if we give it a chance.

Sparkle: Really? How?

Turtley: The humans can change. They can learn to be more careful. Some of them are already working hard to clean up the ocean and protect our reefs. And we can help by being good stewards of our home. By being careful, by spreading the word, and by never giving up hope.

Sparkle: I like that. We can be ocean guardians. I am a fast swimmer; I can zoom all over and tell everyone!

Turtley: That is my Sparkle. Always full of energy and hope. Yes, little one, we can be ocean guardians. And together, we can make sure our home stays beautiful and healthy for a long, long time. We need to look after our home, and each other.

Turtley and Sparkle swim off together, a renewed sense of purpose in their hearts. 

Ocean is in trouble, the reef is not so bright,

Creatures are suffering, it is not a good sight.

But we can be guardians, strong and so bold,

Protect our blue home, like stories of old.

Spread the word, let our voices ring true,

For a healthy ocean, for me and for you.

-Bhawana Sethi