A young man lived on the same island with his mother and grandmother. Grandma knew the secret to making fragrant coconut oil. She often rubbed her beloved grandson with this oil, and on such days the dolphins swam very close to the shore. Then the inhabitants of the island rushed into the sea and caught dolphins.
One day, people saw a school of dolphins and rejoiced at the upcoming luxurious feast. There has never been such a catch before. Suddenly, one dolphin separated from the school and headed straight towards the young man, who smelled of coconut oil. Dolphin said:
- Bring me to your house!
- How do you know my language and why are you talking to me? - the young man was surprised. But the dolphin repeated again:
- Bring me to your house!
The young man wanted to say that according to the customs of the tribe, it was not appropriate for him to take such a large prey alone, but he remained silent and dragged the dolphin home.
- Cover me with mats and wait until I call you! - asked the dolphin.
The young man did everything as the dolphin asked, and when he entered the house again, a beautiful girl with black, shiny hair, thick, dark eyebrows, and an apron made of sea grass stood in front of him.
- Who are you and what are you doing here? - the young man was surprised.
The girl replied:
“I was a dolphin, and now I’ve turned into a human.” I floated towards the wonderful smell of your coconut oil and fell in love with you.
The young man was embarrassed: he knew that his mother would be very angry with him for not taking the spoils to the meeting house like everyone else.
Soon the mother came and saw that the house was not as usual. She began to scold, and then the son came out, and a little later the girl appeared. She told her mother her story and admitted that she fell in love with the young man. But the mother demanded that the girl immediately go with her to the meeting house - let the old people who gathered there decide her fate.
The girl stubbornly refused to go; mother and son could not persuade her.
Then the mother herself went to the meeting house and brought the old people from there - let them look at the newcomer and decide whether to accept her into the community.
The girl said:
— Do you know who dolphins are? These are people who died at sea. They are the ones who turn into dolphins.
The old people listened to the girl, allowed her to stay and live in their tribe, and since then people know that they cannot hunt dolphins, because they are creatures dear to us.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru