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Once, and not too long ago at all,

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a great grey seal called Solanna 
gave birth to a girl calf seal.

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She named her Solanna the Younger, 
and no seal was ever so proud of its calf.

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You'd think none of the rest 
of us ever had a calf before.

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The old ones cackled on the rocks

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as they watched Solanna the Elder 
flick the baby seal with her nose.

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They were only jealous because 
the bull seals no longer fought over them.

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They spat fishbones at the other seals 
and hit out with their weak old feet.

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Solanna the Elder 
didn't even notice them.

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All day and night she spent her time
minding Solanna the Younger

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suckling her, finding her 
the softest pieces of crab,

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and the sweetest 
seagrasses to eat

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and mackerel that wriggled between her 
teeth as she fed them to the young calf.

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At night in the caves, Solanna the Elder 
spread out on a wide ledge

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with Solanna the Younger 
underneath her.

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Sometimes a mermaid or two 
would come to admire the baby seal

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and sing her lullabies 
in the dark hushed cave

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and when the 
mermaids didn't come,

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Solanna the Elder 
would sing her calf to sleep

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for seals have 
very fine singing voices.