🐳 This is my entry to the Esie Adventures contest, run by 
and 
Five years ago, South-East corner of Blocean...
"Mom, look!", Esie shouted excitedly, pointing with her fin at a school of dolphins swimming by. "Dolphins! They are my favourite!"
"Well, they surely are lovely", Esie's mom answered. "You see how elegantly they move together as a group? A group of dolphins like this is called 'school'"
"What?? Really?!", Esie exhaled in wonder. "But they are not in school right now, are they?"
"No, it just a name for their group, like a small tribe", Esie's mom explained patiently. "But they were in school once, back when they were minnows".
"Whaaaat?!.." At this point Esie's disbelief was openly written on her cute baby-whale's face. "Dolphins used to be minnows?!"
"Yes, when they were little like you. You see, almost every creature in the Blocean starts as plankton. As they learn, play, and help each other, they eventually become minnows. Then dolphins..."
"Mom, were you a minnow too, when you were small? Was I? I don't remember! I have always been a whale!". Esie's questions were coming so fast, they were almost stumbling upon each other.
"Well, dear, we are quite special. Most whales evolve from dolphins, just like dolphins evolve from minnows. But our family, you and I, we were born whales, even as we started our lives as small babies. You see, we have a very special role in the Blocean's ecosystem. We are the stewards of all creatures living here together. We, whales, are responsible for fostering their growth, development and well-being. You know how much you enjoy nudging those shiny ^-shells with your nose? We all like to do it, out of pure instinct, even before we learn what it truly means".
"What does it mean, mom?"
"When you nudge a ^-shell, a little minnow somewhere grows a bit larger. Eventually it will become a dolphin, if we take our duties seriously and keep finding new ^-shells to nudge. As you grow bigger and wiser, my little Esie, every nudge will become more and more helpful. In a few short years from now you will be making dolphins out of small minnows all the time."
"Really? That's so cooool!", Esie drew out dreamily. "Oh, mom, do you know what we learned at school yesterday? Turns out the name of our home doesn't come from Blue Ocean, as I used to think. It's actually Block... Bloch... it's this long word the teacher told us." Esie struggled to remember a new concept, only recently taught to her.
"Ah, yes. Blockchain Ocean. Of course. That's where we live. We call it by its short name, Blocean. All life forms populating the Blocean form one huge Hive. Like a big family or a tribe. We all depend on each other, and if we help each other to thrive, then we will always prosper together. That's why we have a big responsibility, as whales, to maintain Hive's home as a friendly, peaceful and supportive place".
"Mom, I wanna be a good steward, when I grow up. Like you..."
"Of course you will be, sweetheart.", Esie's mom beamed with pride for her daughter. "And much sooner than you think. We, whales, learn and grow fast, but we also live long lives, to accumulate and then share wisdom that we've collected over the years, while traversing different parts of the Blocean. Aside from nudging those ^-shells to help the minnows grow, we also encourage sea creatures to create and join communities, so that they can have more fun together and become stronger and smarter".
At this point Esie and her mom arrived at Esie's school and it was time to say good-bye for the next few hours that Esie would be spending with her minnows classmates and a few other baby-whales like her, learning about Blockchain, Hive, communities, and curation. Esie could only guess back then, but a few years later all this knowledge would become very useful to her, as she would embark on her own mission of a Steward of Hive.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my little story. ☺️ If you have, please leave an upvote and drop a comment below. Especially if you want to read more of Esie's adventures on my blog. 😉