whined again and nudged Sam’s arm with her nose. Sam pushed her away.
He gently worked the tip of his digging spade under the clam and pried up carefully. He scraped a little and pried a little. He scraped and pried a bit more, and then …
Sshhl-l-u-c-k! The clam popped loose with a big smacking noise. Sam lost his balance and fell down suddenly—kerplop—into the wet kelp. There, cradled in his hands like a muddy jewel was …
A VERY LARGE CLAM!
It was bigger than his hand.
It was bigger than both his hands cupped together.
It was even bigger than the foot of Sam’s boot!
Sam stood up triumphantly and said, “Come on, girl. We’d better get going. The tide will be coming in soon …”
But Neptune was gone.
As Sam turned toward shore, he saw his bucket float by. The big rock and the driftwood log were gone, covered by fast-rising water. The water was now between him and the shore.
Oh no! thought Sam, I’m trapped!
Stranded!
Sam took a few steps toward shore. His boot sank in the soft muck and wouldn’t budge. Bone-freezing water poured over the top and ran down inside, soaking his sock! Sam yanked his leg as hard as he could. Out popped his bare foot, his sock left behind in the stuck boot.
Just as Sam was about to panic, he heard Neptune. She was standing on the third hump, which was now an island completely surrounded by water, and she was barking at him frantically!
“There you are, girl!” Sam said with relief as he wallowed toward the island. Barnacles and broken shells stabbed at his bare foot, but he was too scared to stop. Finally, he fell exhausted onto the beach next to his dog.
He caught his breath and glanced around. To his great dismay, he realized they were stranded!
Sam looked across the rushing water to the shore. He saw the tiny figure of his father, bent over his clam hole. Sam cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled,
“H-e-l-p … Da-a-d … He-e-l-p!”
Nothing.
He might as well have whispered. The wind and the roar of the incoming tide drowned out his voice. Sam tried again, yelling until the last squeak of air had left his lungs.
“H-E-L-P … DA-A-D … HE-E-L-P!”
Far away, his father stood up and looked in Sam’s direction. Sam jumped up and down, waving his arms wildly. His poor foot landed on more sharp things, but Sam barely noticed. Dad gestured and waved back. Sam stopped jumping and listened hard.
“Sta-a-y put, Sam. I’ll go get he-e-l-p!”
Sam picked up his digging spade and his clam and climbed higher onto the little island. The water was still rising all around him. He sat down in the long yellow grass. His bare foot was icy cold and was bleeding where the broken shells and the barnacles had sliced the skin.
Neptune flopped at his side and put her head on his knee. Sam watched the tiny figure of his dad hurriedly gather up the clamming gear and run for his pickup. The truck, so small it looked like a toy, raced up the beach and disappeared into the woods.
Sam stood and turned in a slow circle. It seemed like just minutes ago that the whole bay was one big beach. Now there was water everywhere! The current swirled as the tide rushed in, carrying a mess of brown seaweed and smooth driftwood.
Sam wondered how high the water would rise.
Would it cover the top of the little island before Dad could bring help?
Sam’s Rescue
Sam felt his insides squeeze in panic. Then he remembered how to read the high-tide line. Dad taught him once when they were fishing in the bay.
Sam stretched out on his stomach and leaned over the edge of the island. He peered down at the ledge below, and there, halfway up, was a scummy green line. Below that line, the rocks were dark with algae from the sea water. Above the line, the rocks were pale gray.
Sam was pretty sure he would be safe here even at the highest tide. At least he hoped so. He sat back down in the grass, hugging his knees to his chest, and shivered. He had gotten pretty wet digging up that clam and his bare foot was aching from the cold. He shivered again, and pulled Neptune close. Overhead an eagle hung in the sky. As it flew beneath the weak spring sun, its shadow washed over Sam. It made him feel even colder, and very alone.
Sam’s stomach growled … loudly. Neptune pricked her ears and cocked her head at him. What I wouldn’t give for one of those peanut butter cookies, thought Sam.
Then a new worry began to gnaw at him.
He had disobeyed his father!
He went beyond the big rock and didn’t pay attention to the tide. Worse, he lost a brand new boot, not to mention a bucket!
I’ll bet Dad is furious, thought Sam. I’ll probably be grounded…forever!
Then new worries crept into Sam’s head. Maybe Dad drove too fast and the truck ran off the road! Maybe he couldn’t find a boat at the dock! Sam was getting hungrier and colder by the minute.
Neptune bolted up and stared intently past Sam. Straining, Sam could hear the faint drone of an engine. He jumped up, but his sore foot made him sit right back down.
“Hooray! Here comes Dad!” cried Sam.
He watched and listened, but the noise flew overhead. It belonged to a little plane. Maybe it was Mom, and she didn’t even know he was stranded down here. Tears welled in Sam’s eyes, and he rubbed them away with his fist.
“I will never, ever disobey Dad again,” vowed Sam, “…if only … if only …”
Then, the whine of another engine caught his ear. Slowly, it grew louder and louder as Sam stared harder and harder out at Jakolof Bay. Then, there it was! In the distance, a skiff was heading toward the little island. As it got closer, he could make out two figures.
One of them was Dad!
The engine changed to a lower pitch and the boat slowed. Dad’s face was a mixture of anger, worry, and relief, but he threw Sam a grin.
“Someone
