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Silver Dolphins
STOLEN TREASURES
Summer Waters
For Mum and Dad—who are always there for me
Contents
On the bottom of the seabed near a cluster of rocks, two dolphins were arguing.
“It’s mine.”
“No, it’s not. I saw it first. It’s mine.”
They didn’t notice Spirit, their leader, a large dolphin with a magnificent yellow blaze along his side, swimming towards them.
“Girls,” he clicked, his voice low and calm. “What seems to be the problem?”
Immediately the dolphins fell silent, staring at Spirit in awe.
“I found a shell,” whispered Dazzle, the older dolphin. “But my sister Tiny says she found it first, so it’s hers.”
“Why do you both want the shell?” asked Spirit, curiously.
Dazzle hesitated. “It’s pretty,” she said, squirming with embarrassment.
“I want it for Mum,” butted in Tiny. “She’d love it. Please let me have it.”
Spirit shook his silvery head. “Let me show you something,” he said.
He swam to the shell that the sisters were arguing over. Gently Spirit nudged it with his nose. The shell rolled over, revealing a tiny mollusc hidden inside.
“Oh!” exclaimed Dazzle. “I didn’t realise it belonged to someone else already.”
“Me neither!” squeaked Tiny.
Spirit nudged the shell back to where he’d found it.
“It’s best not to jump to conclusions,” he said. “Always check things first.”
Tiny let out a sad sigh. “Mum would have really liked that shell,” she clicked.
“Then bring her to see it,” clicked Spirit.
“Oh!” squeaked Tiny. “I never thought of that. Come on Dazzle, let’s go and get her.”
As the dolphins happily swam away, Spirit wished that all his problems were so easily solved. These were bad times for the oceans. If only humans thought more about the consequences of their actions.
Then Spirit remembered the Silver Dolphins. Not all humans were thoughtless. The Silver Dolphins had already made a big difference. They gave him hope.
It was almost the end of another school day. Antonia Lee pushed her long blonde hair back over her shoulder as she put her book in her tray. Then, hovering by the door, she watched the hands on the classroom clock move round to three fifteen.
Hurry up, she thought impatiently, hoping the teacher would dismiss the class on time.
Miss Brown folded her arms and glared at the noisy children.
“No one is going home until there is silence,” she said. “Lauren, that includes you.”
Antonia willed the class to be quiet. She had a strong feeling that her dolphin charm was about to call her. Antonia was a Silver Dolphin, a guardian of the sea. Silver Dolphins were specially chosen to care for the oceans and the creatures living there. Antonia wore a magic silver dolphin charm around her neck and it called to her whenever help was needed. Then, using magical dolphin skills, she would swim to the problem and sort it out.
Silver Dolphins were rare. Only people who were in tune with nature and believed in magic could become one. Antonia knew of two other Silver Dolphins. They were her friend, Cai, and his great-aunt, Claudia, who ran a conservation charity called Sea Watch. Claudia had just recently decided she was too old to do the work of a Silver Dolphin properly.
The class fell silent at last and Miss Brown smiled.
“Well done, 5B. Off you go, then.” Antonia was first out of the classroom, running for her peg, where she stuffed her pencil case into her bag. It was no surprise when her dolphin charm began vibrating. This wasn’t the first time she’d sensed it would call before it actually had. Cupping her hand around it so that no one would notice the movement, Antonia called to Cai, “Ready?”
Cai’s
