River Rescue

by Summer Waters

  “I’ll do it properly later,” said Antonia, eyeing the door.

  Right then Antonia felt her silver dolphin charm vibrate against her neck. Cai jumped, his hand flying to cover his own charm as Spirit’s whistling cry shrilled round the room.

  Cai grinned apologetically. “Sorry, Aunty Claudia, but you’re going to have to manage without us.”

  “No problem,” she calmly answered.

  Antonia and Cai raced out of Sea Watch and down the garden, jumping over the gate to the beach for speed.

  “I wonder what Spirit wants,” Cai panted as he ran. “It must be important the way my charm’s vibrating.”

  “Mine too,” said Antonia. Her charm was thrashing around as if life depended on it.

  Antonia hopped along the beach, pulling her shoes and socks off as she went and tossing them into the Sea Watch boat. She hurried into the sea, wading deeper until the water came up to her thighs and then she threw herself into the sea. It was cold and the shock of it made her gasp out loud, but she quickly recovered as her legs melded together like a dolphin tail. Squeaking with delight, Antonia propelled herself forward; arching her back and leaping in and out of the sea, she swam faster than a real dolphin to answer Spirit’s call.

  Cai swam alongside her and they urged each other on with little clicking noises. It was exhilarating racing through the sea together and for the first time in days Antonia forgot about the aching feeling in her stomach. They swam for ages, keeping up the same manic pace, until Antonia noticed a small yacht in the distance.

  “We’ll have to dive or someone might see us,” she clicked to Cai.

  They dipped under the water and swam down until they were a meter above the seabed. Before long they could see the boat’s hull above them, covered in barnacles and bits of seaweed.

  Suddenly, Cai exclaimed, “Careful! There’s another boat over there.”

  “Two,” Antonia corrected him. “Strange, there’s not normally this amount of traffic in the water.”

  “Maybe it’s a race,” Cai suggested.

  “Can’t be, or all the boats would be the same type,” said Antonia thoughtfully.

  “They’re all going the same way as us,” said Cai.

  “Are you sure?” Antonia hoped that Cai was mistaken. It was tricky enough keeping out of one boat’s way, but avoiding several would be far more difficult. What if the risk of being seen was too great to answer Spirit’s call? Anxiously, Antonia swam on, but each time she looked back she could see the hulls of the boats following them. It made her very uncomfortable. Was it just a coincidence that they were travelling the same way as the Silver Dolphins? Antonia swam faster, anxious to reach Spirit. A short while later she sensed his vibrations in the water.

  Relieved, she called to Cai, “We’re nearly there.”

  “We’ve swum for miles!” exclaimed Cai, looking around. “See that estuary mouth over there? I think that’s where the River Tam joins the sea.”

  “Is it?” said Antonia in surprise. “We did come miles. And look, there’s Spirit.”

  There were several more boats near the estuary mouth. Antonia was concentrating on avoiding their rudders and propellers so at first she didn’t notice that Spirit was accompanied by Star, Bubbles, Dream and several other dolphins from his pod. Her delight was quickly quelled by the serious expressions on all their faces. Even Bubbles had a worried look in his dark eyes. Antonia and Cai trod water as Spirit greeted them with a brief nose rub.

  “Thank you for answering my call,” he clicked. “This is urgent.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “What’s happened?” Antonia asked.

  “A whale keeps trying to swim up the river. We’ve tried to guide her back out to sea, but she won’t go. We need your help before she gets stuck or grounds herself.”

  “A whale!” exclaimed Antonia, nervously glancing behind her. Whales were enormous creatures and she wasn’t sure she wanted to get too close to one.

  “Wicked!” whistled Cai, his voice low.

  “She’s very determined,” Spirit continued. “Three times we’ve turned her back. She keeps giving us the slip, though. See those boats over there? The people on board have realised that the whale is in danger if she heads upstream. See how they’ve started to try to block the river’s mouth?”

  Antonia remained silent, remembering when they’d helped some dolphins who were beached in a smaller estuary. It had been awful one of the dolphins had died. Unfortunately, those dolphins were already stranded by the time they’d gone to help them. Hopefully this should be easier, as long as the whale didn’t get angry or attack anyone. Suddenly, she wrinkled her nose.

  “Pooh, what’s that awful smell?”

  “What smell?” asked Cai.

  “That smell!” exclaimed Antonia. “It’s like rotting fish.”

  “Gross!” gagged Cai, getting a whiff of it. “That’s disgusting. It’s reminds me of…hang on, I know what that is! It’s the whale. It must be a minke Aunty Claudia said their breath stinks.”

  As the smell grew stronger, Antonia felt vibrations in the water and nervously moved closer to Cai.

  “It’s all right,” he whispered reassuringly. “They only eat plankton and fish.”

  The vibrations continued until suddenly a torpedo-like shape shot past. Antonia stared at it in awe. The minke whale was eight metres long and had a sharp nose and a pointed head with two blowholes. She had a black back and white underside with smoky grey patches where the two colours met. She was amazingly agile, zipping round the dolphins and boats with the grace of a dancer.

  “Wow!” said Cai.

  “Quick,” said Antonia, “she’s heading straight for the river’s mouth.”

  They chased after her with Spirit and his pod in pursuit and as they caught her up Cai called out, “Split up to head her off.”

  Keeping underwater, he swam to the right and Antonia went to the left. She overtook the minke whale and raced towards the mouth of the river. There were many boats and Antonia forgot her worries about the minke as she concentrated on avoiding their hulls. It was quite dangerous as a couple of the boats had seen the whale and were also moving to intercept it. Antonia had one heart-stopping moment when she almost swam straight into the hull of a cruiser. Turning a somersault, she missed the boat by millimetres.

  Trembling from shock she slowed down, but there wasn’t time for a long recovery. The whale was zipping around, appearing where she was least expected. Antonia sped on and overtook her at the mouth of the estuary. Bravely, Antonia joined forces with Cai, Spirit and the other dolphins. Swimming in a long line they barred the way into the river. Without hesitation the minke whale swam at the barricade. Antonia was scared, but she held her ground as the whale came closer. Then at the last minute the minke grunted and veered away.

  “Phew!” said Cai, grinning at Antonia.

  But it wasn’t over. Turning in a wide circle the whale came back, heading straight for Bubbles, the smallest dolphin in the barricade. Brave Bubbles barely flinched and once again the whale was forced to turn back. Time and again she returned, swimming at the dolphins, leaving it to the last possible moment before veering away. Refusing to be intimidated, they stood their ground, blocking the river mouth until finally the whale sped angrily away.

  “She’ll be back,” said Spirit with certainty.

  There was nothing to do but to keep a lookout for the whale’s return. The dolphins relaxed, drifting in the water, sometimes surfacing for air. Cautiously, Antonia and Cai each took a turn at surfacing and they were stunned by the increased number of boats sailing towards the mouth of the river estuary.

  “What’s going on?” asked Cai.

  “It looks like someone radioed for help,” said Antonia.

  Suddenly, a picture of Claudia came into her head and then she heard her friend’s voice speaking to her.

  Are you with the whale?

  Yes. How did you know?

  Jack the coastguard rang. He’s callin
g on local boat owners to come and help. Be careful, Silver Dolphin. There are lots of boats on their way. I’m sailing with some of them.

  We’ll be very careful, promised Antonia.

  “Claudia’s on her way here,” she said to Cai, who knew they could read each other’s minds.

  “Good,” he replied. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  They drifted around on the seabed with Bubbles and Dream. Bubbles grew restless and swam in circles, turning speedy somersaults to change direction. Antonia began to wonder if everyone was mistaken. The whale wasn’t coming back, was she? She was about to suggest they swim out to sea to look for her when she sensed something in the water heading towards them at speed.

  “It’s her,” shouted Cai.

  Antonia tensed as everyone immediately took up their positions across the river’s mouth. What would happen if the whale didn’t stop? But this time, with so many boats in her way, it was much easier to force the minke to turn back. The whale grew more distressed as she tried to find a way through to the river. Despite her size she was so quick it was impossible to track her movements. She seemed to be everywhere. Her attempt lasted much longer this time and Antonia hated seeing her distress. The whale fought a long, hard battle to enter the river before she finally gave up. Dispirited, she swam away, her black and white body dappled in the sun-spangled water.

  Plucking a strand of seaweed from the seabed, Antonia thoughtfully wound it round her finger. Something wasn’t right. Why did the whale keep trying to return? She continued winding the seaweed in a fat, green band round her finger until there was nothing left. Then, as she slowly unwound it, the answer came to her.

  Turning to Cai, she asked breathlessly, “Why did Spirit call us?”

  Cai stared at her in surprise. “We’re the Silver Dolphins.”

  “No!” Antonia almost shouted with excitement. “Silver Dolphins can only help an animal if the problem has been caused by pollution or humans. So why did Spirit call us? I can’t see anything that’s causing the whale to swim up the river. It’s her choice.”

  Cai’s eyes widened. “You’re right,” he said. “We’re missing something, aren’t we?”

  “Yes!” said Antonia triumphantly. “Before we can help the whale we need to find out what the real problem is.”

  Antonia’s brain felt like it was lost in the middle of a fog. She glanced around, hoping for inspiration, but none came.

  “Let’s swim up the river,” suggested Cai. “It’s where the whale is trying to go, so maybe we’ll find the answer there.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The Silver Dolphins told Spirit their plan. “Good luck,” he clicked, ruffling their hair with a flipper.

  Antonia led the way, her tummy almost touching the sand as she swam under a small motorboat to get into the river. She stayed underwater until she was sure she was far enough away from the boats not to be noticed. Then pointing upwards to tell Cai where she was going, she surfaced. He came up alongside her and they paddled in the water for a minute, taking deep breaths of the fresh spring air.

  “Ready to go on?” asked Cai.

  Antonia nodded and they swam alongside each other, Antonia looking to her left and Cai to his right. It was very peaceful after all the activity at the mouth of the estuary. The river was surrounded by woods on one side and a lush green meadow on the other. Hidden in the trees, birds chirped out their songs and a few noisy seagulls mewed overhead.

  “There’s nothing here,” said Cai.

  “I thought there might be buildings,” said Antonia. “I was expecting a burglar alarm ringing or something. Whales hear by sonar and can get confused by things like that.”

  “Maybe,” said Cai. “Let’s see if there are any buildings further down.”

  In silence they swam on, but the river scenery was totally unspoilt by any kind of development.

  “There’s nothing,” said Cai finally. “Shall we go back?”

  “Let’s just go to the bend,” Antonia suggested, not willing to admit defeat.

  They swam on until they reached the bend. Antonia stopped and trod water, sighing with disappointment.

  “There must be something else,” she said. “Think! What are we missing?”

  Cai didn’t answer and Antonia realised he was swimming on.

  “Cai,” she called. “Let’s go back.”

  “Hang on,” said Cai, swimming towards the bank. “I just want to look on the other side of that tree. I thought I saw…Antonia, quick! You’ll never guess what.”

  Cai’s voice rose with excitement as he swam towards a large willow tree gracefully trailing its branches in the water.

  “What is it?” asked Antonia. Burning with curiosity, she raced after Cai. “Oh my goodness, no wonder the whale was so frantic.”

  Pressed against the river bank, half concealed by the willow tree, was a female minke whale calf. Antonia couldn’t take her eyes off the calf as she swam towards it.

  “What’s she doing up here?”

  “She must have somehow got separated from her mum and lost her way,” said Cai, slowing to let Antonia catch up. “Maybe she followed a boat. It happens.”

  As they approached, the calf shifted, sending waves of water over the bank. Sensing her distress, Antonia stopped and motioned for Cai to do the same. The water was shallow enough to stand in. They stood quietly until the calf began to relax. But each time they took a step nearer she became agitated and thrashed around in the water.

  “Steady,” Antonia murmured. “We won’t hurt you.”

  Very slowly, Antonia and Cai edged closer. The calf eyed them suspiciously, but gradually she relaxed. At last they were close enough to inspect her.

  “See that small gash above her tail?” said Antonia. “It looks like she caught herself on a boat’s propeller. I think you’re right she must have followed a boat.”

  “She’s had a lucky escape!” whistled Cai. “That injury could have been much worse.”

  Slowly reaching out, Antonia ran her hand along the young whale’s soft, warm body until her fingers were resting on the gash. It would probably heal on its own, but Antonia didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

  Heal, she thought, concentrating on repairing the wound.

  A warm tingling feeling rushed down her arm and into her fingers, then just as quickly it faded away. Antonia lifted her hand and saw that the wound had healed completely.

  “Time to get this little one back to her mum,” she said.

  It was easier said than done. The whale wasn’t stuck, but she was lost and disorientated. At first Antonia and Cai tried to encourage her back up the river by getting between her and the bank and herding her out. The calf eyed them warily and refused to move, so Antonia waded deeper, encouraging her with clicking noises. Still the whale didn’t budge, but she flapped her tail in distress.

  “We’ll have to push her,” said Cai eventually.

  They stood on either side of the calf and pushed her into the river. She was too bewildered to struggle, but once they let her go she turned and swam quickly in the other direction.

  “Oh no!” groaned Antonia, chasing after her.

  “Quick!” panted Cai. “We need to turn her. The river’s getting narrower and she’ll get stuck if she goes any further.”

  They overtook the calf and swam in front of her. The calf hesitated then tried to swim round them. Antonia and Cai stretched out their arms and forced her back. Thankfully the calf wasn’t as determined as her mother and, finally admitting defeat, she turned around.

  “Hooray!” cheered Cai.

  “It’s not over yet,” said Antonia. “Come on, before she changes her mind.”

  The calf swam underwater with her sickle-shaped fin sticking above the surface. Antonia and Cai swam on either side of her and as they neared the estuary’s mouth the calf suddenly accelerated away.

  “Do you think she can sense her mother?” called Cai.

  Antonia was about to agr
ee when her heart skipped a beat. How could they have been so stupid? The calf wouldn’t be able to swim out into the open sea because of all the boats stopping her mother from swimming the other way. There was no time to lose. They had to get the barricade shifted before the calf reached it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  At first Antonia’s mind filled with crazy visions of her and Cai racing ahead of the calf to warn the boat owners to move. But it would take too much explaining they couldn’t risk exposing the Silver Dolphins’ secret. Antonia’s brain whirled as it searched for another solution. Then all at once she had it. Claudia! She could get the boats to move while Spirit stopped the mother whale from slipping through the gap.

  Claudia.

  Antonia imagined Claudia’s face framed by her curly, windswept hair and her sea-green eyes.

  Silver Dolphin, what’s up?

  Antonia sighed with relief.

  We swam up the estuary. We found a minke whale calf. She’s coming your way. Can you get the boats to move?

  No problem.

  Antonia grinned triumphantly. You could rely on Claudia to get things done without making others ask too many questions.

  “What are you looking so smug about?” called Cai.

  “Claudia’s getting the boats to move,” said Antonia.

  “Well done! I’d never have thought of that!” Cai confessed.

  They were nearly at the mouth of the estuary. Ahead, Antonia could see a group of boats in the water and to her delight some of them were already moving out to sea.

  “Keep out of sight,” she called to Cai.

  The whale calf suddenly began swimming even faster. Antonia and Cai dived underwater where they wouldn’t be seen and followed her.

  “She won’t turn back now,” said Cai confidently.

  “Let’s hope so,” said Antonia cautiously, not wanting to tempt fate.

  There were so many boats in the water, Antonia and Cai nearly missed the minke calf being reunited with her mother. They were swimming underwater round, the hull of a small fishing vessel when the mother whale appeared from nowhere and descended on her calf. She swam joyfully round, nudging her baby with her nose as if she couldn’t quite believe she was real. The calf swam closer to its mum, nestling against her side, and then they headed out to sea.