Dolphin Tale 7

Author's Note [23/04/20]

Hi.

It feels weird returning after all this time, but I'm not sticking around for long—not in the sense of writing and posting, anyway. I am busier than ever and seem to have—unfortunately—lost my passion for writing (and DT), which is what spurred me to start this series a very, very long time ago. I also, admittedly, forgot my password to this account which may have complicated things a little bit.

However, given everything that is going on in the world right now, I thought I would jump on and complete this series for you to give you some form of closure, as well as to give you something to do during this time. This was a very spur-of-the-moment decision, as was the one that started me on this journey, but I felt like I owed it to you to finish what I had started. But please know that once you reach the end of this book—once you read that final word—you've reached what really is the end of this series. Having said that, you can always use your imagination to unlock the future—I've left the series ending open-ended so that you can create your own continuation of the story, should you wish to do so. Now, you may have forgotten what happens before these next few chapters, but now is as good a time as any to go back and re-read the previous stories and reminisce.

There are officially only four chapters left of the series, which have all been written, but I will post them one by one so it lasts longer (that way, you're guaranteed an update every Thursday over the next few weeks). After that, there will be two or three bonus chapters (which have not yet been written), and that will be the official end of the DT series. 

Admittedly, it has been a while since I have written anything within the fiction genre (I've written a fair share of essays and lab reports over the past few years), so this little come-back was quite daunting. I had actually written the next chapter or so and was just sitting on it for years because I really wasn't happy with it—but I lost it all recently, anyway, when my USB became corrupted. Nevertheless, here I am. My writing style has probably changed, my vocabulary may have expanded (or shrunk), but the story remains more or less the same—thankfully, I had vaguely planned out the rest of the story when I first started it. Having said that, I have added in some additional scenes that I felt were important, and the ending is slightly different from the one I had originally envisioned because I cut out a major plot point due to it not feeling right.

You will find some parts darker than others, but there will always be hope—something we need at a time like this. I had intended to make it more light-hearted because goodness knows we need it right now, but I realised that the story needed to stay true to itself and stay in the direction that it was headed. It needed to stay real. It may be dark, but in the end, we will get to the light and come out of the other side—stronger, braver, and wiser than we once were, and with a more robust sense of togetherness that this darkness has created.

We may be apart, but we are still together—and together is how we will get through this.

I hope you're all doing okay. Find your light in the dark, be it writing, dancing, singing, painting—you name it. Find something you love and do it to help pass the time or maybe even try something new. At a time like this, it is as important as ever to keep in touch with yourself. Keep in touch with friends and family. Although I do not intend to write anything else on this account in the near future, my WP inbox is open to those who want to talk, so please don't be afraid to reach out. 

And with all that in mind, I hope you enjoy the final instalments of this series.

Sincerely,

Catherine.