He thought it was a one-time rescue, until the gifts started coming.

Two months ago, off the coast of Key Largo, Florida, a man spotted something struggling in the shallows. As he brought his boat closer, he realized it was a baby dolphin tangled in a fishing line. The calf was thrashing, gasping at the surface, while its mother circled helplessly nearby.

He moved fast: cutting the engine, leaning over the side, and pulling the frightened animal in. With careful hands, he worked the line free from its fins and tail, then lowered it gently back into the water. The moment it rejoined its mother, the two dolphins lingered at the surface, watching him for several long seconds before swimming away.

He thought that was the end of it, until two months later. Out on the water again, he saw the same pair approach his boat. The calf, now stronger and more confident, surfaced carrying a fish in its mouth. It swam right up to him, dropped the fish at the side of his boat, and disappeared beneath the waves.

The next week, it happened again, but this time, the gift was a bright orange starfish. The week after, a large sea cucumber. And it didn’t stop. Every week since, the young dolphin has arrived with something new from the sea, as if repaying a debt it could never truly settle.

“I didn’t expect anything in return,” the man said. “But it’s like they remember. It’s like they’re saying thank you, in their own way.”