Feye and I munched on our ham-and-cheese sandwiches, alternating each bite with a salted potato chip. Our parents ate quickly and prepped to go out croc spotting with a camera crew.
“Feye, watch after your sister!” my mom called before climbing into one of the boats.
We both rolled our eyes and even shared a smile. Progress.
One of the smaller boats was pushed up onto the sand, back by a hammock that was tied between two trees near the water. It didn’t take long for Connor to hop into the hammock, full from his lunch and ready for a nap. Our parents were helping load the drone onto their boat and waved at us.
“Be back in twenty minutes, please!” Mr. Savage said in between mouthfuls.
“You got it, boss!” Alice yelled as Mark expertly maneuvered the boat out of the sand and into the mangrove channel.
I grabbed the nearby cooler to see if we had any cold drinks and instead saw raw frozen chicken wings in plastic wrap. “Ew! Mr. Savage, what is chicken doing in the cooler?” I asked, putting the top back on the cooler.
“It’s for dinner! Don’t touch it,” he said, looking down at his phone and hardly paying attention to me.
“A, you looking for water? I’ve got some,” Feye said, now sitting inside the van and waving a small fan in front of his sweaty face. I took the drink from his hand, took a sip, and handed it back.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. But sit outside the van. It’s already hot enough here,” he said. He was also distracted, reading his bird book.
I looked around for a spot to sit and wandered toward Connor. I noticed that the protective netting was missing a section near Connor’s hammock. The old and tattered chunk of netting lay nearby on the sand.
“Not much good that’ll do …” I mumbled. A slight breeze coursed through the campsite and it felt good on my hot skin. Maybe I could make myself useful and put the netting back up.
I tiptoed over the crunchy leaves, trying to come up with a plan to fix the net. I wasn’t staring at the water for too long when what looked like a log suddenly popped up from the depths. I waited for it to float down the channel like the leaves had.
Except it didn’t.
It stayed perfectly still.
And then it blinked at me.
I took a step back. That was no log swimming through the water and heading right toward our sleeping sound producer.
“CONNOR!” I yelled, my hands cupped around my mouth. “Connor! Wake up! There’s a crocodile coming your way!”
Connor raised his head to look at me, then he turned to see the crocodile.
Feye and Mr. Savage ran over to me. We stood back and watched in horror as the crocodile slowly heaved itself out of the water.
“What do we do?” Feye asked, his eyes bulging in shock.
Think, Adrianna! Think! my inner voice said. What can you use to distract the croc?
Food, crocodiles could be distracted by food.
What did crocs eat?
Did we even have any food?
“The chicken!” I shouted. I darted over to the nearby cooler and grabbed some of the frozen raw chicken wings. I ran back over to Mr. Savage. “Distract the crocodile with this!” I said.
“Me?!” Mr. Savage said, eyes darting between the chicken I held in my hands and the crocodile. But he only hesitated for a moment before quickly jogging to the other side of the channel. “Hey! Hey, crocodile! Look what I have!” he yelled, looking directly at the crocodile and waving his arms.
The crocodile stopped walking and looked at Mr. Savage with interest. Mr. Savage dropped the chicken at his feet and raised one wing into the air. “See this? It’s food! Come here!” he yelled, waving the chicken and then throwing it into the channel. The crocodile stared at where the chicken splashed, still unmoving.
“Come on, don’t waste it! Get the chicken!” Mr. Savage yelled again, picking up another piece and throwing it in.
The crocodile suddenly lurched toward Mr. Savage, and I realized that I hadn’t thought this far ahead in my plan …
On land, crocodiles aren’t all that fast. They rely on their sneakiness to launch surprise attacks. But when one is headed right toward you, it seems like they’re faster than a race car!
The crocodile was coming right for Mr. Savage. I thought about telling him to scramble up a nearby tree, but the croc suddenly turned to go back into the water. Mr. Savage threw the last two pieces of chicken into the water and then sprinted back toward the van quicker than I had ever seen him move.
Connor finally hauled himself out of the hammock and came to join us at the van. “Wow,” he said. “No more sleeping by the water’s edge, I think!”
We all shared a shaky laugh.
Feye opened his mouth to say something, but the roar of a boat engine interrupted us. Turning to the mangrove channel, we saw my parents’ boat pull up. They were waving frantically at us.
“It’s probably better if I tell them about this incident,” Mr. Savage said. I was not going to argue with him. “You kids wait here.”
My parents quickly got out of the boat as it docked, yelling, “Are you all okay?! We just saw what happened on the drone!”
I watched my parents talk to Mr. Savage. Suddenly, I heard my mother say, “Adrianna did what?” Yikes. I hoped she wasn’t mad that the whole chicken thing had been my idea.
Connor and Mr. Savage were both speaking now, their animated hand gestures giving me only small clues as to what was happening. Mom held up both her hands to stop them from talking. She said something and pointed to the van, and both Connor and Mr. Savage nodded.
“Adrianna Villalobos!” my mother called as she stomped over to me. My dad and Connor followed close behind.
“Hi, Mom,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. If crocodiles could survive near extinction, I could survive my mom being mad at me … right?
“Connor and Mr. Savage told us you did some quick thinking with giving Mr. Savage the chicken to distract the crocodile. That was pretty … impressive.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“She really saved my butt back there, Evelyn,” Connor said. “She knows a lot about these animals and their instincts. It’s almost like she should have her own TV show …”
I silently mouthed “gracias” to Connor and he winked at me.
My parents both sighed.
“We’re definitely proud of you, mi nena,” Dad said.
I threw myself at them, giving them a big hug. “Proud enough to put me back on camera?” I asked, hopeful.
My mom frowned. “I don’t know …”
“Well, what about a teeny, tiny on-camera field trip with us?” Mark the cameraman suggested.
“What?” Mom asked.
“Connor and I are filming a mini assignment about the working dogs of Cuba. Why don’t we bring Adrianna along, and she can be the face of that segment?” Mark said.
“She’ll be safe. No crocs there!” Connor smiled, flashing a thumbs-up sign.
Mom’s stern expression softened, and she laughed.
After my parents looked at each other for what felt like an eternity, Mom finally relented. “Fine. She can go.”
I let out a cheer and shared a fist bump with Connor and Mark. “Let’s go!” I cried. “Before she changes her mind!”
The cobbled streets of the small Cuban town were just as full of dogs as they were of people. While some dogs had collars, most of them were skinny strays.
“All right, Adrianna. Just like we practiced, talk about the dogs of Cuba for a little bit,” Mark said.
I nodded and looked at the camera, its red light now on to signal that Mark was rolling. I was surrounded by dogs here in Cuba, most of them satos, or mutts, that often go unnoticed. As we walked along these colorful streets, I couldn’t help but pay attention to every single puppy.
“Look at that one over there! His fluffy ears are so cute!” I yelled.
I was pretty sure the guys already regretted bringing me al
ong for this segment. But it wasn’t my fault the dogs had all completely stolen my heart!
I bent down and held out a dog treat to a small, fluffy white dog passing by. “Check it out! It’s a bichon,” I said. I once wanted a bichon because they reminded me of clouds, and I was surprised to see one as a stray here. She wagged her tail and trotted toward me. Her cold snout pressed up against my hand as she lapped up the dog treat and looked for more.
It wasn’t until she shook her whole body that I heard the familiar jingle of a collar. Hidden under her fluffy fur was a small ID badge clipped on her collar. I showed it off to the camera. “Throughout the country, dogs are hired for very important jobs! They are given official ID badges like this one, a place to live, and medical care from local vets. Some dogs even hang out with the police and help fight crime.”
The puppy nuzzled up to me as I let go of her collar and took another dog treat out of the plastic baggie I had in my pocket. I smiled back at the camera as she began gleefully barking for more treats.
“Cut! Perfect, Adrianna. Why don’t you take a quick break while I fiddle around with the settings?” Mark said, now tweaking buttons and knobs on his camera.
I sat down and leaned against the bright pink storefront we had been filming in front of. Although my bag of treats was hidden safely away in my pocket, the bichon was still wagging her tail hoping I would feed her more. It attracted the attention of more stray dogs, who came over and started sniffing me.
The dogs were of all sizes—some looked like big German shepherds and some looked like teeny, tiny Chihuahuas. Their wet noses and whiskers tickled me as they smelled me all over. I laughed, pushing some of them away, showing them my hands were empty. When they realized I didn’t have any more food, their attention turned elsewhere. I put my head down on my knees, letting the cool breeze dry some of the sweat on my neck. I admired a pretty little hummingbird hovering by a potted flowering plant. It looked like an Elfin bee hummingbird! They were the smallest hummingbirds in the world. But before I could get my phone out to snap a picture, the sound of voices speaking in English distracted me.
“This is a disaster! If we don’t find this monster soon, we’re in deep trouble,” said a deep, gruff voice in a thick Irish accent. A couple dressed in khaki were close enough that I could hear their conversation. The man had the beginning of a beard, sort of like my dad when he doesn’t shave for a whole week.
The stranger took off his sunglasses to read his phone, and I felt a jolt of recognition. The man in front of me was the same man from the WANTED poster we had seen at the crocodile center! My mouth fell open. Soriano had warned us that this man and his partner were particularly dangerous. I sat frozen, unsure what to do.
I sneaked a glance at the pale woman next to the man with the sunglasses. They sure didn’t look that dangerous. Or armed. They kind of just looked like tourists who were mad their vacation wasn’t going as planned. Slowly, I pulled out my cell phone. If I could angle this right, I might be able to snap a photo.
Suddenly, I felt a cold snout push my knee a few times, demanding attention. I looked down to meet warm brown eyes and a face that was a mixture of gold, black, and white. The dog almost looked like he was smiling, and his tail wagged back and forth. I thought he must be looking for food, but his small, black-and-gray body wasn’t as skinny as the other stray dogs.
“Hey, buddy. Are you lost?” I asked, looking for a collar. I held my hand out for him to sniff, which he did, and then he began licking my fingers. He must have been tasting the remnants of the bacon treat I had just given the other puppy!
I scratched behind his ear and smiled as his tail continued to wag. He let out a happy bark. “What a good boy you are!” I whispered, continuing to scratch. By the time I looked back up, the poachers had disappeared. Darn it! I had missed my chance.
“I see you’ve made a friend!” Mark laughed, looking up from his camera and giving me a wink.
“It seems so!” I grinned back. “Hey, Mark, I think I just saw—”
“We’re late!” Mark cried, glancing down at his watch. “Time for the next shot! Let’s get a move on, everyone.”
I stood up, sighing. I would have to tell them about the poachers later. I hoped that they weren’t as dangerous as Soriano had made them out to be …
We spent the afternoon shooting scenes in three different locations with all sorts of dogs. Throughout it all, the small black-and-gray dog we had met at the store followed us around. He seemed especially fond of Connor and kept going back to him for extra pets.
“Come on, Duke,” I yelled. The dog gave a happy bark and came running over from the light post he had been sniffing.
“Adrianna, you gave the dog a name?” Mark asked. He shook his head. “Bad idea. You can’t keep it, you know.”
“Why ‘Duke’?” Connor asked, ignoring Mark’s comment.
“Look at him,” I said, pointing back at Duke.
Connor turned around. Duke trotted along behind us, head held high, as if admiring his subjects.
“He certainly does act like he owns the street.” Connor laughed.
“He’s a royal, I just know it,” I said. Duke came up to my outstretched hand. I petted his head.
“Just be careful with him, Adrianna. He could have fleas,” Mark warned, setting down the camera tripod under a shady tree. He checked his watch again and scanned the street. “Well, we should be getting picked up soon. I’m gonna go get something nice and cold to drink—you in, Connor?”
“I am indeed in.” Connor nodded.
“Adrianna, do you want anything?” Mark asked.
I shook my head. “No, I’m okay. I can stay with the stuff while you guys go inside.” I sat down next to the tripod. Duke planted himself next to my foot with a sigh. I smiled at him, proud of the shots we had just done. Mark and Connor had applauded my narrations and said I was a natural in front of the camera. I couldn’t wait to tell Mom and Dad.
Squinting into the bright sun, I suddenly spotted two dogs running down the street toward me. A large man with bushy red hair chased after them.
“¡Oye! ¡Regresa aquí! Get back here, you mutts!” he yelled as they tore down the dirt road. The two dogs, obviously strays, paused by where Duke and I were and looked back to see the man heaving to catch his breath. He waved his arms, which made the dogs bark in fear and start running again.
It was only when he stopped to pant that I saw what his shirt said … but I should’ve guessed it already. EMPLEADO DE LA PERRERA. Dogcatcher. Duke gave a soft whine and hid behind my legs as the man got closer. Did he know this dogcatcher? Had he been chased before?
The whining caught the dogcatcher’s attention and he looked over at us. “Hola pequeña. ¿Ese es tu perro?”
I nodded. “Yes. Es mío,” I squeaked out.
He looked at me like he didn’t believe me. It was probably obvious I was lying since Duke was covered in dirt. But the man gave me a single nod back and said, “You better put a collar on him, then. Don’t want me, or any other dogcatcher, to think he’s a stray.”
He looked at where the other dogs had disappeared and shook his head, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Cuídate, little one,” he said, and walked away.
I let out a big gasp of air I didn’t know I had been holding. Let Duke be captured by that guy?! No way! Suddenly, a black van with WILD SURVIVAL! printed on its side parked across the street. Alice, who was driving, honked the horn and waved at me, rolling down the window.
“Hey, Adrianna! Where is everyone?” she asked.
Still shaken up, I pointed to the store behind us. Her face lit up.
“Oh, perfect! I need a quick drink. Why don’t you climb inside? The air is on, so it’s nice and cool in here.” Alice rolled the window back up and jumped out of the van. She went into the tienda, leaving Duke and me alone outside.
I stayed exactly where I was and looked down at Duke. He looked back up at me with soulful brown eyes.
I couldn’t
let the dogcatcher throw sweet Duke in doggy prison. I bent down to pet Duke, and a lightbulb suddenly went off over my head. Feye and I had always wanted a puppy. Maybe if I surprised him with Duke, he’d forgive me and we’d also have a new family member!
“Come on, Duke! We’re getting you out of here,” I whispered, standing up and hurrying over to the van. I opened the back of the vehicle and saw a bunch of large plastic tubs that the camera crew used for gear. I grabbed a nearby roll of duct tape and the trusty Sharpie pen that was always near the tape, and wrote FRAGILE on a long silvery strip before ripping it with my teeth and placing it on top of one of the plastic tubs’ lids.
I quickly peeked around the side of the van’s door toward the store to make sure no one was coming out yet. Coast was clear!
“All right, Duke. Jump up! Come on,” I said, patting the clear spot near the tub. Being the clever boy he was, Duke jumped up and sat next to the ratty tub. It was full of holes from years of use. Perfect for Duke to be able to breathe! “Such a good boy,” I said as I kissed his nose.
“Okay, now here.” I pointed to the tub, and he jumped into it. I took the plastic bag of treats from my pocket and emptied the remainder of them into the tub. “You need to be real quiet, understand? We’re going to get you on set and then I’ll sneak you into the boat hotel. But you need to be very quiet.” I put my finger to my lips and rubbed his head before putting the lid on top.
I shut the door just as they all emerged from the shop.
“Where did the dog go?” Connor asked, staring at me as he climbed into the front seat.
I shrugged. “He ran off after a dogcatcher scared him,” I said. My stomach twisted into knots. I hated lying, especially to adults.
“Oh,” Connor said, shoulders sagging.
“You couldn’t have kept him anyway,” Mark said.
Crocodile Rescue! Page 4