High Tide

by Summer Waters

  Silver Dolphin, we need you.

  Spirit, I hear your call, she answered, running even faster.

  Although Antonia knew the path very well, she still had to concentrate on not slipping on the loose stones. Part of her was also listening for Spirit as she burst from the path and on to the beach, pulling off her shoes the moment she hit the sand. It came as a shock to discover that she wasn’t alone. Suddenly she was aware of voices. Antonia looked up and immediately went cold. A group of teenagers was having a noisy picnic on the beach. Several rugs were spread out on the sand to make one large area that was loaded with food and drink. People sat round the edge eating from plastic plates while others danced to music from an iPod and speakers.

  Silver Dolphin, we need you.

  Even above the noise of the music Antonia heard Spirit’s shrill whistle. Grabbing her shoes, she slunk towards the rocks. She’d often gone into the water from a crowded beach. Usually people were too busy enjoying themselves to notice her. Today would surely be no different. Antonia knew that if she could make it into the water unseen she could immediately dive out of sight and swim out of the bay underwater.

  Spirit, I’m on my way.

  Antonia arranged her shoes and socks behind a rock, but as she was about to go into the water a familiar voice shouted, “I knew it! Didn’t I tell you that if she found out about our party she’d show up?”

  Antonia’s stomach seemed to flip-flop as she slowly turned to face the beach again.

  Lauren’s face was contorted in a nasty sneer as she pointed straight at Antonia. “Go away,” she said loudly. “We’re having a private party for the cast of Stage Struck and you are not invited.”

  “What is she like?” asked Becky, in an equally loud voice. “She must have been snooping around at school to find out about this. And then to have the nerve to try and gatecrash…well, that’s plain sad.”

  A few members of the cast looked up to see what the shouting was about. Antonia’s face flamed and her heart hammered against her chest. She was so embarrassed. But more importantly, how was she going to answer Spirit’s call? There was no way she could go into the water now. Not if she wanted to keep her special secret.

  Chapter Eleven

  Spirit’s whistling cry sounded again, spurring Antonia into action. If she couldn’t get into the sea at Gull Bay, then she would have to go somewhere else. The next accessible beach was Sandy Bay, but it was a good fifteen minutes walk away. Antonia’s heart plummeted. Scooping up her things, she headed off the beach.

  “Loser,” called Lauren.

  “Sad, crazy girl,” joined in Becky.

  Antonia hardly heard them. This was madness. What if Spirit’s call was a life or death situation? She needed to be in the sea right now, not turning her back on it. But knowing this wasn’t an option, Antonia hurried up the steps, stopping at the top to shove her feet into her shoes and her socks in the pockets of her fleece. Antonia ran up the footpath, stopping only when her heart was thundering so loudly she thought that if she didn’t rest it might explode through her chest.

  Spirit, I’m on my way, she called silently, leaning against a tree for support. There was no answer. Taking a few more deep breaths, Antonia set off at a jog.

  “I can do this!” she told herself as she ran along the path. “And there’s Cai. If it’s life or death, then Cai will already be there.”

  Antonia could see Sandy Bay from the Coastal Path and she gazed longingly at it. If only she could fly then she could be down there in seconds, diving into the sapphire-blue water like a gull going after a fish. On she ran until at last she was on the soft, gold beach.

  Sand sprayed up from her feet as Antonia pounded towards the rocks. Then her foot caught against something and she stumbled, landing face down.

  “Eew!” Pushing her hair back, Antonia spat out a mouth of sand. As she sat up something jabbed into her calf, making her flinch. She moved her leg and uncovered a sleek, black mobile phone.

  “Rats!” exclaimed Antonia, picking the phone up. That was all she needed right now – an expensive piece of litter that its owner would be missing. Impulsively, Antonia stuck the phone in the pocket of her fleece meaning to sort it out later. Back on her feet again, she continued over to the rocks where she ripped off her shoes and removed her fleece. Seconds later she was in the sea, submerging her body with a running dive. Annoyingly, she was being called back towards Gull Bay. Antonia could feel her muscles straining as she arched her body in and out of the water, clearing the waves like a racehorse clearing fences.

  Rounding the headland, Antonia swam east along the rocky coast between Sandy Bay and Gull Bay and sensed vibrations in the water. They were nearer to the coast than she was, so altering her direction she swam inshore. Then Antonia saw two dolphins agitatedly swimming figures of eight. Seeing her approaching the largest dolphin broke away and came towards her.

  “Silver Dolphin,” clicked Spirit, clearly relieved to see her. “Go quickly, you’re needed on the beach.” He pointed his nose towards the rocky cliffs.

  At first Antonia couldn’t see where he meant, but she swam towards the rocks, trusting Spirit to send her in the right direction. The cliffs towered above and as she drew closer Antonia could see an indent in the coastline. Swimming past the rocks she arrived at a tiny cove with a small patch of sand. Cai was already there, his dark curly head bent over a small shape. He seemed to be struggling with something. Antonia swam on, her heart hammering as fear swept over her. Dreading what she might find, she ran through the frothy surf and on to the beach.

  “Tilly!” she gasped, after realising that Cai was tending to a small seal.

  Hoping in vain that she was mistaken, Antonia sank to her knees.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Tilly nearly got strangled!”

  Cai’s fingers worked to free Tilly from a long black cable tightly wound round her neck. “She was choking when I found her. I’ve managed to loosen it enough to let her breathe, but I can’t untie the rest of the cable. It’s in too much of a knot from when she was struggling.”

  Antonia stroked Tilly’s head, wincing at the dark red weal on her neck. “It’s terrible,” said Cai, his voice choked with emotion. “I thought I was going to lose her at first. What happened to you? You took ages.”

  “The cast of Stage Struck were having a party on the beach at Gull Bay when I arrived there so I had to swim from Sandy Bay instead,” said Antonia, tracing her fingers frantically along the thick black cable snaking round Tilly’s soft grey body, looking for a loose spot.

  “What is this stuff?” Antonia wondered aloud. “It’s lethal.”

  “Can’t you guess?” asked Cai. “It’s some kind of heavy-duty electrical cable. I bet it’s come from the Stage Struck film set.”

  Finding a large knot Antonia worked at it until her fingers were sore, but the cable refused to come undone. “It keeps stretching itself tighter,” she complained.

  Suddenly Tilly decided she’d had enough of keeping still. She began to roll from side to side, flapping her tail and one free flipper.

  “Steady,” said Antonia, in a soothing voice. “Tilly, steady.”

  At first the seal didn’t seem to listen, but Antonia continued speaking in a low, calm voice while Cai gently and rhythmically stroked Tilly’s head. Gradually she began to relax, resting her head back on the sand and half-closing her dark eyes.

  Antonia realised she needed something sharp to cut the cable, so she jumped up and searched the sand for a stone. She found one a short way up the beach, flinty grey and shaped like a tear drop, and ran back to Tilly and Cai. Holding the stone at its rounded end, Antonia pressed its top against the cable.

  Cut.

  Magic rushed along her arms, reaching her fingers in a sudden burst of warmth.

  Cut, thought Antonia, enjoying the sensation as the stone sliced through the cable like a knife cutting soft butter. Carefully she attacked the knots, keeping the stone away from Tilly’s
fur and Cai’s fingers as he pulled the cable free.

  The last bit of cable fell away and as Cai gathered it up, Antonia examined the weal around Tilly’s neck. It was deep in places with spots of blood breaking through the skin.

  “Does it need treating?” asked Cai, putting the looped cable over his head to wear it like a sash.

  “Yes,” said Antonia, taking a deep breath and preparing herself to help the seal again. Placing both hands on Tilly’s soft skin, Antonia focused on making her better.

  Heal.

  She stared at the red area and imagined it being replaced with healthy skin and fur.

  Heal.

  A rush of warmth spread along Antonia’s hands and into her fingers so fast that she wouldn’t have been surprised if her hands had started to glow! The damaged skin began to heal, changing colour until only a faint, pink line was left. Antonia sank back on her heels, exhausted.

  Tilly’s whiskers twitched and she uttered a startled honk. She lay still for a moment, thanking Antonia and Cai with her eyes, then slowly she wiggled towards the sea. As she slid into the water Antonia called out, “Bye, Tilly.”

  “And this time keep out of trouble!” Cai added.

  Tilly was much more graceful in the water than on land. She swiftly cut through the sea until she dived under and disappeared just beyond the rocks.

  “The tide’s coming in,” said Cai, realising his feet were getting wet.

  “It’s come in quickly,” said Antonia.

  “We’d better go,” said Cai. “It must almost be high tide. This beach will be underwater soon.”

  “Are you all right to swim with that cable or do you need help?” asked Antonia, pointing at the loops around his body.

  “Piece of cake,” said Cai, cheekily. “Come on. I’ll race you back.”

  Chapter Twelve

  As Antonia and Cai headed towards open water, four dolphins swam to meet them – Spirit, followed by Star, with Bubbles and Dream bringing up the rear.

  “Well done, Silver Dolphins,” said Spirit, nudging Antonia and Cai with his nose. “You did a good job.”

  “Can we play now, Dad?” asked Bubbles, who was impatiently bobbing in the water.

  Antonia was tired after using so much strong magic, but she perked up on seeing her dolphin friends. She badly hoped that Spirit would let them play. It felt like ages since she’d last had fun with Bubbles and Dream.

  “If the Silver Dolphins want to play with you,” said Spirit, opening his mouth in a wide grin that showed his perfect white teeth.

  “Of course they want to,” said Bubbles confidently. “Who’s in for sprat? I’ll be it. You’ve got a three waves’ head start.”

  “I’m in,” clicked Antonia.

  “Me too,” agreed Cai and Dream.

  As Bubbles started counting, Dream dived under the water. Antonia chased after her immediately, knowing that Dream was good at finding places to hide. Cai had the same idea and they swam in a procession to a long line of rocks that looked like a sleeping crocodile. Ducking down behind the largest, Dream indicated with her flipper for Antonia and Cai to join her. Giggling softly, they squeezed together, trying to make themselves smaller.

  “I’ve missed you,” clicked Dream softly, as they waited for Bubbles to find them.

  “I’ve missed you too,” Antonia clicked back, suddenly realising how true it was. All the tension of the past weeks caused by Lauren’s pettiness and nasty remarks suddenly drained away, leaving her fizzing with excitement. When Bubbles crept up behind them, clicking, “Sprat!” at the top of his voice, Antonia was the first away. She sped upwards and leapt out of the water like a breeching whale, causing a mini tidal wave when she splash-landed again.

  “Water fight!” clicked Bubbles, who’d chased her to the surface. He smacked his tail in the sea, soaking Antonia with water.

  “Boys against girls,” clicked Cai, breaking through the water next.

  “No, every dolphin for himself,” clicked Bubbles, playfully soaking Cai.

  It was one of the longest water fights they’d ever had. Using tails and flippers, legs and hands, they stirred up a storm in the sea. And even when Dream finally called for a truce, Bubbles and Cai still kept flicking sea water at each other.

  “That was so much fun,” said Antonia, floating on her back with her blonde hair fanned out around her.

  “We’re going fishing next. That’s fun too. Come with us,” clicked Bubbles.

  Antonia sighed. “I’d love to, but I think I’d better go home. If I don’t get back in time for tea, Mum and Dad will worry.”

  “Me too,” said Cai. “Claudia will know where I am, but I don’t want to miss tea. I’m starving!”

  “You’re always starving,” said Antonia, laughing.

  Bubbles swam forward as if to rub his nose against Cai’s, but at the last moment he somersaulted, splashing Cai with his tail.

  “Bubbles, that’s enough,” clicked Dream, even though she was laughing.

  Bubbles grinned cheekily, then said a proper goodbye to the Silver Dolphins. Antonia and Cai trod water as Bubbles and Dream swam out to sea, watching their silver bodies arching together in perfect time.

  “Home!” said Antonia when the dolphins were specks in the distance.

  They hadn’t swum far when Cai said, “It may be cool having a film crew here and knowing you’re going to see all your favourite places on television, but it’s a nightmare too, and not just the littering. I keep worrying that we’ll get seen and it’ll be the end of the Silver Dolphins.”

  “I know,” said Antonia quietly, remembering how her magic had suddenly drained away when Mr Brewer and his assistant had almost caught her being a Silver Dolphin.

  They swam in silence until they approached the Sandy Bay headland. Antonia stopped and said, “Can you hear that?”

  Cai frowned and trod water to listen. “Someone’s shouting,” he said.

  Antonia’s face paled to almost the same shade as her hair and suddenly her limbs felt weak and wobbly. “Are they shouting at us?” she asked hoarsely.

  Cai grabbed her hand and suddenly pulled her under the water. Antonia was so startled she swallowed a mouthful of sea.

  “Yuk!” she choked, spitting it out.

  “Sorry,” said Cai. “But there’s a man sitting far out on the rocks. He was facing the other way when I first saw him, but then he turned around towards us.”

  “What’s he doing on the rocks?” asked Antonia. “Is he fishing?”

  “If he is, he won’t catch much,” said Cai wryly. “Fishermen are usually very quiet so they don’t scare the fish.”

  Antonia was horrified. “He’s stuck, isn’t he? I bet that’s why he’s shouting.”

  “Probably,” said Cai. “He must have gone for a walk over the rocks and got cut off by the tide. He can’t be a local or he’d know how fast the sea comes in round here.”

  “Now what?” asked Antonia. “We can’t leave him there. It’s too dangerous. If he slips and falls he could drown.”

  “But if we help him we’ll blow our secret,” said Cai.

  “He’s going to need search and rescue or something,” said Antonia in a scared voice.

  Cai brightened. “Perhaps that’s why he’s shouting. I bet he’s called the emergency services on his mobile and now he’s making sure they find him when they arrive…Antonia, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  Antonia stared at Cai, her grey-green eyes wide with concern. “But what if that man lost his phone?” she whispered. “What if he dropped it on the beach before he got caught out by the tide?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Antonia told Cai about the mobile phone she’d found on the beach and he agreed that it could well belong to the man on the rocks.

  “Either way, it doesn’t look like he has a phone,” said Cai, who’d gone to the surface to have another look. “He’s shouting for help and he sounds really scared.”

  Antonia insisted on ha
ving a look too. Diving back underwater she said, “He looks familiar. He reminds me of…no, wait! I know who he is. It’s Mr Brewer, the director.” Her face contorted as she said wryly. “I know he’s in serious trouble, but I can’t help thinking that maybe if he hadn’t been so mean about the kittiwake and his film crew’s rubbish, then this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “There’s a saying for that,” Cai chipped in. “What goes around comes around.”

  He touched the electrical cable hanging over his chest and grinned.

  “You’re right, it is kind of fitting. We’d better get back to Sandy Bay as fast as we can and ring the coastguard for help.”

  Cai was about to start swimming away underwater, but Antonia stopped him.

  “You go,” she said. “I’ll wait here just in case he slips and falls. The tide’s really high and some of those waves are enormous. I’d feel awful if Mr Brewer got swept off the rocks and drowned.”

  “But how are you going to help him if he falls in the sea?” asked Cai. “The moment you try and rescue him your Silver Dolphin magic will stop working, because you wouldn’t be helping sea life. You’re an ace swimmer, Antonia, but are you really strong enough to be swimming out here? Mr Brewer might not be the only one who ends up drowning.”

  Antonia fell silent, knowing that Cai was right.

  “Let’s get going,” said Cai gently.

  Antonia swam to the surface to check on Mr Brewer before they left. He had his back pressed against the rocks, trying to keep as far away as possible from the breaking waves. His clothes were soaked and he looked small and frightened.

  Antonia and Cai swam round the headland and back to Sandy Bay in silence, keeping underwater until their knees scrapped the seabed. Antonia was first out, splashing through the waves, sea water pouring from her clothes and hair as she stumbled across the rocks. She grabbed her fleece and rifled through the pockets, pulling out the mobile phone.