Broken Promises

by Summer Waters

  “Bad luck with the bird,” said Hannah. “A similar thing happened to me once. That was a seagull too and it almost died.”

  “This isn’t your first time as a Silver Dolphin?” Antonia was surprised.

  With a wide smile, Hannah pulled a necklace from under her T-shirt. A silver dolphin charm hung from it.

  “I’ve been a Silver Dolphin since I was ten. I’m eleven now.”

  “So…how did you know? Do you have someone like Claudia? She was a Silver Dolphin once. She gave me my dolphin necklace and Cai his badge.”

  “Yes, her name’s Kathleen. She’s a friend of Mum’s. She’s marvellous with animals. She’s always got a collection of sick and injured pets and wildlife. She cares for them in her house, even though it’s only tiny.”

  “Do you know Spirit?”

  Hannah shook her head. “But Vision does. He’s the leader of our dolphin pod.”

  “I know Vision well,” Spirit agreed. “I must remember to thank him for letting us borrow his Silver Dolphin.”

  Antonia felt a sharp pang of jealousy and, even though she quickly squashed it, she couldn’t quite meet Hannah’s eye when she said, “It’s great to have you here.”

  “Definitely,” clicked Cai enthusiastically. “There’s always room for another Silver Dolphin.”

  Antonia could feel vibrations in the water. She turned and saw two small dolphins swimming towards them in graceful arcs.

  “Bubbles and Dream,” she whispered. Was there to be no end to her shame?

  “Silver Dolphin,” squeaked Bubbles, swimming straight to Antonia and greeting her with a gentle rub on the nose. His dark eyes held hers for a minute, then he rubbed her nose again before turning to Hannah and Cai.

  “A new Silver Dolphin. How bubbly!”

  Hannah laughed.

  “Don’t get too excited,” she squeaked back. “I’m only here for a couple of weeks.”

  While Bubbles greeted Hannah and Cai properly, Dream swam alongside Antonia and touched her face with a flipper.

  “You did your best,” she clicked softly.

  “Thanks.” Antonia was grateful for Dream’s kindness.

  Bubbles was thrilled to meet a new Silver Dolphin and couldn’t keep still. “Seaweed tag,” he shouted, bobbing up and down in the water. “It’ll be even more fun now.”

  Antonia wasn’t in the mood to play. She didn’t feel she deserved to have fun after the seagull had died.

  “Not today,” she clicked.

  Cai hesitated, then said, “Next time. We’ve got to get back now.”

  Hannah nodded in agreement.

  “Too bad,” clicked Bubbles, flicking the sea with his tail. His disappointment made Antonia feel worse.

  Don’t be too hard on yourself.

  Spirit’s voice broke into her thoughts. Antonia looked up. His dark eyes held hers. Sadly she shook her head. If only it was that simple!

  The dolphins swam with them to Claudia’s beach before Spirit shepherded Bubbles and Dream out to sea. The Silver Dolphins watched them go. When they were tiny dots on the horizon, they swam ashore.

  “Kathleen would love Sea Watch,” said Hannah suddenly. “Maybe she could set up something similar.”

  “Great idea,” said Cai. “I bet Aunty Claudia would help her to get started. The more Sea Watches the better.”

  “You can’t call it Sea Watch!” Antonia exclaimed. Her face reddened as Cai and Hannah stared at her. “I mean…you’d have to call it something else or people might get confused.”

  “I don’t think they would,” said Cai thoughtfully. “It would be a bit like the RSPCA. They have branches all over the country.”

  “I agree with Antonia,” said Hannah surprisingly. “It would be better to call it something different, like, erm…I don’t know, Beach Watch maybe.”

  Antonia gave Hannah a suspicious look, unsure if she was genuinely being nice or if she was making fun of her.

  “How about Seaweed Watch,” chuckled Cai, untangling a piece of seaweed from his leg as he waded towards the beach.

  “Or Shell Watch,” giggled Hannah, plucking an empty mussel shell from the seabed.

  Antonia followed in silence, water cascading from her clothes as she made her way up the beach. Part of her wanted to join in, saying something silly like ‘Waterfall Watch’ but her voice refused to make the words happen.

  Claudia met them in the garden. Her eyes skipped over the giggling Hannah and Cai and rested on Antonia.

  I failed.

  Antonia thought the words before Claudia had time to ask.

  It happens. Failure isn’t a crime. Not trying is and before you ask, yes, I’ve failed lots of times. On one occasion it was very bad.

  Claudia’s sea-green eyes held a faraway look. Suddenly, Antonia remembered Bubbles telling her how one of their pod had got tangled in a fishing net and died because the Silver Dolphin was too far away to save her. Had that Silver Dolphin been Claudia? She reached out for Claudia’s hand and squeezed it. Claudia gave her hand a little squeeze back.

  “Guess what?” said Cai, breathless with excitement.

  “Antonia’s lost her shoes?” asked Claudia, a twinkle in her eye.

  Antonia grinned. It was becoming a bit of a joke that she kept leaving her shoes on the beach.

  “No,” said Cai. “Hannah’s a Silver Dolphin.”

  “Oh, that!” said Claudia mischievously. “I had a suspicion she might be.”

  “She wants to set up a Sea Watch where she lives. Will you help her?” Cai rushed on.

  Claudia laughed. “Of course I will. We’ll talk about it later when I’ve got time to sit down with Hannah and discuss it properly. Right now I was hoping you three might clear out the shed for me. The builder needs to move it before he starts work on the deepwater pool.”

  Claudia suggested they lay everything housed in the shed on the lawn while she cleared a temporary space for it all in her garage.

  “The car can stay outside,” she said decisively.

  Emptying the shed was great fun. It was chock-full with all sorts of interesting things, including lots of old boat bits.

  “What’s this?” asked Cai, pulling an intriguing-looking object out of a cardboard box labelled ‘Boat Safety’. He turned it over and it rattled in his hand.

  “It’s a container,” said Antonia. “That bit unscrews.”

  She leant closer, wanting to know what was inside.

  “Antonia,” bellowed a voice.

  At first Antonia ignored it, but when the person kept on shouting she hung out of the shed to see what they wanted. Emily was standing at the other end of the garden waving frantically.

  “Quick! Your mum’s on the phone.”

  Antonia stood half in and half out of the shed as Cai twisted the container’s lid.

  “It’s moving, but it’s very stiff.”

  “It’ll probably be something totally boring inside,” said Hannah.

  Cai tapped the container against an upturned bucket to try and release the lid.

  “It might be money,” he said hopefully.

  Hannah giggled. “What, in a box labelled boat safety?”

  “Antonia,” bellowed Emily again.

  Antonia sighed. “I’ll be right back,” she said.

  “Hmph!” grunted Cai vaguely.

  Crossly, Antonia ran up the garden to take the phone call. Trust Mum to insist on speaking to her right now. Why couldn’t she have just left a message?

  Chapter Four

  “We’re going into Trumouth,” said Mum.

  “That’s nice,” said Antonia, wondering why Mum had rung to tell her that.

  “The airbed has a puncture. It wasn’t terribly comfortable anyway so I’m going to replace it with another put-you-up.”

  “Can’t you get one in Sandy Bay?”

  “The shop that sells them is out of stock,” Mum replied.

  “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll see you later,” said Antonia dismissively.


  “That’s not what I meant,” said Mum. “You’re coming too.”

  “What! Why?” asked Antonia fiercely.

  “It takes at least an hour to drive there. More if I get stuck in traffic. I don’t want to be sat in a jam worrying about getting back for you.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine. There’s plenty to do here at Sea Watch.”

  “I’m sorry, Antonia, but you’re coming and that’s final,” said Mrs Lee. “I’ll drive over and pick you up. Make sure you’re ready to leave straightaway, please.”

  The line went dead. Mum had hung up. Antonia was so frustrated, she almost stamped her foot. She slammed the phone back in the receiver and went to tell Cai that she had to go. She could hear him and Hannah laughing together long before she reached the shed. Furiously she hurried over. It wasn’t fair. Why did she have to miss out on the fun?

  “Look at me,” gasped Cai when she pulled open the door. “What do you think?”

  The container he’d been trying to open lay abandoned on the floor.

  “It was waterproof matches,” said Cai, nodding at it. “But look what else we found. Does it suit me?”

  Cai wore a bright yellow buoyancy jacket with a tall inflatable flag attached to the shoulder. The flag, fluorescent orange and red, almost reached the shed’s ceiling. Hannah was laughing so much there were tears in her eyes.

  “Very nice,” said Antonia, forcing a smile. “I came to tell you that I’m going. Mum’s making me go shopping with her to Trumouth.”

  “Poor you,” said Cai. He shrugged himself out of the buoyancy jacket. “It gets really busy there in the summer. Here, take this with you. Then your mum won’t lose you in the crowds.”

  Hannah almost collapsed laughing.

  “Thanks,” said Antonia frostily. “But Hannah looks like she needs help more than I do.”

  Cai glanced at Antonia in surprise.

  “Is your mum picking you up?” he asked, suddenly becoming serious.

  Antonia nodded.

  “I’ll come and wait with you until she gets here.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I do,” said Cai.

  The trip into town was a nightmare. The traffic was heavy and it took ages to get there. Jessica was a total pain, insisting Antonia played I Spy and other travel games that Antonia had long outgrown. Antonia reluctantly played along until Jessica started cheating and there was a squabble. Mum turned down the programme she’d been listening to on the radio. “There, there, girls! Antonia, calm down. Remember Jess is younger than you.”

  “She’s old enough to know that cheating’s not allowed,” grumbled Antonia.

  “Spoilsport! Don’t play with me then. I don’t care. I’ll have Abi and Ella to play with soon,” said Jessica.

  “Jessica, that’s not very nice,” said Mum sternly. “I hope you’ll all play together. I want you both to promise me that you won’t squabble when your cousins arrive and that you’ll look after them properly.”

  “I promise,” said Jessica.

  “Antonia?”

  “Of course,” said Antonia. “I can’t wait to take Abi to Sea Watch.”

  Mum nodded, then added, “And if Abi doesn’t want to go to Sea Watch, you’ll find something she does want to do?”

  “Yes,” said Antonia. “But how could she not want to go to Sea Watch?”

  Suddenly, Mum looked shifty. “It’s been a while since you last saw Abi,” she said carefully. “Just promise me you’ll be a good host. Do the things Abi wants to do. It’s only for a week.”

  Antonia stared at her mother in surprise.

  “Promise?” Mum persisted.

  “Yes,” said Antonia, mystified. “I promise.”

  The conversation left Antonia feeling uncomfortable. What was Mum getting at? She turned it over in her mind until a very alarming thought struck her. What if Spirit called when her cousins came to stay? How would she get away without being missed? Antonia had promised Spirit always to answer his call. She’d also promised to keep the Silver Dolphins a secret. It would be difficult keeping all her promises.

  When they returned from the shopping trip, Mum gave Antonia an armful of sheets and blankets and asked her to make up the two beds. Ella was sleeping in Jessica’s room and after Antonia had made it, Jess piled the bed with cuddly toys so Ella wouldn’t feel lonely at night. In her own room, Antonia emptied one of her drawers and cleared a space on the dressing table for Abi to put her hairbrush. She left a couple of books on the put-you-up for Abi to read: a unicorn one and a magical pony story. There was still half an hour left until tea, but Antonia couldn’t settle. She wandered into the garden and stood staring out at the bay. What was Cai doing now? Would Hannah still be helping at Sea Watch? Hannah had said her mum often worked late, so she was allowed to stay out late too. It was weird knowing that Hannah was a Silver Dolphin. Remembering how Hannah had been there when she’d failed to save the choking seagull made Antonia turn hot with shame. She mustn’t fail again. Next time she’d prove to Hannah that she was a good Silver Dolphin.

  Chapter Five

  Antonia woke with a sense of urgency. She was supposed to be doing something, but what was it? She lay with her eyes closed, sleepily trying to remember. The sensation grew stronger and at once Antonia realised what it meant. Spirit was about to call. She leapt out of bed and pulled on her clothes. She finished dressing and tiptoed downstairs. Halfway down, her dolphin charm began to vibrate.

  Spirit, I hear your call, thought Antonia as the charm let out a short whistle.

  She clasped the charm in her hand, loving the way its metal body felt exactly like a real dolphin. In the kitchen, Antonia scribbled a hurried note to her parents telling them she’d gone for a walk. She quietly let herself out and was jogging down the street when the whispering in her head started. The first voice was Cai’s telling Spirit he’d heard his call. It was followed by Hannah.

  Spirit, I hear you. I’m on my way.

  Antonia quickened her pace. As a very powerful Silver Dolphin only she could hear the other Silver Dolphins answering Spirit. They couldn’t hear her. Even though she sensed that Spirit’s call wasn’t a life or death situation, Antonia was determined to reach him first. It was only when she got to Gull Bay that Antonia remembered her cousins were arriving that morning. They always came early as Aunty Sue liked to drive down overnight when there was less traffic. Antonia sat on the edge of the beach, an argument raging in her head as she pulled off her shoes and socks. The call wasn’t urgent. Both Cai and Hannah were answering it. She wasn’t really needed. Maybe she should go home and be there when her cousins arrived. But as a Silver Dolphin she had promised to answer the call. Besides, after yesterday, she wanted to prove to Hannah she was a good Silver Dolphin.

  Deciding she could answer the call and be home before her cousins got there, Antonia continued across the sand. She left her shoes and socks in a neat pile hidden by a rock, then dashed into the sea. The water was freezing, numbing her legs and making her gasp as she waded deeper. Finally she launched her body into the sea. At once the warmth returned as her legs melded together and began to work like a tail. Antonia whistled for joy, her body arching in and out of the water. But her happiness was short-lived. She swam out of Gull Bay and across Sandy Bay. Then, as she rounded the headland, Antonia saw three heads bobbing in the water. Both Cai and Hannah had beaten her to Spirit. Hannah was staying in a hotel very near Sea Watch, so didn’t have as far to swim as she had, but still Antonia was annoyed. Cai waved and Antonia waved back, stretching her mouth into a smile that she didn’t feel like making. She swam to Spirit first, rubbing her nose against his in greeting.

  “Thank you for coming, Silver Dolphins,” Spirit addressed them all. “I’ve found a container caught between some rocks. Can you take it ashore?”

  Antonia nodded. This wasn’t the first container from a ship that she’d helped ashore and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Ships often lost things o
verboard. Sometimes they even deliberately ditched things in the sea.

  “There it is,” clicked Spirit, pointing with his nose.

  Antonia swam over to the rocks. The container was of bright green plastic with strong strips of tape wrapped round it to hold the lid on.

  “Careful,” warned Hannah, as Antonia swam closer. “It might contain something dangerous.”

  “I know that,” said Antonia. She checked the surface of the container for holes and, finding none, dived under the water to examine the rest of it.

  “It’s not damaged,” she declared as she surfaced. “And it doesn’t have any hazard stickers either.”

  Cai gave it an experimental push and the container moved slightly.

  “It should be easy enough to shift,” he said. “We’ll swim it back to Sea Watch. It’s not far.”

  With everyone’s help, they soon freed the container from the rocks. Antonia found herself wedged between Cai and Hannah as they swam it ashore.

  We don’t need her help, she thought sourly as they paddled towards Claudia’s beach. She kept banging elbows with Hannah who was using one hand to swim and the other to push.

  “Thank you, Silver Dolphins,” clicked Spirit, when they were almost there.

  He left them to rejoin his pod, his silver body shining in the early morning sun.

  Wistfully Antonia watched him go. What were Bubbles and Dream doing now? It would have been fun to play with them both, especially after not feeling like it yesterday.

  The Silver Dolphins swam until it was too shallow to do anything but paddle. As they rose from the sea the salty water poured from them, leaving their clothes instantly dry.

  It was harder carrying the container on land. Cai and Hannah bagged the ends, leaving Antonia with the awkward position of middle. They staggered up the beach, stopping at the Sea Watch boat to collect their shoes.

  “Oh!” exclaimed Hannah, suddenly realising that Antonia hadn’t started from Claudia’s beach. “Where are your shoes? How will you walk home?”

  “Antonia keeps a spare pair here,” said Cai, chuckling. “They’re up at the house.”