to go,” she said, hurriedly jumping up. “See you later.”
“Have a good day,” called Mum.
As Antonia closed the front door her silver dolphin charm vibrated and its tiny tail tapped against her neck. The charm was as soft as a real dolphin. Antonia shivered with delight as suddenly a high-pitched whistle that only a Silver Dolphin could hear shrilled from it.
Silver Dolphin, we need you.
Spirit, I hear your call, Antonia silently answered as she headed towards the beach.
Both Antonia and Cai were Silver Dolphins, or guardians of the sea. They had special magical abilities that let them swim and communicate with dolphins! With these amazing abilities came the responsibility to care for sea life. Antonia wished that Cai was there too as she ran towards Gull Bay. He’d be frustrated that he’d missed Spirit’s call, even though he was really excited about meeting his parents at the airport. Antonia jumped down on to the deserted beach. The soft, white sand shifted beneath her feet as she ran over to the rocks. Pulling off her trainers and socks, Antonia left them under a rock and ran down to the sea. The water was chilly and her teeth chattered as she waded deeper. There were goose bumps on her arms and legs, but Antonia kept walking. When the sea was deep enough she gracefully dived in. The water was so cold it made her gasp, but she quickly warmed up as her legs melded together to kick like a dolphin’s tail. Hands paddling like flippers, body arching in and out of the sea, Antonia swam to find Spirit.
It wasn’t long before she saw four silver heads in the water. Antonia swam on, pleased that Spirit had brought his family Star, Dream and Bubbles with him. She greeted Spirit first, rubbing her nose against his. Bubbles impatiently bobbed in the water, waiting for his turn, then greeted Antonia enthusiastically.
“Thank you for answering our call, Silver Dolphin,” said Spirit. “Bubbles and Dream have found an old fishing net on the seabed.”
“Show me where,” said Antonia at once. Lost or abandoned fishing nets posed a serious threat to sea life. If animals got stuck in them they either starved or drowned.
“Follow me,” said Bubbles importantly.
Antonia dived under the sea and swam after Bubbles, with Spirit, Star and Dream following.
“There,” said Bubbles, pointing with his nose.
“Don’t get too close,” Spirit clicked in warning as Bubbles swam nearer.
The net was like a hideous brown monster slumbering on the seabed. Antonia swam round it, her eyes quickly sliding over the rotting fish and the dead starfish trapped in its squares. It was large and would be awkward to carry, but she thought she could manage it on her own. Fighting back her revulsion, Antonia pulled the dead creatures away then carefully folded the net in half and rolled it into a bundle.
“Stay back,” she warned as Bubbles inched closer to see what she was doing.
Antonia scooped the net up and swam upwards until her head broke through the water’s surface.
“Phew,” she panted. “It’s heavy.”
“When he arrives the other Silver Dolphin will help you get it ashore,” said Bubbles confidently.
“He’s not coming,” said Antonia. “He’s gone to meet his parents. They’ve come back from Australia to visit him.”
“That’s lovely. He must really miss them,” clicked Star sympathetically.
“He does,” said Antonia.
Bubbles looked scared. “What if he decides to go and live in Australia with his parents?” he asked.
Antonia laughed and said confidently, “That won’t happen. Cai loves it here. Being a Silver Dolphin is the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”
The net was weighing her down so she headed to shore. The dolphins swam with her, clicking encouragement but not offering any help nets were too dangerous. Soon Antonia was red in the face with exertion.
“Not far now,” she panted as the beach drew closer.
“Can the Silver Dolphin come back and play when she’s taken the net ashore?” asked Bubbles hopefully.
“Yes, if she’d like to,” clicked Spirit.
Antonia shook her head sadly. “I’d love to, but I can’t. I’m needed at Sea Watch today. I’ll play another time.”
Bubbles looked disappointed as he said goodbye, splashing his tail in the water.
Antonia headed straight for the beach. When it was shallow enough to paddle, she dumped the net in the surf while she caught her breath. Sea water poured from her clothes like a miniature waterfall, leaving everything as dry as if she’d never been in the water. Antonia ran her hand through her long, blonde hair, straightening out a few damp tangles. A nasty odour was coming from the net. Antonia wrinkled her nose and, holding it carefully away from her, carried it up the beach and fed it into the dustbin. If Cai had been there to help she would have taken the net back to the Sea Watch bin rather than fill the one on the beach, but it was too heavy and smelly to carry to Sea Watch on her own.
Antonia put on her shoes and socks, chuckling as she remembered Bubbles’s comment about Cai returning to live with his parents. Cai was very excited about seeing his mum and dad, but there was no way he’d go back to Australia with them. His world was here in Sandy Bay. Thinking about the fun times they’d had together, Antonia hurried to Sea Watch.
It felt funny going to Sea Watch, knowing that neither Cai or Claudia would be there. The door was unlocked, but the building had an empty feel to it.
“Hello, is anyone here?” called Antonia.
“Hi, Antonia, I’m in the back room,” Sally, an adult volunteer who took charge when Claudia was away, called out.
Antonia opened the door and found Sally sitting on a chair, feeding a fox cub with a baby’s bottle.
“You’re early,” Sally said, smiling at Antonia.
“Not as early as you,” said Antonia, smiling back. “Oh, how sweet! When did the fox cub come in?”
“This is Rusty. A motorist brought him in last night. His mother was killed by a car. The motorist found him lying next to her at the side of the road.”
Antonia stood very still, watching the cub suck lethargically from the bottle of milk. He had chocolate-coloured fur, large ears and a tiny black nose.
“He’s so cute,” she whispered.
Rusty couldn’t finish the bottle. Sally looked worried as she put him back in his pen.
“I’ll try him again later,” she said, shutting the door.
Rusty settled down with his nose in his tail and closed
