Nona, the little Dolphin Nona, the little dolphin, had lost her way. She was looking for her family everywhere but couldn’t find anyone. Besides, she was suffering from an ear-infection which made it impossible for her to hear the sounds coming from more distant regions of the sea. Nona felt so weak because she could neither call, nor hear her family any longer. So, she took a little rest to gather strength. It was then when she met a pretty, young sturgeon. “Hello, young lady”, he said, “you are so alone. May I join you for a little while?” he asked. “I lost my family”, she told him. The sturgeon felt pity for her. “Come on, I’ll show you my hometown”, he said, “that will take your mind off your trouble and perhaps your family will find you soon.” Nona accepted the invitation. She swam to the surface for one more breath before the journey began. “What is your name?” she asked her companion. “My name is Titan, because I’m strong and hard as steel,”he answered. “And my town is called Everywheretown. We are proud of our cultural achievements. I’ll show you - come on!” The landscape on the ocean floor was changing and she began to see cliffs and stone formations which were completely alien to her. “What’s that?” she asked. “These are homes. Our families live here, protected against enemies and nature”. The very idea of staying in those stone-boxes made Nona feel afraid. But she didn’t want to hurt the feelings of her host. They swam on. “These are our prisons made for those who do not live according to our rules. We call these fish criminals. They have to pay penance here.” Titan’s voice was full of pride. “Pay what?” said Nona. Fearfully she imagined to be imprisoned. She was sure to die very quickly because she needed the freedom to move and to surface for air. She saw sad eyes looking at her from behind the bars. “Is this the harshest punishment that you have?” she asked. “No. The harshest punishment is the death penalty, which is made for all our enemies. Do you see the hills up there? These are the mountains of corpses of those who did not accept law and order. They were hostile towards us.” Nona’s body was shaking with fear. “It’s horrible here. I do not want to stay. This is a nightmare!” “Don’t be afraid. I will protect you. Nothing will harm you as long as I am with you,” her companion tried to comfort her. “Titan, you should know my family. None of us are supposed to suffer,” said Nona seriously. “But what do you do with those who do not respect the rules?” he wanted to know. “We don’t have this problem. We help and please one another. Can’t you try to introduce this way of life here, too?” Nona asked him. It took some time before Titan answered this question: “The law governing our country is stronger than anyone’s individual interest - we are following rules, because they are good for all.” “And can’t you change them?” Nona wanted to know. “What do you want me to change?” Titan asked. “You could make laws that show your citizens how to love and respect one another. You could teach and train them instead of punishing them. After all, they are the children of your country.” They swam on. “Now I’ll show you my house,” Titan said. They reached a palace made of pearls, crystals and corals. “This is Terror House.” “‘Terror’ is a frightening name for a home”, she thought. “But perhaps this is the family’s last name”. The castle was pretty as far as she could see. Mother Terror was welcoming her. “Nice to meet you. Come right in and feel at home.” “Thank you,” said Nona, knowing that it soon would be time to get some fresh air. “May I offer you something?” Mrs. Terror asked. Nona did not feel like eating. “So, my son will show you our house,” she said, smiling. And Nona saw the rooms, the hall, the ballroom, the garden, the well. “I have to go now”, she said. Titan understood. “I’m waiting for you. Come back!” he said. Her ears were hurting. Nona still wanted to find her family. She was looking everywhere, singing and calling. But there was no answer. When Nona returned to Everywheretown it was evening. Terror House was brightly lit. Sturgeon Titan was happy to let Nona in. All were gathered in the living room. “Dear family,” said the mother. “I’m happy to welcome this rare guest.” Father Terror was nodding with a friendly expression. “How do you like our town?” he asked Nona. “I like Titan and I like your hospitality. But to be honest: I don’t like prisons and the death penalty is most shocking to me. I hope that one day you can live in peace and harmony.” The Terror family thought about what Nona said. No one had ever talked to them like this before. The more they thought about it the more they realized that Nona spoke the truth, that her words did indeed represent their most inner wishes. Soon Everywheretown changed tremendously. The new ruling policy was adopted, a new name was also found: Dolphinism. Schools and social institutions were built. Siblings were educated in the fundamental science of respect and support. Social workers were hired to spread the news around sturgeonland. The social workers educated the prisoners and Dolphinism soon became the talk of the sea, bringing its inhabitants a feeling of friendship and peace. People helped one another. The government established a new training programme for Peacesturgeons. The constitution was changed and the first paragraph now read: “Most important is the harmony of all sea creatures, happiness for sturgeons and peace throughout the sea.” This caused quite a ripple. Even Nona’s family heard about the new developments. They decided to visit Sturgeonland. Guess who they met? Nona, beaming with joy, and Titan. They had become friends and decided to remain in Sturgeonland, at least for a while. (written 1997)