Ecco the Dolphin is the property of Sega and Ed Annunziata. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.

Ecco surfaced, looking up at the stars. The night was calm and the sky clear, but he felt ill at ease.

Something is wrong...

He dived back down into the murky depths. He could feel it now, like a strange note in the back of his mind. As he dived deeper, he saw a white light ahead and he swam towards it. As he drew closer, he could see that it looked like a large Ray, except that it glowed with a white light.

'Greetings, my friend...' Ecco said, but it did not answer, continuing to swim in circles.

'There is no need to be afraid. Whatever is wrong, I will help you...'

The Light Ray stopped swimming and turned to face Ecco, and a voice entered his head.

'I am lost...'

'Where do you come from?'

'From the stars. But, there are no stars here. Without the stars, I am lost...'

'There are no stars down here.' Ecco said, turning towards the surface. 'They are above us. I will show you...'

Ecco turned and headed upwards, looking back to see that the Light Ray was following him and they broke the surface together.

'There, the stars.' Ecco said, the Light Ray following his gaze and he sensed a change in it. It began to glow brighter and, as he watched, it shot skywards as a beam of light that hung in the sky like a star for a second.

'Good luck and safe journey...'

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms very welcome.