Stolen Treasures

by Summer Waters

“Take care, the boat owners have returned.”

  “I can see them,” Spirit clicked. “They’re loading dive bags on to the bigger boat.”

  A heavy feeling lodged in Antonia’s stomach. They were too late! Mr and Mrs Jones had already completed their raid. When Spirit reached her and greeted her by rubbing noses, Antonia sadly rubbed back.

  “Well done, Silver Dolphin,” Spirit clicked. “You did well to call me.”

  “But we’re too late,” said Antonia.

  Just then the speedboat engine roared to life. Antonia and Spirit froze, but the boat raced off in the opposite direction.

  “They’re going back for more!”

  Antonia was outraged. “Can you swim and distract them? I’ll go and find out what they’ve been collecting, then I’ll swim back to shore and tell the coastguard.”

  “Careful, Silver Dolphin, warned Spirit.

  “Remember, we work in secret. Don’t get caught.”

  “I won’t,” said Antonia. “And you take care too. Mr and Mrs Jones might net you next.”

  Spirit clicked a laugh. “They would have a hard job.”

  He started to swim away, then quickly circled back. “I’ll call for the other Silver Dolphin too. You might need help.”

  Spirit opened his mouth and began to whistle. A shiver of excitement tingled down Antonia’s spine. Her fingers strayed to her own silver dolphin charm and she clasped hold of it. The charm felt alive, its tiny body throbbing in her hand. Inside her head, Antonia heard a faint sound. Was it Cai answering Spirit’s call? She closed her eyes and listened, but the noise slipped away like soft sand in an hourglass. Spirit nudged her gently in the side. Antonia’s eyes flew open in surprise. For a moment, she’d forgotten where she was.

  “The Silver Dolphin is on his way. Wait for him. I’m going after the boat,” said Spirit.

  Antonia didn’t want to wait. She wanted to go aboard the Georgie Girl and see what Emily’s parents had been collecting, but she didn’t dare argue with Spirit. Impatiently, she trod water while she waited for Cai.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cai arrived faster than Antonia thought he would and wasn’t even out of breath. His face fell when he saw Antonia, but he recovered quickly, exclaiming, “You beat me! I was sure I’d be first this time. Where’s Spirit?”

  Quickly, Antonia explained everything and when she’d finished Cai said, “So you were right about Emily’s parents. I’m sorry I laughed at you.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  It wasn’t Cai’s fault that he didn’t have Antonia’s sixth sense, but she was glad that he knew now that she hadn’t imagined it all.

  Quickly they swam to the Georgie Girl and climbed up the ladder. Antonia went first and when she reached the top she gasped in disbelief at the horror on board. The deck was covered with shallow trays, each filled to the brim with sea creatures. Writhing starfish, baby crabs frantically waving little claws, sea horses, sea urchins, there were even a few small fish with their mouths open, gasping for breath as they fried in the early morning sun.

  “Quick. Help me get them back to the sea before they die,” cried Antonia.

  She picked up the tray nearest to her and staggering under the weight of it, tipped it over the side of the boat. Animals spun through the air, tangled together like jewellery, then slowly sunk in the bright blue water. Antonia picked up a second tray and Cai grabbed one too.

  “I never thought Emily’s parents would be bad enough to kill animals. It’s so cruel leaving them in the sun to dry out,” cried Cai.

  “I knew they were bad,” muttered Antonia, emptying the tray overboard and going back for another. “These are stolen treasures. The animals belong to the sea.”

  She stooped for another tray, then jumped back as a small fish flipped itself on to the deck. Both she and Cai tried to pick it up, but it was thrashing wildly and was too slippery. Then suddenly, the fish stopped moving and its eyes clouded over. Swiftly, Antonia lifted it with cupped hands.

  “Heal,” she whispered. “Please heal.”

  A warm sensation shot down her arms and into her fingers. Antonia prepared herself for the prickling to start. But the warm feeling was disappearing. It was as if the magic had suddenly stopped working.

  Heal. Antonia willed the fish to live, but its eyes were unfocused, its mouth wide open.

  Antonia swallowed, knowing it was too late. The magic wasn’t working because the fish was dead. She felt a hand on her arm.

  Cai gave her a comforting squeeze then ran his hand through his springy dark hair.

  “Bad luck,” he said. “But there are others left to save.”

  Antonia snapped out of her trance. Cai was right. There were still more creatures to help and they couldn’t hang around. Hurriedly, she helped Cai return the remaining animals to the sea. As the last tray of creatures slid overboard, Antonia sensed danger.

  “Quickly,” she said, pulling Cai to the ladder of the Georgie Girl. “We’ve got to go.”

  Antonia went first, diving from the ladder into the sea. Cai followed and together they swam away from the boat. Feeling lots of vibrations in the water, Antonia slowed to listen. The shorter ones were coming from Spirit.

  “Silver Dolphins, get away from the boat,” he clicked. “It’s not safe.”

  The longer vibrations soon turned into the distinct hum of the speedboat. Antonia wished she could turn back to see the look on Mr and Mrs Jones’s faces when they discovered their catch had mysteriously disappeared. She could tell from Cai’s grin that he was obviously thinking the same thing. They swam underwater to meet Spirit and found him sheltering round the other side of the headland. To Antonia and Cai’s delight, Bubbles, Dream, Star, Cracker and Arrow were with him.

  “Well done, Silver Dolphins,” Spirit clicked.

  “Between us we have temporarily saved the coral beds. When those people saw me, they stopped collecting the pink sea fans and I was able to lead them back to their speedboat. I called for more dolphin help and we put on a show to give you time to search the bigger boat. When we finally gave the people the slip, I left some of the dolphins to watch the coral beds and alert me if they return.”

  “We’ll go to see the coastguard now. He’ll make sure they don’t come back,’ said Antonia grimly. “It was horrible on board the Georgie Girl. There were hundreds of animals all dying in the sun.”

  Bubbles swam alongside Antonia and nuzzled her with his nose. Gratefully, Antonia rubbed him back.

  “Come back to mine and we’ll ask Aunty Claudia to ring the coastguard,” said Cai.

  “That’s a good idea,” said Antonia. “They’re friends, aren’t they? He’ll listen to Claudia and act straightaway.”

  Hurriedly, Antonia and Cai said goodbye to the dolphins. Antonia saved her goodbye to Bubbles until last.

  “Seaweed tag next time, Silver Dolphin,” he whispered.

  “Definitely,” said Antonia, managing a smile.

  Cai had swum out from Claudia’s beach, so they arranged to meet back at Sea Watch after Antonia had collected her shoes from Sandy Bay.

  “Can you ask Claudia to ring my parents?” said Antonia. “I left a note saying I’d gone for a walk, but that was ages ago and they might be worried.”

  Swimming to Sandy Bay beach, Antonia’s stomach began to growl and she realised she was starving hungry. Water poured from her like rain from a drainpipe as she waded ashore and then sat on the rocks to put on her sandals. The sun was climbing in the sky and there were two other people on the beach; a man with a metal detector and a tall skinny girl collecting shells in a large bucket. As Antonia jogged across the sand, the girl stood up and waved. With a start, Antonia realised it was Emily. A low whooshing noise rushed through her head. She felt dizzy and full of white-hot anger.

  Antonia marched across to the smiling Emily, intent on telling her exactly what she thought of her parents.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Hello,” called Emily, tripping and spilli
ng her shells. “Oh bother, I’ve been ages collecting those.” She dropped on to her hands and knees to pick them up.

  Antonia faltered. It was difficult to say what she wanted when she didn’t have Emily’s full attention.

  “You’re up early,” she commented, wishing Emily would hurry up.

  “Yeah. Mum and Dad went out on the boat, scuba diving. I can’t wait to learn. Then I can go and have fun with them.”

  “Fun!” exclaimed Antonia. She pushed her damp hair out of her eyes and glared at the top of Emily’s bent head. “Do you know exactly what your parents were scuba diving for?”

  Emily stood up and stared at Antonia in surprise.

  “Are you all right? You sound angry.”

  “I am because…” Antonia stopped, just in time. She had to be careful what she said and not give too much away about Silver Dolphins. “I heard a rumour that your parents were taking live animals from the sea, then killing them to sell in their shop.”

  Emily flushed bright red and her glasses slid down her nose. She pushed them back.

  “I don’t listen to rumours. I don’t know where Mum and Dad’s stock comes from, either. But I’ve been thinking about Sea Watch and all the good stuff that happens there. I couldn’t get what Claudia said about ruining the sea and people not coming to visit any more out of my head.”

  Emily paused, her eyes scanning the horizon. “I like it here. I’m not sure, but I think I saw a dolphin this morning. It was quite a long way out, but it was so exciting. I’m going to come down early again tomorrow and bring binoculars.

  “Anyway, I thought it would be good if Emily’s Treasure Chest concentrated on environmentally-friendly souvenirs. So I’ve been collecting stuff to show Mum and Dad. Dropped feathers, empty shells and even bits of driftwood.”

  Emily thrust the bucket at Antonia. “Look, what do you think?”

  Unconsciously, Antonia touched her silver dolphin charm. It felt soft and alive. The anger slowly drained away. Claudia had been right to give Emily a chance. It wasn’t fair to blame her for her parents’ crimes.

  “It’s a brilliant idea,” said Antonia. “We’ll help you, Cai and me. We’re often on the beach, so if we find anything pretty we’ll keep it for you.”

  “Thanks. Well, I’d better get going. Mum and Dad said they’d cook me breakfast when they get back. Bacon rolls with fried eggs and mushrooms. See you Monday.”

  Antonia lay on her back, staring up at the cloudless sky, enjoying the swell of the sea beneath her. Inside, she was still bubbling with excitement. Monday was her least favourite day of the week, but this one had been totally brilliant. It had started when Emily waylaid her and Cai in the playground before school.

  “Promise you won’t tell anyone,” Emily whispered, pulling them into a tight huddle.

  “Mum and Dad had a visit from the coastguard on Saturday. It was soooo embarrassing. Those rumours were right, Antonia. They’d been catching sea life and letting it die, to make their souvenirs. And they’d damaged a coral bed in a special protected area! They were given a warning, but if it happens again the coastguard said he’d tell the police and they’d be prosecuted.

  “Mum and Dad were really shocked. I think they knew they’d been doing wrong, but they didn’t realise it was that serious. Neither of them meant to hurt anything. Mum said she didn’t know that starfish and sea urchins could suffer like other animals. How dumb is that!

  “They’re coming with me to Sea Watch this afternoon to meet Claudia. Dad’s bringing his cheque book. He’s going to make a donation to Sea Watch, by way of an apology.”

  At the end of school, Mr and Mrs Jones met Emily and they all walked to Sea Watch with Antonia and Cai. Antonia felt uncomfortable at first, but Mr and Mrs Jones weren’t the villains she’d expected them to be. They seemed genuinely upset about damaging the coral beds and the suffering they’d caused to the sea life.

  They stayed at Sea Watch for ages and asked lots of questions. They were really impressed with Claudia and the work she was doing, and before they went home they made a large donation. The money meant Claudia could invest in new equipment she needed, including another pen in the garden with a pool for injured animals.

  “Let’s have a party,” said Claudia when the last volunteer had left.

  She made a huge jug of fruit punch, peach juice and lemonade with chunks of real fruit, then put it on a tray with tall glasses, bendy straws and a dish of nibbles. They took it outside and settled themselves on the garden chairs. Antonia was on her second glass of punch when she became aware that Spirit was going to call. She put her glass on the table and seconds later, her dolphin charm began to vibrate.

  “Oh!” exclaimed Cai, nearly spilling his drink. “See you later, Aunty Claudia.”

  Sensing the call wasn’t urgent, Antonia waited for Cai and they swam to Spirit together.

  Antonia was right, no one was hurt. But Spirit had found a long piece of fishing line caught on the rocks. Cai removed it and gave it to Antonia, who tucked it in the pocket of her school dress to dispose of safely when they got home.

  Spirit watched them from the sea and when they dived back into the water he said, “Thank you, Silver Dolphins. You can play with Bubbles and Dream now. You deserve a reward for all your hard work and the danger you have put yourselves in recently.”

  Being a Silver Dolphin was so fantastic Antonia and Cai didn’t expect rewards, but it was brilliant fun playing with Bubbles and Dream. To his amazement, Cai won seaweed tag.

  “My swimming’s getting really good,” he boasted. “I can almost do the arms properly now.”

  “Flipper Boy!” teased Bubble. “But can you do a twister?”

  Cai and Antonia spent ages trying. Antonia got more and more frustrated with her efforts.

  “I can get three-quarters of the way round, then I collapse,” she grumbled.

  “You’ll get there with practice,” said Dream encouragingly.

  “And besides, you can do everything else,” said Cai.

  “Not everything,” said Antonia, knowing she still had lots to learn. Not just as a Silver Dolphin, but about people, too. She readily admitted her feelings about Emily had been wrong. Antonia was growing to like her and was glad she would still see Emily at Sea Watch when she left Sandy Bay Primary at the end of term.

  “Flipper Feet,” cried Bubbles, launching a surprise attack, butting Antonia in the back and rolling her on to her tummy. Spluttering, Antonia somersaulted and chased after him.

  “Water fight,” she clicked. “Two teams. You and Cai, against Dream and me.”

  “You’re on,” they all whistled back.

  Bubbles leaped out of the water, turned a full circle on his tail, before landing on his side and splashing everyone.

  “Oi!” laughed Cai. “Remember we’re on the same team.”

  When everyone was thoroughly splashed Dream called a truce. “We have to go soon,” she said. “Dad’s taking us out to sea.”

  “I have to go too,” said Antonia reluctantly. “Mum will worry if I’m late.”

  “Stay to tea,” begged Cai. “We’ll ring your mum when we get back. We’ve still got the fruit punch to finish.”

  “Thanks. I will if I’m allowed.”

  Bubbles and Dream swam with the Silver Dolphins until they were in sight of Claudia’s beach.

  “See you soon,” clicked Antonia, rubbing noses first with Dream and then Bubbles.

  She raced Cai ashore. They waded up the beach, shaking themselves like wet dogs, laughing as the water poured from their clothes. Suddenly Antonia stopped laughing and her face turned serious.

  “What?” asked Cai, pulling on trainers.

  “This,” said Antonia, stretching out her hands. “Being a Silver Dolphin. Sea Watch, Claudia and you. It’s totally amazing.”

  You’re amazing too.

  The voice in her head was Claudia’s. Sensing she was very close, Antonia shoved her feet in her sandals and ran to meet her.

&nbs
p; Copyright

  First published in paperback by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2009

  HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd,

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  Text copyright © Julie Sykes 2009

  Cover illustrations copyright © Andrew Farley 2009

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