off quickly again, half running half jogging, until finally they burst on to the cliff top, scattering the resident puffins, who mewled like startled cats.
“Sorry,” called Antonia softly.
Carefully she moved among the adult birds, marvelling at how many of them there were.
“Look, Cai, baby puffins! Aren’t they sweet?”
“Quick,” shouted Cai. “They’re heading for the road.”
On surprisingly nimble legs a group of baby pufflings began waddling straight for the brand-new road that sliced the cliff top in two. It looked very out of place in such a beautiful spot, as did the building site it lead to. Amid heavy machinery and scaffolding the workers were packing up for the day. Antonia and Cai ran after the pufflings, overtaking them and waving their arms to shoo them back to their nests. In the building-site car park doors slammed and engines revved as everyone headed home.
“Watch out, Antonia!” warned Cai. “Keep off the road while the cars are leaving the site.”
“You too,” said Antonia, who was already keeping a careful eye on the traffic.
The pufflings were a slippery bunch. Each time Antonia and Cai managed to herd them back to the safety of the cliff top, a small but determined group would suddenly dash back the opposite way. Most of the workmen were very careful, slowing their cars when they saw Antonia and Cai by the side of the road. But not everyone slowed down. Suddenly a battered red car drew up alongside them. For a wild moment Antonia thought the driver was going to offer to help, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Nutty kids!” The driver, a thickset man with small eyes, hung out of the side window laughing unpleasantly. “Aint got nothing better to do than play with the birdies? Where are your shoes, losers?”
Music blared from his open car window, startling the pufflings and making them run in confused circles. Laughing raucously, the driver revved up his engine and drove away.
“What an idiot!” exclaimed Cai, his face red with anger.
“Forget him,” soothed Antonia. She hopped sideways to prevent a breakaway group of pufflings from slipping past her.
It was a full fifteen minutes before the last car left the building site, but by that time Antonia and Cai had somehow persuaded the pufflings to explore the area along the cliffs instead of the roadside.
“It’s beautiful,” said Antonia, shielding her eyes from the late afternoon sun.
There were puffins everywhere. The black and white adult birds with their clown-like eyes, brightly coloured beaks and distinctive orange legs were so pretty. So was the craggy cliff top, whose muted greys and greens contrasted sharply with the colourful birds.
“I love the way the puffins sit in rocky hollows so you can only see their heads peeping out,” said Cai. “They look like they’re watching us.”
“I don’t blame them,” said Antonia, laughing. “Not all people are friendly. I love the pufflings. They’re so adorable I want to pick them up and cuddle them.”
“That’s nature’s way of protecting them,” said Cai, his voice becoming serious. “Baby animals are usually cute so you feel you have to look after them.”
Slowly, keeping well away from the cliff edge, they walked among the birds, stopping now and then for a closer look. Even though Antonia would have loved to cuddle the baby pufflings, she knew she mustn’t. Wild animals weren’t pets. It wasn’t safe for them to become too friendly with humans, and some animals could inflict nasty wounds by pecking, scratching or biting, if they were frightened.
“I think we’re done here now,” said Antonia, once they’d walked around the whole colony. Her eyes swept the road, totally empty of traffic now the builders had packed up and gone home.
“For today,” said Cai.
“Yes,” said Antonia, immediately catching his meaning. She looked over to the building site, her grey-green eyes troubled. “So how do we stop the same thing happening tomorrow afternoon?”
“And in the morning. Now the pufflings are ready to leave their nests they’ll want to keep on exploring. They’ll be in danger first thing in the morning when the workmen arrive for work too,” mused Cai.
“You’re right,” said Antonia thoughtfully, as they headed down the cliff path in single file. She was silent as she concentrated on walking down the narrow cliff path. But as she jumped down the last step and on to the beach she smiled triumphantly.
“I’ve got it. We need a puffling patrol.”
“Pardon?” said Cai.
“Puffling patrol,” Antonia repeated excitedly. “You know, like the schools that have a lollipop person to help children cross the road. We could do something similar for the puffins. We could do a puffling patrol at the beginning and end of the day to keep the pufflings away from the road.”
“That’s a brilliant idea,” said Cai, his brown eyes shining excitedly.
“It would mean getting up really early,” warned Antonia.
“I know, Claudia’s builder starts at the crack of dawn!” said Cai. “It’s going to take up all our spare time,” he added, “although Claudia will help. I bet she’ll drive us and take us back again so we’re not late for school.”
They padded across the beach and waded into the water.
“Where’s Spirit?” asked Cai suddenly. “He usually waits for us.”
“Over there, near the rocks. There’s someone with him.” Antonia’s heart leapt. “I hope it’s Bubbles or Dream. I’d love a game of sprat.”
“It’s too big for either of them,” said Cai, gazing into the distance. “It’s Star.”
“Oh!” Antonia tried not to be disappointed. She loved Star too but, like her own mum, Star was always too busy to play.
“It’s probably a good thing it’s not Bubbles and Dream,” said Cai sensibly. “We need to get back and ask Claudia if she’ll help with the puffins.”
“Yes!” sighed Antonia. “And I better not be too late home, especially if I’m going to get Mum to agree to me going out so early tomorrow.”
Mrs Lee was very strict about knowing where Antonia was and what time she’d be back. She knew nothing about the Silver Dolphins as Antonia had to keep the magic a secret. Claudia, who was a Silver Dolphin and knew when Antonia and Cai were answering a call, didn’t worry so much.
Cai was about to launch himself into the sea, but he paused. “Your mum will let you go tomorrow, won’t she?” he asked.
Antonia said nothing for a moment, enjoying the magical feeling of being in the sea and knowing that soon she would be diving through the waves as fast as a dolphin.
“Yes,” she said slowly, sounding more certain than she felt.
But what if Mum wouldn’t let her go? Antonia cast the thought
