Wheeling Gull Isle we sing, “look at all this love we’ve found”

When she told him she had it handled, Caracal grinned and retreated, seating himself on the dry sand just beyond the tide’s reach. He kept a close eye on Dinah as she bustled along the beach, gathering trinkets for her loved ones. His little sweetheart began to form a pile on top of a stone smoothed by salt winds, so Caracal scooted to sit a little nearer to it, making curious noises at each addition she delivered.

It warmed his heart when she thought to include a gift for him. Caracal bent down to take a closer look at the conch, admiring its natural artistry. He wondered what made Dinah choose it for him but he didn’t ask, reveling in the precious mystery of her youthful choices. He thought she’d chosen well for each of her brothers and mother too.

They sprawled in the sand together for a while after that, Caracal tempted to pull her close to his chest while she was still small like this. But she was becoming a big girl now, so he didn’t infringe on her space. He just sat close, admiring her heart-shaped face; the reddish stripe between her beautiful blue eyes; her pale little tummy; and those impossibly dainty paws. He could kiss any of them for days.

She had a question for him, earning an inquisitive hum before he fell quiet to contemplate how to answer her in terms Dinah would understand.

Think of him as your sky daddy, he murmured. He’s our all-powerful creator and father of all things. He made everything: the sky, the sea, the island, us…