On the 1st of Summer when Cerulean was 14, dad came back with a beautiful white boat, it was love at first sight, Cerulean called the boat Big Blue. Dad showed her how to use the rudder, sextant, vang, and showed her all about the engine and different knots.

When she learnt how to sail by herself the only time she spent on land was at night when she was asleep dreaming about Big Blue.

One day, she went out on a beautiful calm day, the water was as flat as glass and there was not a cloud to see. The water was so clear you could see the reef down below in perfect clarity. Forgetting dad’s warnings about going down to the reef, Cerulean dove down, the reef was further than she thought and by the time she almost reached the bottom her lungs where bursting, quickly she rose to the surface, gasping for breath she dove down again, and again… and again, and again. The sun was almost down and she still had not reached the bottom.

Dad began to switch the lights on and off, a signal to come back.

That night Cerulean dreamed of the reef, and the next morning her muscles were so sore she could hardly lift her spoon at breakfast, when she went down to the old jetty the water was dark and cold, but still Cerulean took her goggles and wetsuit and set off down to the reef.

This time she almost got all the way down but on her way up she felt something nudge her waist, terrified Cerulean swam up as fast as she could the nudges coming more and more frequent finally she was on the boat, with shaking hands Cerulean went home.

On the 1st of Summer when Cerulean was 14, dad came back with a beautiful white boat, it was love at first sight, Cerulean called the boat Big Blue. Dad showed her how to use the rudder, sextant, vang, and showed her all about the engine and different knots.

When she learnt how to sail by herself the only time she spent on land was at night when she was asleep dreaming about Big Blue.

One day, she went out on a beautiful calm day, the water was as flat as glass and there was not a cloud to see. The water was so clear you could see the reef down below in perfect clarity. Forgetting dad’s warnings about going down to the reef, Cerulean dove down, the reef was further than she thought and by the time she almost reached the bottom her lungs where bursting, quickly she rose to the surface, gasping for breath she dove down again, and again… and again, and again. The sun was almost down and she still had not reached the bottom.

Dad began to switch the lights on and off, a signal to come back.

That night Cerulean dreamed of the reef, and the next morning her muscles were so sore she could hardly lift her spoon at breakfast, when she went down to the old jetty the water was dark and cold, but still Cerulean took her goggles and wetsuit and set off down to the reef.

This time she almost got all the way down but on her way up she felt something nudge her waist, terrified Cerulean swam up as fast as she could the nudges coming more and more frequent finally she was on the boat, with shaking hands Cerulean went home.

In spring, when the weather was no longer bitting and Bird had left to start a family, Cerulean went off in Big Blue.

It was a clear, fresh day with a gentle wind when she found herself over the reef once more, she stared into the water and she could see colour, orange, yellow, red, beautiful fish and sea dragons, Cerulean was sad, she wanted to be a part of that strange, magical world.

Sighing she went home, heeding dads warning. But she could not ignore that longing in her dreams.

One day, on her way back from school Cerulean walked past the surf shop in town and in the window was a new scuba suit, she stopped and stared at it, running back home she opened her money jar, in it was $80. The next day after school, Cerulean bought the suit.

For the first few weeks the weather was too choppy to go out on Big Blue, but the next day after a big storm it suddenly cleared up. So, out she went to the reef. Looking over the side she thought of dad,

‘Bravery isn’t about not being scared that’s called foolishness’

Slowly Cerulean dipped her toe, then her legs, then quickly! Before she could change her mind she was in, swallowed up by the water as she dove down to the reef.

And finally after months of wishful, waiting she was in a world she had only dreamed about.

As fish flew by her, she danced, an underwater ballerina.

As the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, Cerulean was in the reef, finding new things, the nudge never came and as her confidence grew so did her curiosity and after a while school became an interesting place, at lunch and recess she sat in the library reading about coral, fish, sea snakes, water, dolphins and sharks.

Happily, she sat in class staring into space seeing the reef and Big Blue, and in art all she drew were sea creatures in wonderful detail and colour. Her teachers where happy too, for Cerulean now had a reason to lean.

After a while of diving and watching fish she once again felt a nudge, it was a silvery blue thing, and once again she found the safety of Big Blue and staring out into the depths she saw a fin break the surface, then a head. It was a dolphin! Delighted, Cerulean watched it tumble in the water around the boat, it wanted to play.

So there it was, the nudger earning the name Nudge.

The next day Cerulean came back and waited for her friend, and sure enough he came. And this time Cerulean dove in with no fear.