Seahorse #PlanetOrPlastic

Seahorse

Quincy looked down at his seven year old son, Isaac, who was currently looking at the unique sea animals through the thick glass of the tanks they occupied. The middle-aged man had spent every penny in his bank account to take his son here, so they could see at least one sea animal together, because he knew how much the boy craved new knowledge.

"Dad! Dad! Look at his nose!" Isaac cried out excitedly.

Quincy peered through the glass and he chuckled at the sight. "I thought it would look more like a real horse."

The man turned his gaze to his son, whose eyes were wide with surprise. "You've never seen one before? I thought you knew everything!"

Love swelled inside the man for his son. Quincy knew, since the first moment he held him as an infant, that he would do anything to keep him as happy as he was in this moment.

"Sadly, I don't. This is your Dad's first time seeing what used to be under the ocean, too." Quincy turned his attention back to the brown alien-like creature with the silly nose. "Can you imagine that these came from the ocean?"

"Daaaaaaad." Quincy heard his son complain beside him. "Everybody knows that nothing can live in the ocean. They live here."

Turning his full attention the small boy, he smiled. "I promise, the ocean was their home, once."

Isaac's facial expression turned thoughtful as he spoke. "My teacher said that a long time ago people use to spend time in the ocean for fun, but you can get really sick and die if you go in the ocean now." The boy then turned his eyes on the sea animal, "Will this one get sick if he goes home?"

Although he was unsure what to say, Quincy knew that no matter what he could never lie to his boy. "H-He probably would." He answered with hesitation, pain shooting inside of him at giving such horrible news to his son. "Generations before us, people dropped their trash in the ocean and because of the mistakes they made, it became so dirty that now nobody can use it."

Quincy paused then, giving his son time to process his words before he continued. "Although we try really hard now to give everyone clean water, it's a big job that will take a lot of time. It's places, like these aquariums, that take really good care of these animals so they have a safe place to live."

A look of sadness crossed the child's face, and Quincy wished in that moment that he could change everything. He desperately ached to give his child a world where everybody was just as thoughtful as him.

"When I grow up, Dad, I'm going to make sure we take care of what's left of the world. That way we will all have a safe place to live."

Proud of his son, Quincy gently patted his back. "I'll do everything I can to help you."