Dolphin Watch

by John Vornholt

  The healer hurried down the gangplank onto the wharf.

  Milos touched his ragged bangs and stared at the older lad, who was as fair as Milos was dark. “I’m not really a mermaid,” explained the boy. “You were a bit daft.”

  “I still must be daft!” snapped the seaman, who was dressed in baggy lavender pants, a loud green-and-yellow-striped shirt, and upturned blue boots. “Look at these clothes! Look at this place! It can’t exist, you know.”

  Milos shrugged. “I have a hard time believing the stories I hear about your world, too. But you needn’t fear the dinosaurs or the sea creatures, if that’s what’s bothering you. They once inhabited your world, only here they still exist.”

  “All right,” answered the young man, seeming to calm down. “My name’s Joshua Longacre. Thank you for rescuing me … I think.” He gripped the lad’s hand and pumped it forcefully.

  “Milos,” answered the boy, yanking his sore hand away. “I’m four mothers Greek of the Crackshell Clan.”

  “Ah, I suppose that’s royalty around here,” said the sailor. “So when can I catch the next boat home?”

  “Home? You mean … to the outside world?”

  Joshua rolled his eyes. “I realize you people are backward, but you needn’t sound so surprised. Yes, to Manila or Hong Kong … or Honolulu.”

  “No boats are going to those places,” answered Milos, lowering his head sadly. “But we have bigger cities than this—beautiful cities with waterfalls and statues—”

  “Whoa!” Joshua’s blue eyes grew steely cold. “What are you trying to tell me? That I can’t leave this absurd island?”

  “That’s the length of the—” Milos stopped himself. “That’s the truth of it, Joshua. You can’t leave. Ask anybody, and they’ll tell you the same thing.”

  “But you were out there,” replied the seaman. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You were out there in the squall, weren’t you? So you know a way off this island, even if you say it can’t be done.”

  “I, uh … are you sure you remember what happened out there?” asked Milos doubtfully. He wanted to change the subject. “So what kind of ship were you sailing?”

  Joshua scowled and looked around at the gaily painted houseboat. “It was a whaling bark from New Bedford, Massachusetts.”

  “You were whaling?” asked Milos in horror.

  “No, because that insane war has destroyed the whaling business. Can you believe it—the Confederates seized five of our ships and sank them in Charleston Harbor to foil the blockade. Everything is wrapped up in the war.”

  “War?” asked Milos with interest. “What war?”

  “The civil war.” Joshua stared in amazement at the younger lad. “You don’t know anything about the American civil war?”

  “No,” answered Milos, “but I know about whalers.” He didn’t mention that everything he had heard about whaling ships made him sick.

  “For now, whaling is over,” muttered Joshua. “Since it was summer and I was off from college, my father told me to take one of our fastest barks and refit her as a cargo ship. Then I was to see how fast I could cross the Pacific. He was thinking about getting into the sugar trade … maybe perfume or tea.”

  “Then you weren’t a sailor on that ship?”

  “A sailor?” Joshua laughed out loud. “Heavens no. My family owns that ship—lock, stock, and barrel. But the captain was an idiot, and we didn’t see eye to eye. I should have him fired! Now do you see why I’ve got to get back? Be a sport, Milos, and tell me the secret to getting off.”

  The lad heard voices, and he was glad to see that Tavia had returned. He was not glad to see her accompanied by his father, Dimitri, especially when he saw the scowl on his father’s bearded face.

  The doctor was carrying a steaming mug, which she entrusted to Joshua’s hands. “Here’s some tea. Drink it, and it will help to restore your strength.”

  “Ah, tea,” said the young ship owner with relief. “Thank you kindly, Doctor.” He blew on the steaming liquid to cool it.

  “Are you all right, son?” asked Dimitri, sounding more calm than he looked.

  “Yeah, Papa, just a little banged up. You know how the currents are sometimes.” The boy mustered a smile and tried to sound lighthearted.

  Dimitri’s dark eyes narrowed in his sun-crinkled face. “We have to talk about where you were today.”

  “Blaahh!” shouted Joshua, making a disgusted face. “That’s not tea! It tastes like swill.” He promptly threw the mug away, and it banged off the foredeck into the ocean. A dark splatter of herbal tea remained on the deck.

  Tavia and Dimitri looked at each other. Then Tavia turned and walked back into the clinic.

  Dimitri gave Joshua a curious smile. “Isn’t being alive worth anything to you, Mr. Longacre? If it wasn’t for those dolphins, you’d be fish food by now.”

  “He owned the ship he fell off,” explained Milos, as if that meant something.

  “Son, we need to talk about how you know so much,” answered his father, crossing his beefy arms.

  “Leave the lad be,” said Joshua. “He wasn’t anywhere near my ship—I told him all about it. He did try to help the dolphins pull me in at the end, and that’s how he got scratched up.”

  Milos tried not to show his surprise at this lie in his favor. He smiled blankly at his father, as if he forgave the old man for doubting him.

  Dimitri sighed and turned to the new arrival. “Only the dolphins come and go from this land. I hope that you will appreciate what has happened to you, and learn to like it here on Dinotopia. Whatever path you choose … breathe deep, seek peace.”

  “What in blazes is that supposed to mean?” grumbled the blond man. He stared at Milos. “I need to talk to someone who’s not a country bumpkin. I’ll find out who I have to bribe to get off this island! Where are those big towns you were talking about?”

  “Prosperine is the closest,” answered the lad, glad to be of some help. He pointed to the footpath that met the pier. “The overland path will take you right there. It’s no more than two days’ walk.”

  “Walk!” exclaimed Joshua. “You mean, I will have to walk there? What about those wagons and the draft animals?”

  “The dinosaurs would have to decide to help you,” answered Milos in shock. “They’re our friends, not draft animals.”

  “And what will I eat while I’m walking on this path?”

  “Farmers will give you food,” answered Dimitri. “Just ask them, or take what you want.”

  “Right,” grumbled the young man. “And when I’m waylaid by bandits, they’ll say I stole fruit from their orchards.”

  “The orchards are owned by everyone and no one,” answered Dimitri. “And there are no bandits. Give it time, you’ll get used to our ways. Come on, Milos.”

  The big fisherman led the boy away, but Milos glanced back over his shoulder at the smug dolphinback. Joshua winked and pointed his finger, as if to say the younger boy owed him one. Somehow Milos didn’t think that the new dolphinback would get used to their ways very quickly.

  As they reached the pier, his father cleared his throat. “The doctor seems to think that you were out in the open sea. Mr. Longacre says you weren’t. So which is it?”

  “I was probably out too far,” admitted the youth, trying not to lie. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure where I was. We were playing with the dolphins, and Lilith followed them through the reef before I knew what was happening.”

  “Use more sense next time,” ordered Dimitri, tugging on his black beard. “It’s dangerous in the outside world—with warfare, slavery, barbarity—cruelties we’ve never seen. This time of year, the trade winds blow south, and the shipping lanes probably come close to Dinotopia. You could be spotted from a passing ship. So even if your friends know the way, let them go alone.”

  “I know,” said Milos solemnly. “It was … it would be a stupid thing to do.”

  “Glad to hear you say that.” The fisherman tousle
d his son’s hair. “Sometimes I think you’re just playing around in the sea, but you were in the right place today. I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks,” Milos answered quickly, trying not to reveal the guilt he still felt. Even if he wanted to tell his father the whole story, he didn’t know how he would describe the unreal journey to the outside.

  As they walked, Milos glanced over his shoulder and saw Joshua Longacre climbing the path away from the village. He hoped the newcomer would find a measure of peace in Prosperine.

  CHAPTER 4

  “Ouch!” grumbled Joshua Longacre as he stumbled over a root in the darkness. This path was supposed to be the main route to a big city, but it was overgrown, bumpy, and rutted. The sky was clouded over, offering no starlight or moonlight; there weren’t any towns or houses in sight. So far, this Dinotopia seemed like nothing but a backwater—a big zoo run amuck.

  Joshua whirled around and kicked angrily at the root. The blow hurt his toe, but it felt good to lash out at something. Suddenly the root reared up and smacked him in the chest. Joshua rolled backward in a somersault and landed on his knees, gaping at the strange appendage that hovered in the air.

  He heard a loud huffing sound, and the youth followed the noise to a dark stand of trees by the path. He touched one of the thick tree trunks, wondering what kind of tree had such thick leaves—and it moved! Without warning, the forest moved, and the ground rumbled.

  One giant root swayed over his head, and another descended from the cloudy sky. Joshua yelled with fear and tried to burrow into the ground as a huge, square head regarded him coldly. The creature’s scaly nostrils were as big as Joshua’s fists.

  As the beast sniffed and snorted at him, Joshua realized it was one of the dinosaurs, only this one was six times larger than the others he had seen. The creature’s breath smelled earthy, like loam and hay mixed together. If that tremendous mouth grabbed him, thought Joshua, he would vanish in one bite!

  He was glad it was too dark to see the behemoth clearly. “I say … excuse me!” squeaked the young man.

  The dinosaur gave him a thunderous groan in reply, then lifted his head and slowly backed away. It was as if he feared the tiny human would try to kick his tail again. At a safe distance, the creature turned gracefully and lumbered off, its massive form blocking out the hills on the horizon.

  Joshua sighed with relief and staggered to his feet. “Maybe I’d better not travel at night.”

  He looked around at the rocky countryside, wondering where he could bed down for the evening. An ocean mist was settling into the hollows, and the air was getting a clammy chill. There was no shelter in sight, and Joshua had never felt more alone … or afraid.

  What if one of those gigantic beasts steps on me in the middle of the night?

  Before it got so dark, he had passed an aged gazebo by the side of the road. It had looked like a shrine of some sort, with a stone plaque containing funny chicken scratches. It would take hours to backtrack to that simple building, Joshua decided, and it probably wouldn’t offer much shelter or warmth. What he needed was an inn or a proper house!

  He gazed into the sky, looking for an answer. To his surprise, his eyes hit upon two lights moving among the gray clouds. At first he thought it had to be two shooting stars, or a reflection from the stars. But these lights were attached to a dark, recognizable shape—a ship floating in the heavens. It looked like a majestic long ship of the Vikings, with a prow fashioned in the shape of a sea dragon.

  Joshua rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be imagining this dreamy vision. Ships did not float—or maybe they did in Dinotopia.

  The worldly young man remembered those objects that did navigate the sky—balloons, gliders, and parachutes. Perhaps this flying apparition was man-made, or perhaps it was one of the great beasts, fitted with lights.

  He decided he had nothing to lose, and he shouted and waved. “Hullo, the airship! Hullo, up there!”

  The long ship in the sky veered toward him, and he saw a third light blink rapidly amidships. It was as if they were signaling to him. Joshua had no lantern with which to answer, so he kept yelling and waving. “Airship, I’m here! Look straight down!”

  He heard a hiss, as if they were letting gas out of the contraption above him. They banked around as they dropped in altitude, and he could see a bird-headed basket hanging from a huge oblong balloon. It looked like a dirigible carrying a Viking ship.

  Attached to the airship were twin propellers, paddles, a rudder, and bags of sand for ballast. Streamers, ribbons, and small flags danced merrily in the night wind. It was an impressive craft, although it looked a bit rickety in construction.

  When a ladder began to drop from the flying galley, Joshua gasped. They don’t expect me to climb those narrow strands, do they? Apparently, they did, because the ship came no closer, and the rope-and-wood ladder eventually reached his outstretched hands.

  Friendly lantern light flickered above him, and Joshua could see an arm waving from the open basket. Who are they? he wondered. They could be murderers, daredevils, or lunatics! Certainly they were lunatics to ride about in such a craft.

  Nevertheless, he steeled himself and grabbed the flimsy ladder. As soon as he got a good hold, he started to climb clumsily, but the ladder jerked out of his grasp, rising on its own. Joshua tumbled back to earth, his arms flailing.

  The youth hit the ground with a painful thud and groaned mightily. Although the air had been slammed out of his chest, he staggered to his feet and shook his fist at the hovering craft. “I object!” he wheezed. “What a rotten trick!”

  “We have a winch!” called a voice from above. “You just hold on. Don’t try to climb!”

  This time the ladder dropped all the way to the ground, and Joshua was able to step aboard the bottom rung. He gripped the ropes with both hands and screwed his eyes shut, especially when he lifted off the ground. Once the winch kicked in, he rose smoothly through the night and the clouds—it was almost like going up into the rigging of a tall ship.

  Joshua stole a peek down and was shocked to see how high he was. After that, he kept his eyes shut until he felt hands grab him. He banged against the basket and was dumped unceremoniously into the bottom of the ship.

  After untangling himself from the ladder, Joshua rubbed his eyes and looked up. The first thing he saw was a thin, old man dressed fancifully in an Indian headdress and fringed clothing. He snorted a welcome, then leaned over the edge to untie a sandbag. “Make yourself at home. We’ve got to get some altitude.”

  The youth looked past him and spotted a small, sharp-beaked dinosaur in the stern. With a nod of hello, the lanky creature left the winch and turned to his duties at the rudder. In the bow of the airship was a small cabin with a crow’s nest over it. Only these two beings were in sight, although there was room for several passengers on deck.

  Joshua found it interesting that he felt no wind in the basket, then he reasoned that they were sailing the same speed as the wind. So of course they didn’t feel it. With clouds rushing past, it seemed as if they were speeding through the heavens. The galleyman and his dinosaur mate, a Stegoceras, seemed to be the only ones on board.

  After dropping a sandbag, the old pilot adjusted the flaps, turned a winch, and sat upon what looked like a bicycle. Pumping steadily, his energy turned the propellers. This instantly gave the craft more lift, and they floated upward into the wispy clouds, flags and streamers waving happily.

  Intrigued, Joshua asked, “How fast can she go?”

  “How fast can the wind go?” answered the old man in the fanciful headdress. “We can do a bit of self-propulsion, but not much. We mainly move up and down, looking for air currents to take us in the direction we wish. There’s a saying, ‘The right current is always there, if you look for it.’”

  He studied the needle on some instrument, then stopped pumping the propellers, satisfied with their altitude. “Hold her steady, Splithead!”

  The dinosaur at the rear grunted in reply, an
d the airman went on. “Lucky for us, the predominant currents this time of year favor southeast to Prosperine. So it was easy to meet the healer’s request.”

  “The healer?”

  The galleyman nodded at the compartment in the bow. A curtain parted, and the doctor, Tavia, emerged. She gave him a broad smile of relief. “Good! You are well. I was worried about you after I heard you had struck out on your own. So when Taggert and his ship picked me up to take me home, I asked them to look for you.”

  “This ship is wonderful!” gushed Joshua. He gazed in awe at the magnificent balloon that stretched overhead like a roof. “I want one! How much do they cost?”

  “Cost?” asked the old galleyman, mildly amused. “You can’t buy one—the builders have to recognize your skill and make one for you. First, you would have to apprentice to someone like me for five years. The first two years would be spent on the ground, learning about air currents, maintenance, and gas chemistry. Then you would—”

  “I get the picture!” snapped Joshua. “You don’t have one of these for me, because I’m not willing to do all that. If I were home, I could simply buy one.”

  With his pulse racing, Joshua eyed the clean rigging, crow’s nest, and bulging oblong balloon. “I bet you could leave Dinotopia in one of these airships.”

  “I don’t know,” answered Taggert, lifting a bushy eyebrow. “Were I going to roll out of the nest, I would choose a sky galley over a boat, that’s for sure. But the air currents over the reef are erratic, or so I’ve heard. Chances are good you would still end up in the drink.”

  “That’s enough of that talk,” Tavia cut in. “Mr. Longacre, you should go to the library in Prosperine and read up on the reef, the storms, and the long history of Dinotopia. We’re cut off from the outside world, and attempts to leave always fail.”

  “Except in the cases you don’t know about,” said Joshua smugly. “Hey, what is there to eat? They told me all I had to do was ask, and I would be fed.”