The Sea Lion, part 1

Once upon a time, there was a sea lion who had lost the sea. He lived in a country known as the Barren Lands. High on a plateau, far from any coast, it was a place so dry and dust that it could only be called a desert. A kind of coarse grass grew in patches, here and there, and a few trees were scattered across the horizon. But mostly, it was dust. And sometimes wind, which together, make one very thirsty. Of course, it must seem strange to you that such a beautiful creature should wind up in a desert at all. He was, mind you a sea lion. But things like this do happen. How the sea lion came to the barren lands, no-one could remember, it all seemed so very long ago. So long, in fact, that it seemed as though he had always been there. Not that he could belong in such an arid place, how could that be? He was after all a sea lion. But, as you know, once you have lived so long in a certain spot, no matter how odd, you come to think of it as home.

(John Eldredge)