Part 1

Out on the depths of the deep blue ocean a 
Wind went wandering. He crept gently over 
the sleeping water, scarcely disturbing it as he 
passed. He was looking for some waves to 
play with, but there were none to be found. 
The ocean’s face was as smooth as a millpond, 
without one ripple to break its surface. The 
first rays of the rising sun stole up over the rim 
of the distance, but still the waves slept on. 

“Lazy things,” said the Wind to himself. “I 
think I’ll wake them.” 

So he puffed out his cheeks as far as he could, 
and, choosing a spot where the sea was bluest, 
he blew with all his might. 

Instantly a dozen tiny waves sprang up, wide 
awake. 

“What are you doing?” they asked, crossly. 

“Come and play,” said the Wind. 

“No, it’s too early. We’re going to sleep,” 
and they turned slowly over and went to sleep 
again. 

All except one little Wave. She had never 
seen the wind before; for, indeed, she had only
just been blown into life. Before the Wind had 
breathed upon her, she had been sleeping peace¬ 
fully beneath the ocean, and had never been to 
the top; but now she had come right to the sur¬ 
face into the fresh air, and she wanted to stay 
there. So she did not lie down again with the 
others, but stayed and looked at the Wind. 

She saw that he looked disappointed when 
the other waves turned over and went to sleep 
again, and she was such a gentle, happy little 
wave that she did not like to disappoint anyone. 
So she said, shyly, to the Wind: "I'll play with 
you if you like.” 

The Wind looked at her for a moment, thinking 
how small she was. Then he said: “You 
are a very tiny wave, but I believe I can soon 
make you big enough to play with.” 

So he blew upon the Wave, at first gently, 
and then gradually with more force, until he 
had lifted her high up from the surface, and she 
was quite a large wave. 

The Wind looked at her with approval, for, 
indeed, she was a wave to admire. She was all 
of a bright sea-green, with a tinge of blue, which 
broke into a crest of snow-white foam as she 
raised her head. 

“I think you are big enough now to play 
with,” said the Wind, “and I am quite sure you 
are pretty enough.” 

The Wave smiled with delight, and curled 
over with a joyful gurgle. “Come on, then; 
come and catch me,” she called, and in a 
moment she was racing over the ocean with the 
Wind behind her. 

“Oh, this is joy!” cried the Wave, as she felt 
the Wind behind her blowing her forward, ever 
forward. “To think that I should have been 
sleeping at the bottom of the ocean all this time, 
when I might have been playing here! Dear 
Wind, how can I thank you for waking me?” 

“Don’t try,” said the Wind. “Just play with 
me, and I shall be satisfied.” 

So on across the ocean’s face they went, 
chasing and catching, jumping and falling, while 
the Wave danced and bubbled with joy. 

The sunbeams saw them, and came to join the 
fun, and they darted through the Wave, flash¬ 
ing and sparkling as they moved. 

“Oh, you pretty things,” cried the Wave, 
jumping up to catch them; but they never 
rested for a moment, but darted backwards and 
forwards, laughing all the time.

She was such a young and happy wave that 
it was no wonder that everyone wanted to play 
with her. The little fishes came up to the sur¬ 
face, and swam through her, leaving a tiny 
ripple behind them as they passed. The sun¬ 
beams saw the fishes, and darted after them, 
and the Wave laughed with glee at the sight. 

Then a beautiful white bird came sailing 
along, and he sank down gently on to the Wave. 

“Oh, you beauty!” she said, as she rocked 
him softly to and fro. The bird was so con¬ 
tented that he wanted the Wave to stay and 
nurse him all day. 

But the Wind was growing impatient, and 
cried out: 

“Come along, little Wave. There are many 
things to be seen, and we must make haste.” 

So the Wave said good-bye to the white bird, 
and danced off with the Wind. 

As they travelled along they met many more 
birds and fishes, and the sunbeams went with 
them all the time, brightening the heart of the 
Wave, till she felt so happy that she thought 
there could be nobody in the whole world so 
glad as she. And she thought that the whole 
world was made up of birds and breeze and 
sunbeams and little fishes. 

But she was soon to learn that there were 
other things than these in the world.
Above the voices of the sea-birds there came 
a new sound, strange to the ears of the Wave. 
“Swish-swish, swish-swish,” it came across the 
water, and the Wave stayed still to listen. 

“What is it?” she asked. 

“A boat,” replied the Wind. 

“What is a boat ?” 

“The thing that Humans use to come upon 
the sea.” 

“I want to see it,” said the Wave. 

“Well, come and I’ll show it to you.” 

The Wind helped her along, and they 
travelled so quickly that the little fishes were 
left behind, But the Wave was too excited to 
notice that. She was most curious to see this 
new thing, which the Wind called “a boat.” 
As she moved along she could hear the “swish- 
swish” growing louder and louder, till at last 
she could hear nothing else. 

“Look now,” cried the Wind, and lifting her 
head the Wave saw a large white boat coming 
towards her. It had four long white feelers, 
two on each side, which moved rapidly all to¬ 
gether, dipping in and out of the sea all the time. 
It was these things which made the “swish- 
swish.” It looked like a great big animal with 
four long legs, and the Wave felt frightened, for 
she had never seen anything so big before. She 
thought she would run away, but before she had 
time to move, the nose of the boat was right up 
beside her. It did not hurt her, but gave her 
just a sharp push that tickled her and made her 
laugh aloud. She was just curling round to 
feel it again, when she heard a voice say: “Oh, 
what a darling wave!”