Dolphin Watch

by John Vornholt

  “I know Milos is young and makes mistakes,” said Tavia, “but he basically just wants to help people. He goes to great lengths to do it, which is very commendable. You can’t punish him for being adventurous.”

  Dimitri narrowed his eyes at the young lad. “Oh, I think we can cut down on his adventures a bit … or make sure they aren’t so dangerous. Besides, he has to get ready to choose an apprenticeship. Right, son?”

  “Right, Father.” Milos gulped.

  For two weeks, Milos did not make his rounds of the beaches and inlets, looking for shipwrecked sailors. His father’s boat and the other fishing boats worked the dolphin watch, while Milos talked to craftspeople about their trades.

  Mostly they discussed apprenticeships, and Milos got several offers. But did he want to blow glass, build houseboats, shape hot metal, work stone, farm flax, weave linen, or learn any of the other trades in Abalonia? Not really.

  Worse yet, he didn’t want to do the most important job in Abalonia—fishing. He went with his father on the boat one day, as he had done before. The other crew members treated him as if he would soon join them. Milos was a competent hand for his size, but fishing was no fun. It turned his playground into a work zone.

  It was finally his mother, Melina, who got tired of seeing his long face around the houseboat all day. One afternoon, as the sails of the returning boats were silhouetted in a golden-rose sunset, she took the lad aside.

  “Listen, Milos,” she said, “why don’t you tell your father you’ll apprentice to me and make sails? He knows I already have enough apprentices and won’t have an opening until Golda leaves. That won’t be for four months—it will buy you some time.”

  Milos jumped to his feet and hugged his mother. “Thank you. I promise I’ll make up my mind before then.”

  “Many people change trades,” said Melina with a comforting smile. “This apprenticeship isn’t the end of the world. But it’s a good idea to find something you like, so you can give it all your heart. If you want to try sail making, I’ll give you lots of time off.”

  The lad smiled and hugged his mother again. “We’ll see. Right now, I just want to get back into the water.”

  The next morning, Milos and Lilith were excited to make the rounds for the first time in two weeks. On one beach, hundreds of crabs scuttled out to greet them, as if welcoming them back. Dolphins and marine reptiles paid their respects. Even the little boy who fished off the lonely pier waved to them.

  Milos looked carefully for any sign of Joshua, but he didn’t spot the young man. Everything seemed the same as always on the solitary beaches—quiet and ageless.

  As they swam toward the tip of Crackshell Point, Milos could see all the way to the top of the bluff. For some reason the bell tower looked bigger. In that tower, he had rung the bell to announce the arrival of Joshua Longacre in Dinotopia. It seemed like a long time ago.

  As Lilith brought him close to the shore, Milos could no longer see the gazebo at the top of the bluff. It was clear that the beach harbored no new arrivals, so he patted the Cryptoclidus on her back.

  “Will you wait here?” he asked. “I want to check the top of the bluff.”

  Lilith bowed her long neck into a graceful nod, and the boy slid off her back. He dragged himself from the surf onto the pebbled beach, and finally up the path. The climb would be worth it, he reasoned, because he could see for miles from up there. If Joshua was anywhere around here, he might spot him.

  At the top of the bluff, among scraggly shrubs and long grass, stood the little bell tower, only it had been altered. Crude wooden walls had been added, with a slit for a door. The walls were attached to the stone roof and columns by thick vines, wrapped around the house like ribbons. Milos wondered what he would do if he had to ring the bell in there.

  “Hullo!” he called. “Anybody home?”

  There came a thud from inside the building, and a raspy voice said, “Go away! Leave me alone.”

  Milos stepped forward, a look of concern on his face. “Joshua, is that you? Are you in there?”

  “Go away, I tell you!”

  “I don’t think so. That’s my bell tower … I mean, I’m the one who usually rings the bell.” The youth crossed his arms, standing fast.

  After a moment, a gaunt figure crawled from the makeshift shack. When he stood up, Milos gasped. Joshua looked awful—he was very thin and sickly-looking, with a sunburn and a scruffy blond beard. His once-colorful clothes were ragged and dirty.

  The young man swayed on his feet and stared crossly at Milos. “Okay, what do you want?”

  Still the same Joshua, thought Milos. “I noticed that the bell tower looked different, and I wanted to check it out. Are you eating all right?”

  Joshua gave a raspy laugh. “Now you’re my mother. I’ve never eaten better. I ate some of this grass and found some nettles and berries that didn’t kill me. I managed to catch a couple of crabs—that was a feast. I’m still looking for a way to kill some game, but I’m not sure what’s game and what’s a respected citizen.”

  “Why don’t you come back to the village?” asked Milos with concern.

  “And get in trouble over that sky galley?” scoffed Joshua. “I suppose you told them it was us?”

  Milos nodded. “I did, but I didn’t get in trouble. And neither will you. They understood it was an accident.”

  “Nothing happened to you at all?” asked Joshua doubtfully. “Then why haven’t you been around since then?”

  The younger boy looked down at the rocky dirt. “I’ve been busy … with apprenticeship stuff.”

  “I would just do something else to get in trouble.” With wild blue eyes, Joshua gazed at the sea. “I sit up here and watch the ocean for hours. Sometimes I imagine that I see a ship far out to sea. If I had a good spyglass, I bet I could see ships out there.”

  He lifted his chin, putting on a brave front. “No, Milos, I like it here. If you find another dolphinback, you just holler up, and I’ll ring the bell for you.”

  “I would appreciate that,” answered Milos. “That will save me a lot of walking. Now let me do a favor for you. Lilith and I could catch some shellfish—

  a trilobite, some shrimp, or crab. So if you don’t mind, we’ll go get lunch.”

  Joshua’s thin lips began flapping, as if he were already chewing. “Yes, yes … a little lunch sounds good.”

  “Can you make a fire?” asked Milos, walking back to the path. “I eat raw fish, but not everyone does.”

  “Yes, I can.” The young man pointed back to his makeshift home. “I found a lantern and some matches.”

  “Get some sharp sticks, and we’ll have ourselves a feast!” promised the lad. He smiled when he saw how happy Joshua looked.

  I’ll have to do something to keep him going, thought Milos.

  Chapter 8

  Shells littered the ground where the young man sat on his haunches, eating ravenously. Milos had long since finished his lunch, and so had Lilith. It was a good thing they had captured more than they needed, because Joshua was eating about six lunches.

  Joshua cleaned off a shish-kebab stick, then wiped his mouth. He grinned, finally in good spirits. “That was delicious, Milos. You have been a true friend to me. Can’t say that about anyone else around here.”

  “What about the dolphins?” asked Milos. “I saw them out there today.”

  “The dolphins?” asked the young man.

  “Yeah, Smiley and the Sky Jumpers … the pod of dolphins who rescued you.”

  Joshua snorted a laugh. “Right, the trusty dolphins! I thought they were just scavengers—following ships, looking for a handout.”

  “No, they love to study humans,” answered Milos. “Don’t ask me why. But they’re the ones who decide who comes to Dinotopia.”

  The young man stopped eating and looked up. “That’s right. In all of your histories, the dolphins are the only ones who know the way in and out. I’ve seen them in the cove a few times.”

  “W
hy don’t you come with us?” asked Milos, leaning forward excitedly. “You could swim with the dolphins as Lilith and I swim with them. I even have an old harness that might fit Smiley or one of the bigger ones. You could ride a dolphin—just as I ride Lilith!”

  “Do you think they’ll show me the way out?” asked Joshua hopefully.

  “I don’t know,” said the lad, looking down. “Maybe it’s not such a good idea. You have to really love the water.”

  Joshua laughed heartily. “Are you kidding? I was on the rowing team in college. Ivy League champs two years running! I grew up in a seaport—it was less fancy than Prosperine but more fancy than this desolate coast. Don’t worry about me in the water.”

  The young man jumped to his feet and peered over the edge of the bluff. “Are they still there?”

  “Don’t think so,” answered Milos, rising to his feet. “Why don’t you come to the village … sleep in the clinic tonight? Lilith will round them up, and we can start in the morning.”

  “Sorry,” answered Joshua. “I may be willing to socialize with dolphins, but not humans. You say I’m not wanted by your authorities, but I find that hard to believe. Face it, I’m a failure here. For the first time in my life, I’m a nobody … an outcast.”

  He stabbed a stick into the dirt. “In my world, I had everything. I was always the winner, the one who finished on top. You don’t know what I’m talking about, Milos, but my world has a lot to offer. And I had it all! It would be like you giving up the sea—not an easy thing to do.”

  “I understand,” answered the boy. “You just keep the rest of the food and get some sleep. I’ll see you at daybreak, and we’ll make the rounds together. Lilith will hunt down the dolphins and tell them to be here.”

  Joshua Longacre mustered a smile. “Whatever you say, Milos. And thank you. Oh, could you get me that spyglass, too? If you do, we’ll be even. You won’t owe me anything for not telling your father.”

  “Being in the outside world … that was an accident,” protested Milos. “All right, I’ll trade some stuff for a spyglass. See you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Milos!” called his friend, wiping his mouth on his tattered sleeve.

  “Oh, it’s a beaut!” crowed Joshua admiringly. He brandished the erecting telescope and opened it to its full length. The spyglass was shiny bronze, in excellent condition, with a magnification of twenty. Milos had traded many fine pieces from his collection to get it.

  “It’s one that washed up in the south,” explained the lad. “It was in its original wooden box, so it floated. Since it’s off-world, I thought you would prefer it to those we make. It’s been cleaned and restored.”

  “I can see that,” said Joshua, putting the spyglass to his eye and focusing with a twist of the sleeve. He stood on the beach and gazed into the glorious scarlet and orange sunrise that fanned across the sky.

  “Not enough light,” he complained. “I’ll spend more time with it later. What else have you brought?”

  “All this.” Milos motioned to the air tanks, diving masks, snorkels, and leather harness he had hauled from his house. Now they were spread upon the beach for his friend’s inspection. “I have doubles of almost all my equipment, just to be safe.”

  Joshua picked up the three-foot-long conch shell, which was filled with compressed air. “I’ve never seen gear like this. What’s it for?”

  “You’ll see,” answered Milos with a smile. “The first step is to get used to the mask and snorkel.”

  Offshore, dorsal fins and Lilith’s long neck cruised above the waves. When Joshua jumped into the water, the dolphins mobbed him, as if they were glad to see he was all right. The young man was pleased by the show of affection, and he petted each mammal in turn. Once the sea creatures left them alone, Milos was free to start teaching his charge.

  Joshua was a natural in the sea. He wasn’t afraid to breathe underwater, and he quickly learned to clear both his mask and his snorkel without surfacing. He could also hold his breath for a respectable amount of time. For an hour, they swam around, inspecting the kelp beds and the tropical fish in the cove.

  Then it came time for the difficult part of the experiment, when Milos tried to put the harness on Smiley. The old dolphin wasn’t having any part of the leather contraption, even after he saw Lilith wear hers without complaint.

  With Lilith’s help, Milos found another volunteer among the dolphins. They put the harness on Betty, the old mother then of the pod, who was always glad to be of help. The leather hoop fit her perfectly, and Joshua had no trouble sitting astride the dolphin and hanging on to the handle. In short order, he became a cowboy of the sea.

  It was great to hear Joshua laugh with joy and throw himself into this new sport. Milos could finally see why he had been so popular and successful in his world. As they cruised through the water atop their fantastic mounts, Milos realized how much fun it was to show his world to someone.

  Even poking along to look at the sights, they still finished the rounds of the beaches by midafternoon. Since they had worked backward from the tip of Crackshell Point to the village, Abalonia was just ahead of them.

  “You sure you don’t want to come to the houseboat for dinner?” asked the boy.

  “No, I like it here,” answered Joshua, petting old Betty on the back. “Besides, does anyone in your town really want to see me again?”

  “Sure, they do. We take pride in our dolphinbacks.”

  Joshua looked at his friend with a cock-eyed smile. “You tell them to leave me alone, okay?”

  Milos didn’t answer. Instead he just shrugged. “Okay, why don’t you keep your equipment? We also left the tanks on your beach, so will you take care of them?”

  “Sure! And I want to use them tomorrow.”

  “All right,” answered Milos with a smile. He enjoyed having an apprentice.

  “And could we also—” Joshua was interrupted by a huge gray shape that hurtled out of the water and flew right past him. The youth was so startled that he fell off Betty’s back into the choppy waves.

  “What was that?” shouted Joshua, spitting water out of his mouth.

  “I think it was Smiley,” answered Milos worriedly. He didn’t see aggressive behavior from dolphins very often, but when he did, it was scary.

  Betty knew what to do, and she quickly backed off and swam away, leaving the young man treading water. Suddenly Joshua shot into the air with a look of shock on his face, and Smiley was directly underneath him. The dolphin leaped high into the sky, with Joshua clinging to his back.

  “Yahoo!” he cried as they splashed into the water.

  When they surfaced, both the man and the dolphin were grinning like fools. Smiley had claimed the newcomer as his playmate, and Betty’s turn was over. Milos swam after her, and he consoled the dolphin with clicks and chattering while he took off the harness. Lilith swam nearby, making funny faces to cheer her up.

  Finally, Milos put the harness on Smiley, who accepted it without a struggle. After a bit of practice, the marine mammal got used to carrying the human, and he enjoyed it. As they frolicked in the aquamarine surf, Joshua looked as if he belonged on Smiley’s back. Both of them were daredevils, and both were natural leaders who refused to follow anyone.

  Golden afternoon sunlight played across the waves, while the dolphins bounded into the sky in unison. Smiley and Joshua darted after the rest of the pod, leaving Milos and Lilith near the shore.

  “Now I really am a dolphinback!” shouted the young man with glee.

  “Yes, you are!” called Milos. “See you tomorrow.”

  The lad had a momentary pang of worry, wondering if the dolphins would take Joshua out to sea, as they had him. As Lilith turned gracefully and paddled toward the pier, Milos realized that he couldn’t worry about his new friend. That’s what his father had been trying to tell him—that Joshua was an adult who made his own decisions.

  Like all adults, he had to live with the consequences of his decisions. Joshua was from a whal
ing family—he must have known that the ocean could be dangerous, especially when trying to cross it in record-breaking time. It had been especially dumb for him to argue with the captain during a storm.

  Joshua was the master of his fate. At least Smiley and the Sky Jumpers gave his friend a reason to wake up in the morning, and a reason to smile.

  Chapter 9

  The next day, Milos asked his father to take the dolphin watch, so he could spend time with Joshua. Besides, he didn’t think there would be any shipwrecks. It was a glorious, sunny day—clear in every direction. The wind was a gentle zephyr, and the sailboats skimmed lazily over the whitecaps. On this golden morning, it seemed as if no place on earth could be as beautiful as the rugged coast of Dinotopia.

  When Milos and Lilith reached the tip of Crackshell Point, Joshua was already in the water, frolicking with Smiley and the dolphin pod. The boys tried on the air tanks and practiced with them for a short time. Joshua mastered breathing compressed air just as easily as he had mastered the snorkel. He was a natural in the water.

  At the end of their lessons, Milos asked, “Do you want to see something really spectacular?”

  “Sure!” agreed Joshua. “Lead on. Smiley and I will follow.”

  “It’s several hours’ journey.”

  “Good. Let’s get started!” said the young man cheerfully.

  The entire dolphin pod followed along, making for a lot of chasing and jumping as they went. By midafternoon, they finally reached the wide expanse of Sapphire Bay. In the distance, they could see the colorful city of Prosperine, sparkling on the hillside.

  “You’re not taking me back to the city, are you?” asked Joshua warily. Smiley swam a lazy circle around Milos and Lilith as they rested in the warm sunlight.

  “Not that city,” said Milos with a smile. “The other one.”

  “Which other one?”

  “The one right below us.” Milos checked his mask and his mouth valve, then he motioned to Joshua to do the same. Puzzled, the older youth adjusted his equipment and nodded that he was ready.