“Please let the seahorses be safe,” she murmured anxiously.
Hurry, Silver Dolphin!
In an emergency, Silver Dolphin magic allowed Antonia to swim exceptionally fast. It was obvious from Spirit’s cry that it was urgent.
Spirit, I’m coming, she whistled back.
Antonia sped on, travelling even faster than a real dolphin. The closer to the seahorse colony she swam, the more her anxiety increased. The elegant seahorses were so fragile. It would be terrible if something else had happened to them. Sensing vibrations above her, Antonia surfaced. She’d swum further than she realised and the seahorse colony was only a short distance ahead. Spirit, Star, Dream and Bubbles were all waiting for her near a cluster of rocks. Movement on the rocks made Antonia glance towards them. Cai was perched on top, struggling with something.
“Silver Dolphin,” clicked Spirit. “You came at last.”
He briefly rubbed her nose, then nodded his head towards Cai. “It’s the eelgrass beds again. Someone’s thrown so much rubbish into them, the other Silver Dolphin can’t move it all on his own.”
Quickly, Antonia swam over to Cai. The rocks were slippery with seaweed and she scraped her knees pulling herself out of the water.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” said Cai, clearly relieved. He was crouched over a pile of rubbish, stacking it so that it didn’t fall back into the sea.
“Those hoodies had one last clear-out before the coastguard moved them on,” he said angrily. “It’s going to take ages to shift this lot. They’ve thrown that other supermarket trolley in too—the one we found behind the tent.”
“Is there much damage to the eelgrass?” asked Antonia.
“Loads—the trolley caused the most,” said Cai. “I found another dead seahorse under one of its wheels.”
Antonia gasped. Poor seahorse! “Let’s move the trolley next,” she said.
Carefully, she jumped off the rocks and into the sea. Cai followed and together they swam to the eelgrass beds. There was litter everywhere. The sight of it made Antonia’s heart race with anger.
“What a mess!” she exclaimed.
“And I’ve already shifted some of it,” said Cai grimly.
The trolley was heavy and awkward to move. Antonia’s long fingers carefully worked at freeing the eelgrass caught in its wheels.
“I hate repeating a job,” she grumbled. “I wish those hoodies knew what damage they’ve caused. Maybe they’d think twice before using the sea as a rubbish bin again.”
At last the trolley was free and Antonia and Cai swam with it to the surface.
“There’s no room for it on the rocks,” panted Cai.
“We couldn’t lift it up there anyway,” said Antonia. “Let’s take it back to Sea Watch and get some dustbin bags to put the rest of the rubbish in. It’ll be easier to move.”
“Good idea,” Cai agreed.
They told Spirit their plans. Bubbles and Dream wanted to go with them, but Star wouldn’t allow it.
“It’s too dangerous. The Silver Dolphins will come back. Swim with them when they take the next load,” she clicked.
Remembering what fun they’d had when they’d swum the bin ashore, Antonia was disappointed. But Star was right. The trolley could be dangerous to a dolphin, and the Silver Dolphins would swim much faster without Bubbles playing about.
Reaching the Sea Watch beach, they dragged the trolley ashore. Water cascaded from their clothes.
“Leave it here,” puffed Cai when they were through the beach gate and in Claudia’s garden. “We’ll move it later. I’ll just go and get some bin bags.”
Antonia waited impatiently while Cai sprinted up to the house. When he came back, a worried frown creased his face.
“Can we become Silver Dolphins again?” he whispered, even though there was no one around to overhear. “Or does Spirit have to call us?”
“We haven’t finished our task yet, so the magic is still working,” Antonia quietly answered. “Just remember, believe you’re a Silver Dolphin when you enter the water.”
“Wicked!” exclaimed Cai.
They ran back down the beach with the bin bags. Cai had a dreamy look on his face as he splashed into the sea. When the water reached his chest, he began to swim. Immediately, his legs melded together like a tail.
“It worked!” he clicked, giving Antonia a delighted grin.
They raced back to the eelgrass beds, leaping in and out of the water like real dolphins, their bodies curving in graceful arcs.
It took ages to collect all the rubbish and they filled all three bin bags. Once the litter had been cleared, the eelgrass beds looked much better. The trampled stems began to revive and cautiously, the seahorses came out of hiding.
“Look,” said Cai, grabbing Antonia’s arm.
One of the seahorses was behaving strangely. It thrust its stomach backwards and forwards until suddenly, a tiny ball-like shape popped out of its pouch. It was followed by lots more, and as each ball hit the water, it opened up and wriggled away. Antonia stared in amazement.
“He’s giving birth!” she clicked. “Look at all the baby seahorses. They’re so small.”
The seahorse’s stomach kept contracting as more babies squirted from his pouch and into the water. Soon, he’d almost disappeared in a cloud of miniature seahorses. Then the babies quickly swam away. Fascinated, Antonia and Cai watched until the seahorse finished. Then he hovered in the water, as if he was catching his breath.
With shining eyes, Antonia turned to Cai. “Now that was magic!” she exclaimed.
Antonia and Cai swam to the surface with the three bags of rubbish. Bubbles bobbed excitedly in the water.
“Now can we help the Silver Dolphins?” he asked.
“Yes,” Spirit agreed. “They look like they need it.”
“Don’t go too close to the shore,” warned Star. “It’s busy this time of year. You don’t want to draw attention to yourselves.”
“Muuuum!” Bubbles and Dream clicked, laughing. “Stop fussing.”
Star smiled. “I can’t help it,” she said good-naturedly. “I only want you to be safe.”
“Of course they’ll be safe,” clicked Spirit. “They’re with the Silver Dolphins.”
Antonia flushed. Spirit had so much faith in her, even though she’d lost her charm. Would he still trust her if she hadn’t managed to answer his call?
There will always be difficult choices, Silver Dolphin.
Spirit made no sound, but Antonia clearly heard his voice inside her head.
I never want to fail you, Antonia replied, not daring to think about what that might mean.
Spirit nudged her with his nose, then gently ruffled her hair with his flipper.
Just always do your best.
Antonia caught her breath.
I will, she promised.
The bags of rubbish were heavy and it was hard work swimming with them to the shore. Antonia wondered if they should have made two journeys, but Bubbles and Dream helped, swimming either side to support the bags. Antonia kept a careful eye on them. In her experience, bin bags often split and she didn’t want Bubbles or Dream to be injured by the rubbish. She swam in silence, listening to Bubbles chattering on about all the things they’d do the next time they were allowed to play. The double drama had been exhausting and the swim home was sapping the last of her energy.
Cai’s voice suddenly broke through her thoughts. “You found your charm then?”
“Yes,” said Antonia, not mentioning that she didn’t need it any more. Maybe she would tell Cai one day, but not yet.
“Where was it?”
“Jessica borrowed it. She thought it would make her swim better.”
Cai gasped, then after a bit, he chuckled.
“I’ve always wanted a brother or sister, but I’d hate it if they took my stuff without asking. I mean, you don’t have to share everything, do you?”
Possessively, he touched the silver dolphin charm pinned to his T-
shirt. Antonia remembered how she’d not wanted to share the secret of the Silver Dolphins with Jessica. Then, suddenly, she had a brainwave. Once the rubbish was safely back at Sea Watch, she had another job to do.
Chapter Fifteen
By the time Claudia’s beach came into sight, everyone was flagging.
“Next time we’ll play,” squeaked Bubbles.
“Definitely,” Antonia agreed. “We’ll play seaweed tag and Sprat, and you can show me how to do the twister again.”
“Bubbly!” said Bubbles, brightening. “I hope Dad calls you soon.”
Bubbles and Dream rubbed noses goodbye with Cai and Antonia. Then they raced away, their bodies arching like silver rainbows as they swam out to sea.
“Not far now,” said Antonia, rallying herself.
They swam until they were bumping their knees on the seabed, then, rising out of the surf, they carried the rubbish ashore. Water poured from their clothes as Antonia and Cai struggled up the beach. After a bit, Cai signalled to stop.
“Phew!” he panted, carefully setting the bags down on the sand. “How on earth did we manage to swim this lot ashore?”
He was perfectly dry now, apart from having slightly damp hair and a wet patch on his T-shirt from carrying the rubbish.
“It’s more difficult on land,” said Antonia. “Silver Dolphin magic helps us in the water.”
They sat for a moment while they got their breath back. The beach gate clicked open. Antonia turned and saw Claudia striding towards them.
“Hello,” she said. “What have you got there?”
“Rubbish,” said Cai. “A leaving present from the hoodies who were camping on the cliffs.”
“What delightful young men,” said Claudia grimly. “When Jack went to check that they’d gone, he was very impressed by how tidy they’d left it. If only he knew the truth! Come on then, let’s put it in the Sea Watch bins.”
They took a bag each.
“We’ll come back for our shoes,” said Cai, as they reached the Sea Watch boat.
Antonia began to giggle.
“What?” asked Cai.
“My shoes,” she chuckled. “I’ve done it again. I’ve left them at Sandy Bay beach.”
Cai almost choked with laughter. “Oh!” he gasped. “Stop it. I can’t breathe. We’ve got spare towels and gloves in the Sea Watch cupboard. Perhaps we should keep spare shoes too.”
“You’re getting good at losing things,” said Claudia meaningfully, but there was a twinkle in her eye. “Cai’s right. I think we’d better buy a cheap pair of sandals to keep here for emergencies.”
“I’ll get some today,” said Antonia. “I’ve got to go into town.”
Antonia had meant to spend the whole day at Sea Watch, but now there was a more important job she needed to do.
“I’ll drive you to Sandy Bay,” said Claudia.
“Thanks, but I don’t think my shoes will still be there.”
And Antonia briefly explained, without sounding too dramatic, how she’d rescued her sister.
“I left my shoes with Jessica’s things, so I expect Mum or Mrs Simmons has taken them home for me.”
“How are you going to explain leaving your shoes behind?” asked Cai.
“I don’t expect Mum will ask,” said Antonia. “She was probably too worried about Jessica to give it much thought.”
“You can borrow a pair of my old trainers,” said Cai. “Your Mum will notice if you go home with bare feet.”
“Thanks,” said Antonia.
Claudia insisted on running her home in the car and Cai came too.
“Are you coming back?” he asked, as they turned into her road. Antonia nodded. “Definitely. But there’s something I need to do first.”
Antonia almost regretted her decision to go home. Dad had just driven Mum and Jessica back from the hospital, and they all made a huge fuss of her.
“All those swimming lessons have certainly paid off,” said Dad proudly. “You’re a hero.”
Eventually, Antonia managed to escape up to her room, where she emptied her moneybox. There was quite a bit in it. Antonia was good at saving. She put half the notes and some of the coins into her purse, then put it in the bottom of her shopping bag. Dad had to go back to work, so he offered to drive Antonia into town.
“Thanks,” she said gratefully. She was still tired from saving her sister and the seahorses.
The shops were full of tourists. Squeezing her way through the crowds, Antonia started at a bargain shop, where she bought a cheap pair of beach shoes. They were perfect for leaving at Sea Watch. Stowing them in her bag, she set off again. She knew what she was looking for, but it took her ages to find exactly the right thing.
Antonia searched shop after shop, her frustration growing. Everything was either far too expensive or wasn’t right. She was beginning to despair that she would ever find what she was looking for, when she caught sight of a small jewellery shop down a side street. She slipped down the alley and stood outside with her nose pressed against the window. Her eyes lit up as she spotted it, there in the corner. It was exactly right and at a price she could afford. She hurried inside the shop.
“I’d like to buy the dolphin necklace in the window, please,” she told the shop assistant.
“Certainly,” the lady smiled at her. “Is that the silver one?”
“No,” said Antonia. “I’d like the gold one, please.”
The lady took the chain out of the window and showed it to Antonia. It was perfect. The tiny gold dolphin with its sparkling jewelled eye, looked as if it might suddenly leap off the chain.
“Thanks.” Antonia counted out her money.
“Is it for you?” asked the lady, putting the necklace in a small box.
Antonia shook her head. “It’s for my sister. To bring her luck,” she added.
“It sounds like she’s already lucky with a sister like you.” The lady beamed at Antonia.
Blushing, Antonia stowed the necklace in her bag and hurried back on to the street. She couldn’t wait to see Jessica’s face when she gave it to her.
After that, Antonia went into the sweet shop and bought a small bag of chocolate fudge, her favourite flavour. Then, popping a piece in her mouth, she hurried home.
Jessica was in the garden, resting on a sun lounger. She looked really pleased to see Antonia and put aside the book she’d been reading.
“Have you come to play with me?”
“Not today,” said Antonia. “You’re supposed to be resting. I’ll play with you tomorrow.”
“Promise?” asked Jessica.
“I promise,” said Antonia solemnly. She dug around in her bag and pulled out the jewellery box. “Here, I got you something in town.”
Eagerly, Jessica took it from her.
“What is it?” she asked.
She flipped up the lid and her green eyes widened in surprised delight.
“Oh, Antonia,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
Looping the chain over her finger, Jessica stared in rapture at the golden dolphin, then gave Antonia a huge hug.
“My very own lucky charm.”
“Jessica!” said Antonia in exasperation.
“I know,” said Jessica quickly. “I have to practise my swimming. But luck’s important too.”
Antonia touched her own dolphin charm. Being a Silver Dolphin was hard work. And although Antonia was getting much better with practice, Jessica was right. Luck was important. Suddenly, her dolphin charm quivered and Antonia’s eyes were drawn to the bay. Four dolphins, two large and two small, were leaping through the sea, their bodies making perfect silver arcs.
“Look!” she exclaimed.
Jessica looked up.
“I told you,” she said smugly. “My charm is lucky. It’s called real dolphins, just for me.”
Antonia’s charm quivered once more, then was still. She burst out laughing. “Jessica,” she giggled. “You do say some funny things.”
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
The author and illustrator assert the moral right to be identified
as the author and illustrator of the work.
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EPub Edition © 2009 ISBN: 9780007340743
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