Moonlight Magic

by Summer Waters

  “What’s happened?” Antonia asked Diamond.

  The dolphin took a deep breath, her eyes glinting in the moonlight as she explained. “For years this beach has been a nesting place for turtles. The turtle is an amazing creature. It returns to the beach where it was born to mate, sometimes swimming thousands of miles to get there. The female turtle comes ashore and buries her eggs in the sand. Then she swims away, leaving the eggs incubating until the baby turtles are ready to hatch.

  “This happens at night when, drawn by the light of the moon, the tiny turtles dash to the sea to avoid being eaten by crabs, lizards and birds. But the artificial lights of the beachside developments confuse the hatchlings. Instead of crawling towards the sea, the baby turtles are drawn up the beach towards the settlements. They become stranded inland where they’re an easy catch for predators.

  “Tonight baby turtles are hatching on the beach, but the lights from the new hotel are confusing them. Help them, Silver Dolphin. Help them to find the right way down to the sea.”

  Antonia was dismayed. She was staying at that hotel and it made her feel responsible for the plight of the turtles. But feeling guilty wasn’t going to help them. Action was needed. Antonia swam to the beach, but as she waded ashore, the enormity of the task almost swamped her. The beach was covered with hundreds of tiny turtles. How could she and Cai possibly help them all?

  Chapter Twelve

  Antonia stood helplessly watching the hundreds of hatchling turtles scrambling the wrong way up the beach until Cai ran up beside her.

  “Are you OK? Do you need to sit down?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Cai’s concern snapped Antonia out of her trance. There was no point letting the task overwhelm her; she had better get on with it.

  “Start with the ones higher up the beach,” instructed Cai. “They’re in the most danger. I’ve already chased a goanna into the trees.”

  Antonia shuddered, not wanting to think about the enormous lizard snacking on baby turtles. With a determined frown, she ran up the beach, the hard, wet sand turning soft and powdery the further she went. There were turtles everywhere and she had to watch where she was treading. As she came closer to the trees, the number of turtles began to thin, but they were all still travelling in the wrong direction.

  Stooping down, Antonia plucked two baby turtles from the beach. There was no time to wonder at how cute they were. Antonia carried the turtles down to the sea, ignoring the tickling sensation of their tiny flippers as they fought to climb out of her cupped hands. Carefully, she eased the turtles on to the sand and waited until they’d pulled themselves into the surf. Then it was another dash back up the beach to rescue more.

  The job was endless: run, bend, scoop, run, bend, put the turtles by the sea and start again. Before long Antonia’s legs were aching and her breathing heavy. She stopped for a moment to recover and, pushing her long blonde hair over her shoulders, stared up at the moon. It was hopeless! They would never be able to rescue even a fraction of the turtles at this rate.

  Cai came and stood next to her, a turtle in each hand. “We can do this,” he urged.

  “But we can’t,” said Antonia simply. “There are too many turtles to save them all. We need help.”

  “I could go and get Mum and Dad.” Cai sounded doubtful.

  Antonia smiled at him, but they both knew it wasn’t practical.

  “Torches,” said Cai. “What if we got powerful torches and shone them up the beach? The turtles would head towards the light thinking it was the moon.”

  “Where are we going to get powerful torches at this time of night?” Antonia said, hating to sound so negative.

  Cai shrugged. “It was just a thought.”

  “And a good one, but it’s not like we’ve got Claudia and Sea Watch to call on. We don’t know anyone like that here.”

  Cai sighed. “Better get back to it then and do what we can. Maybe a miracle will happen or something.”

  “I’ll start wishing for that miracle,” said Antonia lightly.

  They worked in silence, the only noise coming from their feet scrunching in the sand and the soft swoosh of the surf as it washed ashore. Once Antonia accidentally kicked a tiny turtle, sending it spinning on to its back so its flippers waved helplessly in the air. She dropped to her knees and plucked it from the sand.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  Carefully, she took the turtle down the beach and put it in the sea. The moment the surf tickled its flipper-like legs the turtle swam away, kicking for all it was worth. Longingly, Antonia watched it go. She had a sudden, desperate urge to follow the turtle. The urge was so strong it reminded her of the first time she’d worn her silver dolphin necklace. She’d been drawn to the sea and, following her impulse, had been led to Spirit and his dolphins.

  Cai came up, giving her a furtive sidelong look as he released two more turtles into the sea.

  “Sorry, I’m slacking again.” Antonia hurried back up the beach for more hatchlings.

  The birds came from nowhere. One minute Antonia and Cai were alone with the turtles and the next they were being bombarded by seabirds. Like a military campaign the birds dived, plucking the tiny turtles from the beach and carrying them away for a late-night meal.

  “Shoo, go away!” Antonia and Cai abandoned their rescue mission to chase the birds, but there were too many of them to protect every turtle.

  Antonia glared at the brightly lit hotel complex. This was such a beautiful spot. Why did the harsh artificial lighting have to outshine the beauty of the moon? If it wasn’t there then the turtles would be safe. They had to save them, but how?

  Antonia’s brain worked so hard to find a solution, it made her head ache. Filled with longing, she turned to face the sea. She desperately wanted to be back in the moonlit water. Without realising what she was doing, Antonia walked towards the surf.

  “Wait!” cried Cai. “Where are you going?”

  “Come with me.”

  It was like being in a dream; Antonia had little control over herself. All she knew was that she had a powerful urge to get into the water. Cai chased after her and caught her by the hand.

  “Antonia, what is it? Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” Antonia clutched at Cai with strength she didn’t know she had, pulling him along with her. An idea was stirring in her mind. It was huge and she didn’t know if she could achieve it. But as the idea grew, so did Antonia’s new strength and she knew she must try.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The water was so refreshing it woke Antonia from her dazed state. The enormity of what she was about to do hit her. If she pulled this off, it would be the incredible miracle she’d wished for. If she failed then at least she’d given it her all.

  The water was up to her thighs when she dived, swimming with powerful, dolphin-like strokes as her legs melded together. She could feel Diamond and the other dolphins watching her. As she drew closer, a whispering noise sounded inside her head.

  Silver Dolphin, you can do this.

  Antonia glanced up, her eyes searching for Diamond.

  Thank you, she answered.

  Cai splashed behind her in the moonlit water. Antonia swam on, conscious that Diamond’s whole pod had turned out. It was much bigger than Spirit’s; Antonia guessed there were at least fifty dolphins all silently supporting her. She swam through the dolphins and into a clear patch of ocean. Then, neatly flipping on to her back, she floated in the water and stared at the vast night sky. She was vaguely aware that Cai had stopped a short distance away, treading water while he waited for her next move.

  Antonia cast her mind back to the day they’d rescued the turtle from the fishing net. Like now, the task had almost been too big, the stones insignificant against the thick rope. By accident, she’d pushed her powers further than ever before, magically helping the stone to cut the rope and free the turtle. Was it possible to use that power again, this time to strengthen the lig
ht of the moon? Taking a deep breath, Antonia locked her eyes on the silvery ball hanging in the sky.

  Brighten.

  She stared up, her concentration unwavering.

  Moon, brighten.

  A warm feeling that started in Antonia’s heart slowly spread through the rest of her body. It made her fingers and limbs tingle until her whole body felt like it was glowing. Antonia imagined reaching out to the moon and touching it with her fingertips. She continued to stare skywards. The moon seemed much larger, as if it was coming closer. Was it really shining more brightly?

  It was exhausting work. Antonia couldn’t help a small lapse in her concentration and all at once the moon started slipping away, growing smaller and paler.

  Brighten!

  Antonia rallied herself, refusing to give in to her tired body. For the sake of the turtles she could do this. She lay in the water, willing the moon to outshine the hotel lights that threatened the turtles’ survival. Suddenly, Antonia was aware of a circle of dolphins forming around her. With soft clicks they swam closer together and soon it was impossible to tell where one dolphin ended and the next began. Their presence was uplifting.

  Antonia felt her magic surge. She directed it at the moon, hurling it upwards. The moon caught the magic and shone it back with such brightness that it lit the sea for miles around. Faster and faster the dolphins swam and now they were singing, their beautiful voices ringing out with joy.

  But was it enough? Would the moon’s light draw the turtles away from the land and into the sea? Antonia had her answer as hundreds of tiny hatchling turtles swam past her, all hurrying away to start their new lives.

  We did it! Antonia thought the words in her head, not daring to say them out loud in case it broke the magic.

  I’m so proud of you, Silver Dolphin.

  Antonia went ice-cold with shock.

  Claudia?

  Well done.

  Claudia’s voice kept breaking up like she was speaking on a mobile phone when the signal was bad.

  See you soon, Silver Dolphin.

  You too.

  At last Antonia felt able to relax. She lay on her back, floating in the middle of the circle of dolphins, watching the turtles swim past, the occasional one bumping into her. A long while later, when the turtles had finally petered out, the dolphins stopped circling and one by one broke away. Reluctantly, Antonia righted herself.

  Cai swam over and there was no need for words. Cai’s face, a reflection of her own, said everything. Antonia reached out and, in the way of the dolphins, triumphantly greeted him nose to nose.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Now it was over Antonia was exhausted and wasn’t sure if she had enough energy to swim home. Diamond’s pod all wanted to thank the Silver Dolphins and milled around, brushing them with their flippers until Diamond spoke. “The Silver Dolphins look tired. Who will help them to swim home?”

  The whole pod volunteered for the job and Diamond chose half of them, including Jet and Swirl. Soon Antonia and Cai were each surrounded by a group of dolphins. They floated on their backs, letting the dolphins push them home. It was the most wonderful ride Antonia had ever had and she was truly sorry when it was over.

  “Thanks, everyone,” she clicked. “Seaweed tag next time?” she added to Jet and Swirl.

  “Bubbly,” they clicked back.

  Antonia whistled a laugh. “You sound just like Bubbles. He’s my friend back home.”

  Usually, after answering a call, Antonia and Cai watched the dolphins swim out to sea, but this time the dolphins watched them swim ashore. There was lots of nose rubbing and slapping of flippers against hands to say goodbye before they went. Tired as she was, Antonia said an extra special goodbye to Jet and Swirl, rubbing noses with her new friends and stroking their fins.

  “See you soon, Silver Dolphins,” whistled Jet and Swirl.

  “Yes,” said Antonia, sensing that it wouldn’t be long before she saw the dolphins again.

  She was grateful when the water was shallow enough to put her feet down. The moment Antonia stood up, her legs stopped feeling joined like a tail and began to work independently. Water poured from her clothes and splashed on to the sand leaving her completely dry. She padded up the beach with Cai and by the time they reached their shoes, only their slightly damp hair gave away their night-swimming activities.

  The flight of steps back to the apartment seemed to go on forever. Cai held Antonia up by the arm as she struggled up it, concentrating on one step at a time, not daring to check how far she had to go. At last she reached the top.

  “That was amazing,” said Cai, stopping to catch his breath. “You did a great job out there. If it wasn’t for you, most of those turtles would have died.”

  “We both did a great job,” said Antonia firmly.

  They walked up the road in silence. Cai looked relaxed and happy; however, something was niggling at Antonia. She couldn’t put her finger on why the job didn’t feel finished. She was sure there was something more to do, but no matter how hard she racked her brains she couldn’t think what.

  They had almost reached their holiday apartment when Cai hesitated. “Did you leave a light on?” he asked. Antonia shook her head.

  “Well, there’s one on now.” Cai caught his breath. “And someone’s at the front door.”

  “It’s your dad,” groaned Antonia. “Now we’re for it.”

  Mr Pacific stepped outside, quietly pulling the door shut. “What’s going on?” he whispered.

  “It’s my fault,” said Cai and Antonia together. A faint smile crossed Mr Pacific’s face.

  “Antonia couldn’t sleep,” said Cai quickly. “That happens when you’ve been ill, doesn’t it? You spend so much time in bed that when you start to feel better, you can’t sleep at night. Anyway, I saw her light on after I got up to use the toilet, so I went in. She was wide awake and I thought a walk might help her get to sleep again. We didn’t go far, just to the end of the road and back.”

  Mr Pacific said nothing and Antonia held her breath, hoping he hadn’t noticed their damp hair. Eventually he said, “That probably wasn’t one of your smartest ideas, Cai. You’re lucky Mum didn’t wake and find you gone. She’d have the whole of the Australian police force mobilised by now.”

  “Sorry,” said Cai meekly.

  “Me too,” Antonia added.

  “Never mind,” said Mr Pacific.

  Before they went back to bed, Mr Pacific made Antonia and Cai a mug of hot chocolate.

  “That’ll help you sleep,” he said, setting the steaming mugs down on the table.

  Antonia was so tired it took all her strength not to fall asleep in her drink! She sipped it as fast as she could then thankfully crawled into bed.

  Both Cai and Antonia slept late and woke to the smell of scrambled eggs. Dressing quickly, Antonia found Mrs Pacific preparing an extravagant breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, smoked salmon and strawberries. They ate on the patio and halfway through breakfast Antonia suddenly realised what had been bugging her last night. She almost choked on a piece of toast. When she’d stopped coughing, Mrs Pacific topped up her glass from a jug on the table.

  “Have a drink. I hope you’re not getting a cold on top of the ear infection. Perhaps you ought to have another day indoors?”

  Antonia was alarmed. She couldn’t stay in. There was an important job to do. “I’m fine, really I am. A piece of toast went down the wrong way. Cai and I had arranged to go for a walk this morning. If that’s all right?”

  Cai nearly fell off his chair in surprise.

  “It’s a great idea.” Mrs Pacific smiled. “But remember to take it easy. You’ll need time to build up your strength. Tomorrow I thought we’d visit the Lost City. It’s an amazing place. Incredible sandstone towers in a National Park setting. The waterfalls are supposed to be stunning.”

  “Great!” said Antonia and Cai enthusiastically.

  Mrs Pacific reached for the newspaper. “If you’re both finished, you might a
s well go on that walk. You look itching to get started.”

  “Thanks, Mrs Pacific.” Antonia jumped up. “Come on, Cai.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  In her bedroom Antonia hastily applied suncream, put on her hat and found her camera. Cai was waiting for her by the front door with a couple of bottles of water.

  “Mum gave us these. She said not to walk too far in the heat.” He lowered his voice. “So where are we going?”

  “To the turtle beach,” Antonia whispered back.

  “Why?” asked Cai. “Did you leave something behind?”

  Putting her finger to her lips, Antonia gestured for Cai to follow her outside where they couldn’t be overheard.

  “The turtles are still in danger,” she said. “I remembered that turtles lay more than one lot of eggs in a season. We may have saved this batch of hatchlings, but what about the next ones?”

  Cai’s eyes widened. “You’re right!” he exclaimed. “I read that somewhere too. But what can we do about it? We won’t be here when the next lot of turtles hatch.”

  “Well,” said Antonia slowly. “I was thinking that if we could prove the beach is a nesting site for turtles, we might be able to persuade the hotel to do something about its lights.”

  “It’s worth a try,” said Cai. “Do you know how to get to the beach? We’ve only ever swum there before.”

  “It’s on the other side of the hotel. I thought we’d walk that way and see what happens.”

  In companionable silence they walked round the hotel, past the car park and on through the hotel’s carefully maintained grounds. After a while the plants became wilder and the footpath petered out. Antonia and Cai soon found themselves scrambling over rocks.

  “Watch where you’re putting your feet and make lots of noise,” said Cai, stomping noisily.

  “Why?”

  “In case there are snakes.” Cai laughed at her horrified reaction. “Don’t worry. You won’t get bitten if you’re careful.”