Dolphin Watch

by John Vornholt

  At the same time, Milos and Joshua spotted a glowing fireplace in the corner and padded in that direction, still dripping wet. They passed up chairs and a sofa in order to sit on the warm slate right in front of the flames. With a sigh and a satisfied grin, Joshua curled up with his back to the heat. Milos just closed his eyes and listened to the soft crackle of the flames.

  “Blankets?” asked a voice, waking him up. Milos opened his eyes to see a red-haired girl about his own age, offering two colorful quilts.

  “Thank you, miss,” said Joshua, not hesitating as he grabbed a thick blanket. “I’m afraid I haven’t got any money.”

  “Money?” The girl looked quizzically at the young man, then glanced at Milos.

  The lad smiled. “He just got here—he’s a dolphinback. Thanks for the blanket.” With a smile of appreciation, Milos took the other quilt.

  “Definitely a dolphinback,” said Joshua proudly.

  “Welcome,” said the young lady pertly. “My name is Andrea. If you’re cold, some hot cider might warm you up. If you want to trade us something for a meal or a night’s lodging, that’s always welcome. If not this time, the next time you come. Or you’ll repay the hospitality down the road, to someone else.”

  Joshua frowned as if mulling over this alien philosophy. Milos quickly added, “Two bowls of chowder, too, if you’ve got any.”

  “Do we have chowder!” she answered with a smile. “Feel free to eat as much as you want.” With a curtsy, the girl hurried off.

  “Good place, huh?” asked Milos proudly. He had shown his friend a good day, and it was ending well, too.

  Joshua glanced around at the warm inn and the convivial crowd and just shook his head. “These people … they don’t really know what care and struggle are, do they?”

  Milos shrugged. “Why should they know care and struggle?”

  “No reason at all,” answered Joshua doubtfully. “I guess.”

  The local boy looked thoughtful for a moment. “I think we’ve known care and struggle, but they don’t seem so bad when we face them together.”

  “Ahoy, lad!” boomed a voice. “Aren’t you Dimitri’s son?”

  Milos looked up to see a lanky, gray-bearded, one-eyed seaman. “Yes, sir, I am.” He started to rise to his feet, but a big hand landed on his shoulder and pushed him back down.

  “Don’t rise for me, lad, I’m just a second mate,” said the old salt with a grin. “Gill is the name. Used to sail with your father, but now I’m on the Sunfish.” He pointed out to the wharf.

  “Sure, I remember you,” said Milos pleasantly, when he really didn’t. He couldn’t possibly remember every fisherman along this coast who had sailed with his father.

  “Still riding them longnecks?” asked Gill, pointing to the harnesses.

  “Every chance I get,” replied Milos. “My friend rides a dolphin. His name is—”

  “Carlos,” said Joshua, cutting in. He offered a hand, and the one-eyed mate shook it. Milos just shook his head.

  “Are you Pedro’s son?” asked Gill hopefully. He rubbed his gray stubble and frowned. “You don’t look anything like him.”

  “I’m not … from around here,” said Joshua absently. He curled up in his blanket and rudely closed his eyes.

  “I can see you’re fished out,” said Gill, backing away. “We’ll be in Abalonia in the morning, and I’ll tell your folks that I saw you, safe and sound.”

  “I’d be most obliged,” said Milos. “Thank you, sir.”

  Andrea arrived with steaming bowls of seafood chowder, and both boys stopped talking in order to eat. They each consumed four bowls of chowder and at least that many mugs of warm cider. Exhausted and full, they fell asleep where they lay, curled up like two platygonuses before the fire.

  A week later, the boys were perched on the bluff at the tip of Crackshell Point, with the vast ocean spread out before them. It was an unusually clear day, thought Milos, almost eerily so. There were no clouds—just endless skies of different shades of blue. Islands that were normally shrouded in mist appeared to be close enough to touch.

  Beside him, Joshua chomped his way through a trilobite garnished with roasted kelp. The college boy had built the fire, collected the food, and cooked it. So Milos was just a happy guest at this luncheon. The newcomer had become very self-sufficient in a short length of time, and the younger boy took much pride in that.

  Of course, Joshua depended a great deal upon Smiley and the other dolphins. But they didn’t seem to mind—they liked keeping watch on their pet project. Milos sensed that the dolphins had taken the boy into their pod, saving him once again.

  Still, the lad was bothered by the way Joshua lived like a hermit on this desolate bluff. Why did he have to live way out here? He could live in the village and still keep up his friendship with the dolphins.

  Then again, maybe this was the path Joshua needed to travel. He had one human friend, and perhaps that was enough for the moment. Joshua seemed to like the way the animals on Dinotopia behaved—it was the people who troubled him.

  The newcomer wiped his hand on the front of his dirty shirt and picked up his spyglass. “Get enough to eat?” he asked Milos.

  “Plenty,” said the younger lad with a smile. “So … how much longer are you going to live in my bell tower?”

  “Don’t know,” answered Joshua, putting the telescope to his eye and scanning the horizon. “Why, are you getting ready to evict me?”

  “Evict you?” asked Milos, puzzled. “What does that mean?”

  “When you’re a landlord, and you’ve got a renter living on your property, and you want to get him out—” He waved his hand helplessly. “Never mind. I don’t think it’s a problem here.”

  “We’d be happy to build you a proper house on this bluff,” said Milos. “If this is where you’d like to live.”

  “I suspect I’ll be moving on … someday.” Joshua suddenly stiffened and leaned forward. Adjusting the length of the telescope, he focused on something along the vast horizon.

  “See something interesting?” asked Milos jokingly.

  “Yes …” Joshua scrambled to his feet, twisting the spyglass. “A ship! I see a ship!”

  Milos blinked in shock, then laughed nervously. “You can’t see a ship out there—it would be too far away.”

  “Not today it isn’t!” crowed Joshua happily.

  “It’s one of ours,” insisted Milos.

  “Not that far out. Your ships stick close to shore when they go around the point. They know how bad the reef is.” Again he adjusted the telescope, and he looked more confident each time he did. “That is definitely a sailing ship.”

  The young blond man grabbed his snorkel, mask, and Smiley’s harness. Now it was Milos’s turn to bolt to his feet. “What are you doing?”

  “What do you think I’m doing?” asked Joshua happily. “There’s a ship out there, and I’m going to meet it!”

  “But how?”

  “Smiley and I have worked out a signal.” He started down the path to the beach and waved back to his friend. “Come on with us! You know I won’t tell.”

  “I can’t go.”

  “Fine. Suit yourself.”

  Stunned, Milos stumbled as he ran after his friend. He protested, begging Joshua not to go, but none of it sunk into his thick head. When they reached the beach, Joshua stuck two fingers into his mouth and gave an impressively loud whistle. Milos watched helplessly as the cove filled with dorsal fins.

  Even Lilith answered the loud call. Joshua waded into the water and was instantly surrounded by dolphins and one eager Cryptoclidus. The young man clicked his tongue and made a screech worthy of any dolphin. Smiley seemed to understand him, and he leaped out of the water with joy. All of the dolphins started moving toward the open sea, as if they knew the ship was out there.

  Joshua put the harness on Smiley and checked the seal on his mask. “Are you coming?” he called to Milos.

  “No, I can’t,” answered the boy. “I
made a promise to my father.”

  “Good-bye, then, old chum!” shouted Joshua. “Don’t steal any sky galleys!”

  Lilith bounded playfully through the surf, presenting her broad back to Milos. When he didn’t move, she twisted her neck around and pointed, begging him to get on. Joshua and the dolphins were already charging out to sea.

  “I can’t go. You go,” said Milos angrily. He flashed hand signals to the Cryptoclidus, making it clear that she had to go on without him. It was a beautiful day—no squalls—a perfect time for a dolphinback to roll out of the nest.

  Joshua yelled something, but he was already so far out that his voice faded into the wind. With a sniff, Lilith tore herself away from the youth on the beach. She paddled swiftly in order to catch up with the dolphins before they reached the mysterious reef—the Great Belt of Jewels.

  Seconds later, Milos stood alone on the beach, deserted by his friends. They had gone on an adventure, and all he could do was watch them swim away. Am I stupid? wondered the lad. Why didn’t I go with them? I went to the outer world before, and nothing bad happened.

  Except that I ended up friends with that ungrateful dolphinback, he thought to himself. Now his fair-weather chum was gone, and so was his best friend, Lilith. With stooped shoulders and reddened eyes, Milos began the long walk back to his village.

  Chapter 11

  Traveling faster and faster, Joshua plunged into a spinning whirlpool of coral and bubbles. His dolphin mount dodged this way and that, trying to maneuver through the labyrinth in the reef. Swimming ahead of them were a string of dolphins and a Cryptoclidus, who generated a confusing swirl of bubbles.

  Joshua could do no more than hold on to Smiley’s harness and keep his head low. Even so, the jagged coral scraped both his shoulders and his legs, and he nearly ran out of breath. He had to pound on the dolphin’s side to get him to surface.

  Smiley finally leaped from the water, with Joshua hanging on to his back and gasping for breath. The sun was so bright it was blinding, and there was nothing to see but endless ocean. The island, the reef, any ships—all were wiped out by that blazing light. Joshua took a deep breath as the graceful dolphin dove back under the waves.

  Delicate fingers of coral beckoned to him as he tightened his grip on Smiley’s harness. Then they rejoined the race, dashing through the shimmering branches and narrow crevices. Joshua tried to keep his eyes open—tried to remember the way—but the reef was a pastel jungle. Clutching the speeding dolphin, he could barely tell up from down.

  After a time, Smiley took another leap out of the water for Joshua to get air, and the boy glimpsed the dazzling coral beneath them. No wonder they called it the Belt of Jewels. On the last stretch, the reef was so treacherous that he could only lower his head and trust the dolphin.

  Finally they reached the open sea, and Joshua breathed the bracing air. It seemed later in the afternoon than it should be, as if they had traveled for hours. There was no sign of a vessel on the choppy waves. The dolphins set off on a northerly course, as if they knew where to find the ship, and Joshua had no choice but to hang on for the ride.

  Lilith cruised beside him and Smiley. The Cryptoclidus kept glancing over her shoulder, as if she expected someone to join them.

  “Milos is not coming,” said Joshua sadly. “It’s okay with me, because I don’t want to get him into any more trouble. We’re a bad influence, Lilith.”

  The reptile snorted in agreement, and both of them sighed. They missed the scrawny, dark-haired lad who often seemed wise beyond his years.

  But the dolphins picked up the scent of something and were off on a chase. Joshua hung on to Smiley with all his strength as they sped across the waves. At one point, they spotted a couple of big sharks, and the pod swam in tighter formation. Lilith took the rear, keeping an eye on the sharks. They seemed happy to trail the pod at a distance.

  Then Joshua saw it—a black triangle on the horizon! With their quarry in sight, the pod went faster, and they soon gained on the ship. It helped that the vessel was running with the wind at full sail—headed right in their direction.

  “It looks like a schooner!” said Joshua excitedly, although that didn’t mean much to either Smiley or Lilith. “She’s a sleek one—bet she’s fast, too. She’s shorter than our barks and displaces less water.”

  Smiley clicked and screeched in return, which made the young man remember that he was traveling with dolphins, not humans. Behind him paddled a marine reptile that should have been extinct.

  “How will I say I got here?” he wondered aloud. “It’s been almost a month since I was cast overboard. How did I survive that long?”

  Lilith caught up with him, craning her long neck and peering at the fast-approaching ship. Then she bobbed her head toward the water.

  “That’s right, girl, you can’t be seen,” agreed Joshua. “You had best go under.” He motioned with his hand as he had seen Milos do.

  The reptile nodded and slipped under the waves, until she was just a sleek gray blob in the sapphire depths. The magnificent two-masted schooner was still making straight for them at full sail. Unless he hid as well, Joshua was going to be spotted.

  “Is this what I really want?” he asked himself. “To leave Dinotopia?”

  The schooner bore down on them with at least twelve sails full of wind. From the water, Joshua couldn’t make out a flag, but it had to be a European or American vessel, he reasoned. It was probably a merchant ship, which meant a quick trip to a major port.

  That made up his mind. “I’ve got to leave you,” he told Smiley, stroking his friend’s sleek skin. “I don’t want to lose Milos’s harness or his mask, so I’ll leave them on you. You take them back.” He removed the mask and snorkel and tied them to Smiley’s harness.

  Reluctantly, Joshua slid off the dolphin’s back as the graceful ship loomed closer. He knew it wouldn’t be long before they spotted him from the crow’s nest, especially if he started yelling and waving. Smiley nudged him, then splashed water in his uncovered face with his tail.

  “Go on! Scat!” he said glumly, slapping the water and trying to shoo the dolphin away. But the playful animal wasn’t having any of that; he continued to swim around Joshua, nudging him. At least Lilith had taken the hint to stay out of sight.

  As the schooner drew closer, her sails billowed like a tower made of fabric and wind. “Over here!” shouted Joshua, waving. “Here! Help me!”

  A bullet streaked into the water about ten feet away from the youth, and he caught his breath. Joshua ducked under the waves to make sure none of his friends had been hit, but he couldn’t see much without his mask. The bullet had at least one desired effect—it scared the dolphins away.

  Or maybe the bullet was meant for me! thought Joshua with alarm. “Don’t shoot!” he cried.

  There was suddenly frantic activity on the vessel as the seamen worked to ease the sails and spill some wind. “Man overboard!” shouted a voice. “Reduce sail! Ready about!” There were more commands in a language that Joshua didn’t understand.

  They were going to stop and pick him up, that much was certain. While he waited, Joshua tried to think of a plausible story to account for his being lost at sea for three and a half weeks. Maybe he’d been in a lifeboat that finally sank.

  “Hard alee!” called a voice. The great ship suddenly tacked into the wind, and the mainsails and topsails fluttered as the air left them. The crew managed to luff the sails. Majestically, the vessel slowed to a crawl, its starboard side facing Joshua. Deckhands crowded the rail to get a look at the human floating in the middle of nowhere.

  They threw a lifesaver and rope over the side and prepared to lower a boat. Several of them shouted in languages that Joshua didn’t understand. He had a hard time figuring out what kind of crew this was. The youth shook his head and waved, trying to show he didn’t understand.

  “You still alive?” asked one man who appeared to be Spanish. “Did the sharks get you?”

  “Sharks?” aske
d Joshua with surprise.

  “We saw fins,” said an Asian crewman.

  Joshua laughed with relief as he swam toward the lifesaver. “Not sharks—dolphins! So that’s why you were shooting.”

  The lad swam so strongly that they didn’t have to lower a boat. Instead he grabbed the lifesaver and let himself be hoisted aboard. Grinning like a fool and dripping wet, Joshua stood on the deck of the schooner.

  He stared at the crew, and they stared at him. They were an international lot, with most of them looking like Polynesian natives, dressed in colorful long skirts, beads, and bare feet. A few of them carried spears. They didn’t seem to match this type of ship, and there were also many women among them. It looked as though they had more crew than they needed.

  Finally, a regally dressed mulatto in full brocaded uniform approached him. He smiled, stroking his black mustache. “And what have we fished out of ze water?” he asked with an accent. “An Englishman?”

  “American,” said the young man, extending his hand. “Joshua Longacre.”

  “Joshua Longacre,” said the officer, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Where have I heard zat name?”

  “I was lost at sea about three weeks ago,” explained the young man. “Off the Basilisk.”

  “Oh, sí! Ze wealthy young lord,” answered the captain with a gleam in his dark eyes.

  “Not a lord,” said Joshua hesitantly. “Just an … an average American.” He knew that wasn’t true either, and he was beginning to think he had made a mistake in telling them his name. “And you are?”

  “One moment please,” said the captain graciously. “Andiamo!” he shouted to his crew. He barked orders in Spanish, in English, then in a language Joshua didn’t recognize. The young man glanced up, looking for the colors, but he couldn’t spot a flag anywhere in the rigging. For the first time, he noticed there were several cannons on deck.