by Steve Voake
Pinchy scuttled off her hand and plopped back into the water. As Daisy watched him sink to the bottom again, she felt a chill run through her and, looking up, she saw that the sun had gone behind a cloud. The sea had turned from blue to gray, and the world suddenly seemed much darker. When Daisy looked back into the water again, all she could see was swirling sand.
Daisy decided she had better swim back and tell her parents about the dolphin. They would know what to do, wouldn’t they? They always knew what to do. But as she turned toward the beach, something in the distance caught her eye.
Just around the corner in a small rocky cove, two gray dots were huddled together beneath the cliffs. They were surrounded by water, and as Daisy watched, she realized to her horror that the two dots were Rabsy and Raberta. Somehow they had managed to get stranded, and the tide was coming in.
In a few minutes, the beach where they stood would be completely underwater.
Without stopping to think, Daisy put her mask back on and swam as hard as she could toward the cliffs.
“Daisy! Daisy!” shouted the little rabbits when they saw her. “We’re over here!”
“So I see,” said Daisy, stumbling out of the water. “But what on earth are you doing here?”
“It was Rabsy’s idea,” said Raberta. “I said we should wait until you came back, but Rabsy said it would be all right because he was the best rabbity wave rider in the whole wide world.”
“I am, too,” said Rabsy.
“Uh, I don’t think so,” said Raberta. “The best rabbity wave riders don’t crash into rocks, Rabsy.”
“I don’t understand,” said Daisy. “You don’t have a surfboard.”
“I did,” said Rabsy, pointing to a piece of wood that was lying next to the rocks, “but it sort of snapped.”
“You went surfing on that?”
“I wouldn’t call it surfing,” said Raberta. “More like sinking.”
Daisy looked at the rising water and remembered that the two little rabbits couldn’t swim well. It was up to her to save them.
“Climb onto my shoulders,” she instructed. “I’m going to wade past the rocks and then swim around to the beach. Whatever you do, don’t let go, OK?”
“OK,” said Rabsy and Raberta. Daisy knelt down, and they scampered up onto her shoulders.
“All set?” Daisy asked as their little paws clutched at her hair.
“All set,” said Rabsy and Raberta.
“OK,” said Daisy. “Then, let’s go!”
As the water came up to her waist, Daisy took a deep breath, pulled down her mask and launched herself forward into the ocean. The rabbits clung to her neck and Daisy could feel them shivering.
“Are we nearly there?” whispered Rabsy. “I need to go and check on my carrots.”
“Soon,” said Daisy, trying to reassure him.
But although she was a strong swimmer, she began to worry that the little rabbits wouldn’t have the strength to hold on much longer. The sun was still behind the clouds, and the beach was far away. As Daisy looked around, all she could see was dark water around her and gray sky above her.
Then, ahead of her, a shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds.
Daisy thought of home then, of her best friend, Boom, and the sun-bright meadow behind her house. And as the water sparkled and shone like a thousand diamonds, Daisy remembered what Boom had said to her before she left.
If you swim toward the sun, you’ll find your way home.
For some reason she couldn’t explain, Daisy began to feel braver and stronger. Then, as she swam closer to the sunlit water, Rabsy shouted, “Look! Down there!” Daisy noticed that something was moving beneath them. It gradually rose up from the depths of the ocean, faster and faster, and then suddenly Daisy felt herself being lifted out of the water. As she looked down, she realized to her surprise that she was on the back of a dolphin.
“Oh!” she cried happily. “Where did you come from?”
The dolphin flicked its tail, crested a wave, and swam smoothly into calmer waters.
“I wanted to meet you,” said the dolphin, and when it spoke, Daisy thought it was like listening to the most beautiful music she had ever heard. “I wanted to thank you for telling the crabs I was in trouble. They came in their hundreds to free me from the net, and so now you must tell me what I can do for you in return.”
“Could you take us back to the beach?” asked Daisy. “If it’s not too much trouble.”
“For you, nothing is too much trouble,” replied the dolphin. “But perhaps you would like to come for a ride first?”
“Yes, please,” whispered Daisy.
As the dolphin leaped through the waves, Daisy held on tightly and watched the water rushing past. But although they were moving at a great speed, the dolphin swam so smoothly that Daisy felt as if she were sliding through fields of blue silk. High above her, the clouds gave way to clear skies, and Daisy felt the warm sun on her back once again. Then, as they splashed across the tops of the waves, Rabsy and Raberta squealed with delight, and Daisy turned to see tiny rainbows dancing in the spray all around them.
“They’ve got green grass in them!” shouted Rabsy, pointing at the bright colors shimmering above the sea. “And yellow sun and blue sky and everything!”
Far below them, tiny fish swam through secret caves and played hide-and-seek in forests of blue and green seaweed. As the dolphin turned back toward the shore, a group of swifts flew alongside them, skimming the bright water before soaring up into the summer sky. Daisy thought of Flapperton sitting on the windowsill and dreaming of rainbows.
“That was wonderful,” she said as the dolphin stopped in the shallow water. She stroked the dolphin’s smooth back and stared out toward the horizon. “The ocean is very big,” she whispered. “Will you be all right out there on your own?”
“I won’t be on my own,” said the dolphin. “Listen.”
Daisy leaned sideways until her ear was touching the water, and from somewhere far away, she heard the faintest of clicking sounds.
She smiled. “Are those your friends?”
The dolphin nodded. “They’re singing because you found me,” he said. “And now they are calling me home.”
As Daisy and the rabbits waved good-bye to the dolphin, Daisy noticed something fall off its tail into the water. Bending down, she scooped it up, and there, sitting in the palm of her hand, was someone very familiar.
“Pinchy!” she cried. “What are you doing?”
Pinchy looked up at her and clacked his claws together. “My grandfather crab, he told me that riding on a dolphin feels like magic. So I hitched myself a ride.”
“And what did you think?”
Pinchy raised a claw and clacked it like a castanet. “It’s magic, all right,” he said.
He held out his other claw, and Daisy saw that he was holding a small piece of glass that had been washed smooth by the ocean.
“A gift,” he said, “for you.”
Then with a cry of “Keep dancing, Daisy!” he scuttled to the edge of her hand, jumped into the water, and disappeared beneath the waves.
“I wonder what it’s for?” said Daisy, turning the glass over in her hand.
“Maybe it’s so you don’t forget us when you go home,” said Raberta.
Daisy stroked her silky ears. “I’ll never do that,” she said. Then, noticing that both rabbits were still shivering, she gathered them up in her arms and took them to a sunny spot next to the cliff path.
“The walk home should warm you up,” she told them. “But if you’re still cold, just remember what Pinchy said: ‘Keep dancing!’”
Rabsy and Raberta giggled and hugged Daisy’s legs. Then they set off, dancing and waving until finally they were lost from sight.
“I always knew you were a good swimmer,” said Dad, wrapping Daisy in a towel, “but I didn’t know you were that good.”
“What do you mean?” asked Daisy.
“You looked as though y
ou were riding on a speedboat.” Dad chuckled. “The funny thing was it looked like you had a couple of fluffy toys out there with you.”
Mom packed away the picnic basket and shook her head. “I think your dad’s been sitting in the sun too long,” she said.
“I think he has,” said Daisy. “I mean, it’s obvious that Rabsy and Raberta are rabbits.”
“Eh?” said Dad.
Daisy rolled up her towel and smiled.
“Never mind,” she said.
As they walked back up the beach, she felt the smooth glass in her pocket.
“Can we go to the shop?” she asked. “I need to get some presents for my friends.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” said Mom. “What did you have in mind?”
“Carrot juice,” said Daisy, “and maybe some hazelnut ice cream?”
“Those are some interesting choices,” said Dad.
Daisy smiled.
“I’ve got some interesting friends,” she said.
It had been a wonderful vacation, but it was good to be home again. Daisy hoped her other friends would be as pleased with their presents as Rabsy and Raberta had been with theirs.
“It tastes like raindrops,” Raberta had said as she licked carrot juice from her whiskers. “Raindrops made from carrots!”
“ Mmmm,” said Rabsy, closing his eyes. “Now that’s carroty!”
As Daisy walked down the lane listening to the bees buzz among the flowers, she heard Boom discussing the weather with Meadowsweet.
“The thing about sunshine,” he was saying, “is that it’s mainly warm and dry. Whereas rain, on the whole, is a good deal wetter.”
“Can’t argue with that,” said Meadowsweet, looking up at the blue sky. “Although I like the taste of grass after rain. It makes my breath feel fresh and cool.”
As Daisy leaned on the gate, Meadowsweet turned and stamped her foot with delight. “Look who’s home again!” she whinnied.
“Hello, Meadowsweet,” replied Daisy happily. “How would you like something to make your breath feel fresh and cool right now?”
“I wouldn’t say no,” replied Meadowsweet, trotting over to the gate. “What do you have? Rain in a bag?”
“Not exactly,” said Daisy. “But I think you might like it, anyway.”
She pulled a peppermint from her pocket and offered it to Meadowsweet. Boom watched with interest as Meadowsweet gently snuffled it out of Daisy’s hand.
“How does it taste?” he asked.
“Hang on,” said Meadowsweet. She chomped on the mint and shivered. “It’s like a cold drink from a snowy stream, but without the wet parts. It’s delicious, Daisy!”
“Glad you like it,” said Daisy, turning to Boom. “I’ve got something for you, too.”
She pulled out a small gray pebble and offered it to him through the gate.
Boom stared at it, sniffed it, and then looked back at Daisy. “Not to be rude or anything, but what do I do with it?”
“You eat it,” said Daisy.
“Oh,” said Boom, sounding disappointed. “The thing is, I don’t really like eating pebbles. I tried one once, and my teeth nearly fell out.”
Daisy laughed. “It’s not a real one, silly,” she said. “It’s a peanut-butter pebble. I bought a bag of them from the gift shop near the beach.”
Boom sniffed at the pebble again and licked his lips. “It does smell good,” he said.
He stared at the pebble for a while longer. Then he took it from Daisy’s hand, crunched it up, and swallowed it. “Oh my,” he said. “Oh my, oh my, oh my.”
Daisy giggled. “You like it, then?”
Boom shook his head. “The word like,” he said, “does not do justice to what is happening in my mouth right now.”
At that moment, Hazel and Conker came scampering down from the oak tree, squeaking, “Daisy’s home, Daisy’s home!”
“Hello, small squirrels,” said Daisy. “I’ve brought a present for you, too.” She reached into her bag and pulled out the little tub of hazelnut ice cream she had bought on the way home. It was already starting to go soft in the heat, but it was still cold.
“It’s a hat!” exclaimed Hazel as Daisy peeled back the lid. “A hat full of squishy stuff.”
“It’s not a hat,” said Daisy. “It’s ice cream.”
Conker dipped his nose in and squealed. “It’s like those things that fall down in winter!” he cried.
“You mean ducks?” asked Hazel. “Ducks falling over on the ice?”
“No, not ducks. The stuff that comes out of the sky.”
“Ducks come out of the sky,” said Hazel. “They come out of the sky like anything.”
“Snow,” said Conker, licking the end of his nose. “It’s like snow, but with nuts in it!”
“Nutty snow!” cried Hazel excitedly. She scooped out some ice cream, popped it in her mouth, then jumped in the air and ran around the water trough.
“She always does that when she’s excited,” explained Conker. “First time she tried a cashew, she went around it twenty-six times.”
After a few more circuits, Hazel skipped back across the field, put her paws above her head, and fell back into the long grass.
“I lubbety-lub ice cream,” she said, staring up at the sky.
“I thought you might,” said Daisy, delighted that her presents had been such a success. But then she remembered something.
“Excuse me,” she said, “but there’s someone else I need to see.”
Back in her bedroom, Daisy flung open the window and watched the swifts twisting and turning in the cloudless sky. Bees buzzed and bumbled in the flower beds, humming sweet songs about honey. As the sun warmed her face, she closed her eyes and felt a soft breeze in her hair. Then she heard the flutter of wings and opened her eyes to see Flapperton the sparrow perched on the windowsill.
“Hello, Daisy,” he said. “You look happy. Did you have lots of adventures?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” said Daisy. Flapperton’s eyes grew wider and wider as she told him about all the things she had done.
“But did you fly through any rainbows?” he asked when she had finished.
“Sort of,” said Daisy, remembering the tiny rainbows she had seen on her dolphin ride.
“You are so lucky,” said Flapperton. “I would love to do that. It would be like a dream come true. But,” he added sadly, “I don’t think it will ever happen.”
“Well, you never know,” said Daisy. “Life is full of surprises. Like the other day, for instance, someone gave me a present, and I didn’t know what it was for. But then this morning when I opened the curtains, I found out.”
She took the piece of glass that Pinchy had given to her and held it up to the light. And as a shimmering patch of colors appeared on the windowsill, she smiled and said, “It’s for you, Flapperton. It’s your very own rainbow.”
And as Flapperton began to flutter back and forth through the bright colors that hovered in the warm summer air, Daisy thought about the rabbits and the dancing crabs and the dolphin swimming out toward the open sea.
She realized then that there was far more magic in the world than most people ever dreamed of.
You just had to know where to look.
JOIN DAISY DAWSON AND HER
ANIMAL FRIENDS IN ANOTHER ADVENTURE!
Daisy Dawson Is on Her Way!
Steve Voake
illustrated by Jessica Meserve
“Daisy’s romp, complete with a few close scrapes, involves her joining forces with a squirrel and a horse in an attempt to rescue a dog from a kennel… . A charmer.” — School Library Journal
www.candlewick.com
DIVE INTO ANOTHER
DAISY DAWSON ADVENTURE!
Daisy Dawson and the Secret Pond
Steve Voake
illustrated by Jessica Meserve
Daisy Dawson and her animal friends Boom and Cyril are off to take a photograph of a pair of shy river otters fo
r Daisy’s school project. Along with Conker and Hazel, Cyril’s mischievous nephew and niece, it’s the perfect day with friends — until storm clouds begin to gather. Will Daisy get the shot she needs before the weather gets her?
www.candlewick.com
Steve Voake is author of the Daisy Dawson series. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was the principal of the school in England that inspired the “Jack and Jill” nursery rhyme. About Daisy Dawson Is on Her Way!, he says, “My daughter, Daisy, loves animals, and when she was little, she was always having conversations with them. I thought it would be rather fun to imagine what it would be like if they started talking back to her — and that’s how Daisy Dawson was born!” Steve Voake lives in Somerset, England.
Jessica Meserve illustrates and designs books for children and is the author-illustrator of the picture book Small Sister. She lives in Edmonton, Canada.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2010 by Steve Voake
Illustrations copyright © 2010 by Jessica Meserve
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
First U.S. electronic edition 2011
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Voake, Steve.
Daisy Dawson at the beach / Steve Voake. — 1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Spending the whole summer at the beach, Daisy, who can communicate with animals, and her new friends — a dancing crab and two baby rabbits — join forces to help a dolphin in distress.
ISBN 978-0-7636-5306-4 (hardcover)
[1. Human-animal communication — Fiction. 2. Animals — Fiction. 3. Beaches — Fiction. 4. Vacations — Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.V8556Dah 2010
[Fic] — dc22 2010040341
ISBN 978-0-7636-5459-7 (electronic)
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