Dolphin Watch

by John Vornholt

  With a wave, Milos and Lilith vanished into the deep, with Joshua, Smiley, and the rest of the dolphin pod following. Milos looked back and could see his friend’s eyes widen in amazement, even through his mask. Stretched out before them, covering miles of the ocean floor, was a vast city that only ocean dwellers could appreciate.

  This was the sunken civilization called Poseidos. In the shimmering light that filtered from above, the alabaster remains glowed like a mirage. Great towers and monumental buildings reached for a sky they would never see. Massive columns loomed higher than the stands of kelp that surrounded them. Statues that were as big as dinosaurs made the city look as if it were still inhabited.

  Some broken columns lay on the ocean floor, along with fallen statues and sunken ships. It was a ruin thousands of years old, but it had the timeless beauty of a work of art. Despite its elegance, Poseidos had the eerie feeling of a cemetery—a city for the dead.

  But it wasn’t dead. Breathing from their tanks, the boys rode their mounts deeper, until they saw an ocean floor teeming with life. Fantastic creatures crawled along the cracked boulevards and snaked through the columns and doorways.

  Joshua looked startled by these prehistoric shellfish—nautiloids, trilobites, crinoids, and brachiopods among them. Some had fantastic swirled shells or elongated conical armor, and most had a nest of tentacles. Many of them could escape in a blink, by squirting through the water like a squid.

  These ancient creatures thrived in the hiding places of the sunken city, Milos told himself; but they hadn’t been seen in Joshua’s world for millions of years. Modern fish and shellfish also enjoyed life in the magnificent ruins.

  Joshua looked awe-stricken, but Smiley charged ahead. To him, a trilobite meant lunch, not a living fossil. Needless to say, the prey darted out of sight as soon as the dolphins, boys, and big reptile came near. A few larger ones lifted their pincers or hunkered down in their armored shells.

  Joshua ducked as Smiley zipped through a doorway while chasing a fleeing fish. Milos and Lilith followed at a leisurely pace, enjoying the antics of Smiley and Joshua. The other dolphins were either exploring, playing, or trying to grab a quick bite to eat.

  Poseidos was the kind of place a person could visit a hundred times, and each time he would find something he hadn’t seen before. Still, the Cryptoclidus moved with a measure of caution. She knew that large predators lurked in these waters—predators that considered a human or a plesiosaur to be on the lunch menu.

  They cruised along a wide boulevard that was littered with blocks of marble, fallen from a temple that lay in ruins. A large moray eel poked its head from under the stones, and Lilith steered clear of its powerful jaws.

  A shadow passed overhead, and both Milos and Lilith looked up to see a massive fishlike shape—only it was no fish. The Shonisaurus was the largest ichthyosaur around—almost fifty feet long. It looked like somebody’s nightmare vision of a dolphin, but the dolphin pod scattered for cover.

  Smiley and Joshua made for the safety of a huge building, which was guarded by statues of tyrannosaurs. Lilith ducked behind a column and straightened up vertically, as if hiding behind it.

  Milos wasn’t too worried, because he figured the big lizard fish was looking for a giant squid or ammonite for dinner. Still, it was big enough to hunt and eat anything that swam the seas, even though it looked like a fat porpoise. In due time, the shadow passed over the ghostly city, and the dolphins slipped back out to play.

  Smiley and Joshua circled playfully around Lilith, and Joshua motioned to Milos. When he got his friend’s attention, he pointed to the building with the tyrannosaur statues standing guard out front. He wanted to go back.

  But the excitement had caused the dolphins to start a game of Shark, and they were racing around the ruins. It was clear that Smiley and Lilith wanted to play, while Joshua wanted to show him something inside the building. So Milos slipped off Lilith’s back and motioned for Joshua to do the same.

  While Lilith and Smiley joined the dolphins in the game, the two youths swam into the majestic building. Milos had been in this place before, and he had a feeling he knew what Joshua wanted to show him.

  There were holes in the domed roof of the structure, which looked like crystal. Wavering light filtered down, along with dancing rainbows from the broken crystal. Their air bubbles floated upward—out the holes in the dome.

  Joshua led the younger lad to a huge wall covered with dazzling murals. In front of the wall was a trench filled with rubble. Once it might have been an indoor garden, thought Milos, or a stream where lily pads floated along.

  As they drew closer, Milos saw that the murals were not painted but were instead mosaics. Over the millennia, the tiny tiles had barely aged. The dramatic scenes were as vivid today as the day they were installed.

  Milos studied the events depicted in the murals, knowing what had captured Joshua’s attention. He pointed to the armada of ships—great barges with hundreds of oars. They appeared to be leaving the island.

  Joshua nodded; then he pointed to a group of Pyramids and nobility in highly stylized costumes and headdresses. Milos shrugged at this, not knowing what he was trying to say. Yes, there was a great civilization here before ours. We know that.

  Frustrated that he couldn’t make himself understood, Joshua swam to the silt-covered floor and began to write with his finger. In the fine sand, he wrote the word “Egypt” and then pointed to the well-dressed royalty on the mural.

  Now Milos understood, and he nodded. Yes, the people from here dispersed throughout the world, including Egypt, where they founded another great civilization. He wrote a word in the fine sand: “Atlantis.”

  Joshua just stared at him, his mouth agape. Milos had learned that Atlantis was what people in the outside world had called Poseidos many years ago, before its tragic end. Joshua could only stare at the fantastic murals in amazement. Perhaps his opinion of Dinotopia was going up, thought the younger boy.

  Suddenly a shadow blackened the light from the holes above. Milos looked up with a smile, expecting to see Lilith swimming toward them. Instead it was a monstrous armored fish with jaws the size of a Giganotosaurus’s. Milos instantly grabbed Joshua and pulled him into the trench along the wall.

  The older youth tried to resist, until he saw the great fish sweep past them. Because of the wall, it had misjudged its approach and had to break off the attack. The beast was at least twenty feet long, with a massive head, powerful jaws, and teeth like ax blades. As the prehistoric fish passed within inches of them, they could see its steely yellow eyes.

  Dunkleosteus! thought Milos. The most feared predator in Dinotopian waters.

  Joshua dove into the rubble-filled trench and began to burrow. He kicked up quite a cloud of dust, which roiled the water and sent the armored fish veering off in another direction.

  An eating machine, thought Milos as he crouched in the trench beside Joshua. The boy had another worry, because this excitement made them use up their air faster, and they didn’t have much left. Before this monster fish had shown up, Milos had been about to suggest they go to the surface and head home. Without extra tanks, a dive at Poseidos had to be short.

  He tried to use hand signals to send this information to Joshua, but the older lad was too intent upon watching the Dunkleosteus. What were they going to do? Any break for the surface would invite certain death, and the great fish seemed to realize this.

  Dunkleosteus was known to be patient, often wounding very large prey and following them, waiting for them to weaken. Other times, Dunkleosteus traveled in schools; then they attacked any creature they wanted.

  Milos knew he couldn’t count on Lilith. As brave as the Cryptoclidus was, it would be suicide for her to go up against the powerful jaws of that monster. It circled the great chamber, tail thrashing slowly, never taking an eye off the frightened lads.

  Joshua suddenly got a stricken look on his face, and he grabbed Milos’s arm. Pointing to his mouthpiece, the young man tried
to say something, and his eyes bulged.

  His air is running out, thought Milos with alarm. He’s used his up faster than mine because of his earlier practice and nervousness.

  Milos immediately took a deep breath and stripped the tank off his back. He motioned to Joshua to do the same, and the panicked youth collected himself. Almost as quickly as Milos, he took off his tank, while the Dunkleosteus circled patiently, waiting for its prey to make a move.

  With a minimum of useless motion, the lads exchanged tanks, although Milos just pushed Joshua’s toward the center of the room. At once, the Dunkleosteus veered toward the conch shell and crunched it into a million glittering pieces. The bits of shell floated motionless in the twinkling waters of the dead city, while the monster cruised away.

  Milos suddenly had a feeling that it had trapped prey in this place before. The great hall was big enough for the predator to swim freely.

  He tapped Joshua on the shoulder and motioned to the mouthpiece and valve. With a nervous smile, the older lad gave up the device and let Milos take two breaths of air, then a deep one to hold.

  Milos pointed to the surface. We’ve got to go up.

  Joshua nodded and pointed to the monstrous fish swimming in circles, waiting to devour them. It never had to go up for air. Unlike reptiles, dolphins, humans, and other mammals, it didn’t breathe air, so it could stay down here forever.

  They didn’t have forever. At any moment, Joshua’s face would contort into panic, and they would be out of air for good. At that point, certain death would be stalking them.

  Milos looked around the ancient chamber, desperately searching for anything that might help them. There were two exits—the roof and the front door, where they had entered. Without any air, he had better go straight up, but Joshua could take the main door.

  While he debated in his mind, the Dunkleosteus ran out of patience. With jaws agape, the monster charged straight toward the youths. They darted in either direction, causing the killer to crash into the wall.

  It was a glancing blow, and the Dunkleosteus thrashed in the water until it was again headed after the boys. Both of them were swimming like mad toward the opening in the roof, but it was doubtful either one would make it.

  The beast made its choice and veered toward Milos, its mouth a gaping maw of serrated edges.

  Chapter 10

  Milos swam like mad toward the holes in the crystal dome. His cheeks were puffed with air growing older by the second. The chances of his growing any older were slim, because the huge Dunkleosteus was right on his heels. Its jaws were open wide enough to swallow the boy whole, and each twitch of its massive tail brought it closer.

  Suddenly the light shattered above him, and a million slivers of crystal came spinning down through the water. The rainbows were almost blinding, but Milos kept his eyes open as he swam furiously. Slicing through the suspended cloud of glass came several sleek gray forms. They streaked past Milos and jetted toward the confused predator.

  Engulfed in a shower of twinkling slivers, the Dunkleosteus closed its huge mouth. That was all the dolphins needed as they pummeled the monster with their snouts. The unexpected blows sent the creature reeling. When it righted itself, it made straight toward the roof.

  Milos stared with terror. The Dunkleosteus had caught sight of Lilith over the broken dome, and he changed course and headed after the Cryptoclidus. Milos tried to shout a warning, and he lost what little air he had left in his lungs. Lilith looked confused as she hovered above the open dome, as if she didn’t see the danger looming ever closer.

  Closing in on Lilith, the Dunkleosteus never saw an even bigger shape chasing the Cryptoclidus. Lilith ducked out of the way just as the Dunkleosteus cleared the roof. The beaked mouth of the enormous Shonisaurus loomed into view and snatched the armored predator. With a few powerful strokes, the fifty-foot Ichthyosaurus made off with the thrashing sea monster in its jaws.

  It was too late, thought Milos, because he was about to die. Without air, his lungs were bursting, and he was growing light-headed. Suddenly, arms grabbed him, and his head was yanked around. Through a blur, he saw Joshua, stuffing the valve into his mouth.

  Gratefully, the lad breathed the air from the tank. He was even more relieved when Lilith rushed to his side a moment later. Both boys grabbed the handle on her harness and let the sleek reptile tow them to safety.

  They avoided the area above the building, where the Shonisaurus was eating what was left of the Dunkleosteus. That was a fitting meal for the fifty-foot reptile.

  As they alternated taking breaths from the tank, the Cryptoclidus made a gradual climb to the surface. The dolphins joined them, forming an escort, and the regal ruins of Poseidos disappeared into the deep.

  Milos patted Lilith’s neck. She and the dolphins must have seen the danger and remembered the Shonisaurus. They coaxed the mammoth ichthyosaur into following them, knowing it could make a meal of the Dunkleosteus.

  The boys were exhausted by the time they reached the surface, and the air in the tank was gone. Milos hugged Lilith and whispered his thanks to the affectionate reptile. The Cryptoclidus seemed to think that saving Milos’s life was all in a day’s fun.

  Joshua could only grin at him and wipe the salt water from his face. “Wow! That was some excitement! What else do you do for thrills?”

  “That’s about as thrilling as it gets,” answered Milos with a sigh. “Listen, it’s so many hours to get back home—can’t we stop along the way and eat dinner? We could even spend the night somewhere and go home in the morning.”

  Joshua licked his cracked lips. “Food sounds good. But not that big city—somebody might know me there.”

  Milos shook his head at his friend’s anxiety. Joshua was still certain that people were after him over the incident with the sky galley, when they had probably forgotten all about it. His world must be a fearsome place of dastardly crimes and swift punishment.

  The youths got back on their mounts—Joshua on Smiley and Milos on Lilith, and they swam north toward the coast above Prosperine. The dolphin pod encircled them, watching for more danger, but they soon began to frolic again. As the sun faded over the hills of Dinotopia, boats were making for port, and life had returned to a soothing calm in Sapphire Bay.

  At twilight, Milos finally spotted the lights along the coast for which he had been looking. They had passed two small lighthouses but nowhere to rest until the distinctive lights of the Blue Paddle. Through the use of blue-colored filters, the streetlights glowed with a blue tinge.

  Even Joshua looked glad to see the oasis of civilization on this dark shore. As they drew closer, they could hear the sound of laughter and conversation, plus the honks and grunts of dinosaurs and sea reptiles.

  Small boats and a couple of fishing vessels were docked along the wooden wharf, which fronted two structures. One was a ramshackle inn with fanciful gables and colorful stained-glass windows. The other structure looked like a huge open-air stable. Half of it was smooth rock that sloped to the surf, and the other half was populated by brachiosaurs and land creatures.

  Here the plesiosaurs and pliosaurs could come out of the water to converse with dinosaurs. Human attendants moved among them, getting the customers food, drink, and scrolls, or trimming toenails, inspecting teeth—whatever had to be done to make their customers happy.

  Milos patted Lilith on the back and whispered, “I wanted to come here mainly for you. You’ve done enough for one day.”

  Lilith snorted modestly, as if to say it wasn’t much. But he could tell by her quickened pace that she was anxious to relax and perhaps meet up with old friends. Smiley appeared eager to rejoin the dolphin pod and spend the night at sea. Gently he tried to toss Joshua off, and the young man finally took the hint.

  “All right, Smiley,” he said, sliding into the water. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” The dolphin nodded and squeaked in return.

  “Take the harness,” added Milos.

  Joshua did as he was told, pulling the lea
ther yoke over the dolphin’s smooth head. He lovingly patted Smiley’s tail as he swam away. “How wrong I was about them. Magnificent creatures! Dolphins are the best part of Dinotopia. They’re free—they come and go as they please.”

  He admitted he was wrong about something, thought Milos with a smile. That’s a big step.

  All he said was, “Grab hold of Lilith’s harness. She’s going with us.”

  “Thank you, Lilith,” said Joshua in a hoarse voice. He looked waterlogged. With strong alternating strokes, Lilith pulled the weary boys across the black waves.

  “You know, chum,” rasped Joshua, “today I saw how old Dinotopia really is. And how it’s possible that these fantastic animals still exist. Maybe it’s a good thing that my world doesn’t know about this place. When I get out, I’ll keep your secret.”

  Milos frowned as water splashed in his face. “Do you still want to get away?”

  “You showed me how,” answered Joshua, holding up Smiley’s harness. “Just call it a hobby of mine, like dolphin riding.”

  As they drew closer to the blue lights and barnacle-covered wharf, they could hear the lapping of the water against the ships’ hulls. It was drowned out by a burst of laughter, then some loud dinosaur honking. Or maybe it was singing.

  Lilith let them off near the ladder of an empty boat slip, and Milos removed her harness. Both boys thanked her, and she nodded and chattered. With a wave of her fin, the Cryptoclidus glided toward the gathering spot of the plesiosaurs.

  The youths climbed out of the tepid water and stood on the wharf in the cool night air, shivering. At the entrance to the old tavern hung a sign that read THE BLUE PADDLE. The words were painted on a blue board shaped like a rowboat paddle. Over the brachiosaur stables hung a sign with a blue paddle shaped like one of Lilith’s fins. It said the name of the place in the dinosaur footprint language.

  Gripping the harnesses to their chests, the lads hurried toward the rowboat paddle. They burst through the door to find a warm country inn, with nautical relics hanging on the walls. One customer was telling a story to a rapt audience, and others were playing darts, while a group at one table were studying an old chart. They took very little notice of two half-naked boys running in from the night, carrying harnesses.