Smell of the Sea
by Tom Mahony
“What’s
that smell?” my son asked as we walked along
the sand.
“The
smell of the sea, Laddie,” I said in my best
salty brogue.
“The what?”
“Kelp.”
I pointed to the slippery brown piles near the
high tide line. “Washed ashore by winter
storms.”
The boy
frowned. “It stinks. Let’s go home.”
“Ignore
the smell and consider this. Kelp is like a
forest under the sea. It grows two feet a day,
changes the light and chemistry of the oceans,
and provides food and shelter for countless
animals. It dampens currents and chop, great for
surfing. People use it in toothpaste and ice
cream and tons of other things. It’s
incredible stuff.”
The boy
listened closely, eyes widening as he studied the
kelp and nodded.
Then he turned
to me. “It stinks. Let’s go home.”
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