A Dolphin Wish

by Natalie Grant

  “How does the park keep the seals from swimming away?” Lulu asked.

  “Looks like they have made their own decision and chosen this for their home,” Miss Julia said.

  Mia scanned the crowd. Seeing nothing more interesting than a few families snapping pictures, she checked the platform’s wooden beams. No crumpled papers or clues of any kind. Then, she spotted a man in a white jacket walking toward the nearby dolphin buildings. He pulled a key card out of his pocket.

  “Excuse me?” she called, hurrying after him.

  “Mia, wait!” Miss Julia said. “What are you doing?” Behind her, she heard the others right on her heels.

  “Excuse me, sir?” she called again. This time, the man turned.

  “Can I help you?” he asked, smiling in a reassuring way at Miss Julia.

  “Does the park feed the seals?” Mia asked.

  “You mean the ones in the cove?” The man shook his head. “No. It’s actually illegal to feed wild seals. Even if it weren’t, we wouldn’t feed them. We want them to remember how to hunt for their own food, to stay wild, the way seals should be.”

  “So why don’t they just swim away?” Lulu asked.

  “The cove protects them from predators, such as sharks. Actually, the seals chose this cove before we built the park here. We worked hard to shield their habitat during construction, and, thankfully, they stuck around. Our seal cove is a benefit for our visitors, a chance to see animals in the wild. Our biologists appreciate it as a natural lab to study the wild seals. Also, after we rehabilitate injured or sick seals, the cove provides a safe space for release. Here, our seals can reengage with wild seals. It’s an ideal situation.”

  “Thank you,” Miss Julia said to the man, and then to the girls, “We should let our friend go back to work. And I see that the Barrel Buffoonery ride is just around the corner. What do you think—shall we go ride?”

  “That’s one of my favorites,” the man said. “Have a fantastic day at the park!”

  He swiped his card and headed into the building. Mia followed her sisters past the barking seals and toward to the ride. While they’d spoken with the biologist, a boy with a backpack had joined the crowd. He leaned over the rail, watching the seals. He might not have caught her attention, except for the fact that he looked just about her age—maybe a year or two older—and he wasn’t with any adults. Strange. Her parents definitely wouldn’t let her or Maddie wander around a park on their own. But maybe he was older than he looked.

  The barrel ride opened up to another little cove, so that the barrels landed in salt water. Attendants in rowboats guided the barrels back in to the deck, where riders could climb out. The rest of the ride meandered like a river, sometimes lazy, other times frothing with wild water. As they got closer, Mia saw each rider got their own barrel.

  “Let’s check your height,” Miss Julia said to Lulu.

  Mia was grateful when Lulu’s head measured at least two inches above the line. It would have been another disaster had she not been tall enough to ride.

  Right after stepping away from the measuring stick, Lulu pointed to a sign painted with a cartoon octopus who appeared to be singing. “A singing octopus—that’s on the treasure hunt!”

  Sure enough, it was. The girls jotted down the sign on their scrolls, and then handed them back to Miss Julia for safekeeping. As they stood in line, Mia thought about the seals. She’d have to cross them off her list of endangered animals. The seals in the cove didn’t belong to the park, so they wouldn’t be in danger from Dr. Dolittle. The seals in the hospital might be in danger, but no one would be cruel enough to mess with a sick or injured seal. Would they? Mia supposed it depended on what kind of criminal Dr. Dolittle turned out to be.

  Soon, it was their turn to climb into barrels. As soon as her barrel spun away from the dock, Mia couldn’t think of anything but holding on. Even though Mia could tell the barrels were designed not to tip over, it felt like every other second she was about to tumble over the side and into the water. She laughed and shrieked along with her sisters as they bobbed down the river, and then burst over the short falls into the cove.

  “Mia, look!” Lulu shouted, motioning to the ocean-facing side of Mia’s barrel. A slick gray head bobbed just out of reach—a seal!

  Mia leaned over the side of her barrel to look the seal in the eyes. “Hey there, you.”

  He—or possibly she—stayed put, blinking once, twice. Then he dove back under the water and swam out into the sea. What kinds of stories might a seal tell? How far might he have traveled in his life? Just around this bay? Across the ocean, maybe even to Hawaii? Had he narrowly escaped a shark at some point? Made friends with a puffer fish? As the attendants guided Mia’s barrel toward the shore, she watched the horizon, hoping for one more glimpse of her seal.

  TWENTY

  That was awesome!” Lulu bounced in circles around Mia as soon as she climbed out of her barrel.

  “It was awesome,” Mia agreed.

  “Let’s look for treasure and have some cotton candy!” Lulu said.

  “It’s still a little early for cotton candy,” Miss Julia said. “Maybe a Belgian waffle?”

  No one complained about this suggestion. As they crossed the Northern Atlantic bridge onto Buccaneer’s Island, Lulu stopped and stared at her shoes.

  “What?” Mia asked.

  “Look!” She pointed to a plaque set into the wooden boards beneath their feet. “A queen starfish!”

  Sure enough, it was a starfish with a crown, and another treasure for the hunt. They found an empty table where they could add the treasure to their scrolls. Miss Julia went to buy waffles, and they held the space.

  Maddie waited until Miss Julia was out of earshot and then said, “Here’s what I think we should do. We know our way around the backstage area where they keep the dolphins. And that’s where Mia first heard about the mystery. If we sneak back there, we might be able to find those teenagers Mia heard talking yesterday. We could ask them questions. Or we can just poke around and look for clues.”

  “Ooh!” Lulu bounced in her seat. “Super sneaky spies!”

  Mia shook her head. “No way. We promised Mom and Dad we would listen to Miss Julia.”

  “You can’t solve mysteries by following every single rule,” Maddie said.

  “You never used to be like this, Maddie,” Mia said, her accusation popping out before she could think it through.

  “Like what?” It was Maddie’s turn to be surprised. Lulu watched one sister and then the other, eyes wide.

  Mia wanted to backtrack, but she’d already begun—she decided she might as well try to explain. Still, the words didn’t come easily.

  “Like . . . I don’t know. Someone who breaks the rules whenever you feel like it.”

  “But don’t you want to solve the mystery?” Maddie asked. “I thought the whole reason we came today was to find clues and solve the mystery. Anyway, I don’t break the rules whenever I feel like it. When have I broken the rules today?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not saying you—Never mind.” Mia’s leg shook with pent-up frustration. “I do want to solve the mystery, but I want to do it the right way.”

  “And how are we supposed to do that?” Maddie demanded.

  “I don’t know. I . . . Wait.”

  “What?” Lulu asked, and then she shook Mia’s arm and repeated, “What?!”

  “I have an idea! The schedule,” Mia said. “It was a feeding schedule, probably, right? And it was a clue, Lulu, a very important one.”

  Lulu cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

  “Zarin said the animals eat at specific times—on a schedule—right?”

  “Right,” Maddie said.

  “So, if someone walked around the park, watc
hing what time the animals were fed, they’d know when someone is with the animals and when the animals are alone. The feeding times would be the times you wouldn’t want to mess with the animals.”

  “Or let them out!” Maddie broke into a smile. “That means, if we figure out when the animals are being fed—”

  “And when they’re not,” Mia put in.

  “Then we know when to watch the animals, when they’re most at risk of being let out of their cages!” As soon as she’d said this, Maddie’s face fell. “But wouldn’t there be a lot of feeding times? Multiplied by all the animals? How would we keep track and be in the right place at the right time?”

  “It won’t be easy,” Mia said. “But at least it’s a start. It’s the first real idea we’ve had, right? Now, I’m sure we can find more clues. Don’t you think?”

  “Maybe . . .” Maddie sounded a long way from sure.

  “Glimmer girls to the rescue!” Lulu said.

  At least Lulu was into the idea. If nothing else, maybe she’d go along with looking for clues for a little while rather than only wanting to try all the rides. Mia didn’t mind riding—she liked the rides, even—but she couldn’t let another day go by without finding answers.

  “Dr. Dolittle, here we come!” Lulu said, pumping her fist in the air, and making both of her sisters laugh.

  “What did I miss?” Miss Julia asked, returning to the table with a tray of Belgian waffles.

  For a few moments, all conversation stopped as the girls reached for the waffles and savored the warm sweetness.

  “Thank you, Miss Julia,” Maddie remembered to say, after her final bite.

  Mia swallowed her last bite and nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

  “Mmmmm,” was all Lulu could add, busily chewing away.

  Mia took Lulu’s scrap of paper out of her pocket. “What time is it?”

  Miss Julia checked her phone. “11:45.”

  “Penguin feeding time is 11:45, or at least that’s what I’m guessing the time on Lulu’s scrap of paper meant. So, maybe we should go over there now.”

  “But you said we should go when they weren’t feeding.” Maddie frowned. “I don’t get it.”

  “If it was me . . .” Mia bit her lip, thinking it through. “I’d wait until the feeding was over. I’d watch as the biologists left, and wait until no one was in the exhibit, anywhere. And then, when it was safe, that’s when I’d let the animals out.”

  “Because any other time, someone might be walking through?” Maddie asked, more a statement than a question.

  “Right,” Mia agreed. “It’s the safest time for Dr. Dolittle, and the most dangerous time for the animals.”

  “Off to the penguins, then!” Lulu said.

  “Yes, off to the penguins!” Mia said.

  “Hold on a second,” Miss Julia said. “Let’s clean up our mess first.”

  “Okay, but we need to hurry.” The more she thought about it, the more Mia was sure her theory was right on. Now was the time when Dr. Dolittle was likely to strike.

  She helped her sisters wipe the extra powdered sugar off the table and onto their trays with napkins. Then, they stacked the trays in the dish bin.

  “Now?” Mia could hardly stand still.

  “Okay, now. But keep together!” Miss Julia called. “And walk!”

  They slowed their jogging to what could almost be called a walk, but which probably still would have counted as an Olympic sport.

  “Goodness, girls,” Miss Julia said, hustling to keep up. “Good thing my legs are longer than yours or I’d never keep up.”

  “Hurry, hurry, hurry!” Lulu urged.

  Soon, the Chill Zone was in sight.

  TWENTY-ONE

  There must be a back or side door. Remember how the penguins showed up in the exhibit through that inner door after they’d been out on parade?” Mia asked.

  They circled the building and found a side door, but no one was hanging around, looking suspicious.

  “Should we try inside?” Maddie asked.

  “Snow!” Lulu darted toward the door.

  Mia had to admit it was pretty hot outside. No one inside the Chill Zone looked suspicious either. A staff member had been throwing fish to the penguins, but now he was packing up his gear.

  “Now’s the time. Keep your eyes open,” Mia said. “Maybe we should go outside?”

  Miss Julia wouldn’t let them split up, so they decided to wait for five minutes inside, and then watch outside for five minutes. What followed were ten boring minutes. No one inside did anything more suspicious than pushing a nose up against the glass. No one outside did anything more interesting than dropping an ice cream cone on the sidewalk. Splat.

  “So much for that idea,” Mia said, finally admitting defeat.

  “Mia, look!” Maddie’s voice didn’t sound a bit defeated.

  But it was only another find for the treasure hunt, this time a polar bear in a rainstorm. He sat in the middle of a fountain with water pouring over the edges of his umbrella. They’d been to the Chill Zone many times, but somehow Mia hadn’t noticed him.

  “Whoa!” Lulu said.

  Mia looked up from her scroll. And blinked. And blinked again. Flamingos, about twelve of them, were high-footing it toward the Chill Zone doors.

  “Do you think they’re hot and want to cool off too?” Lulu asked.

  “What should we do?” Mia asked.

  “Hands!” Maddie suggested, holding out hers.

  They grabbed hands, roping in Miss Julia, and circled around the flamingos as best they could. A few other people saw what they were doing and joined in to help. Soon, a circle of people held hands, ringing the flamingos in, keeping them in place.

  “Now what?” Lulu asked.

  As if in answer to her question, a few teenagers in white jackets hurried over. “Thank you!” one said.

  They corralled the flamingos into a nearby fenced-in area. One of them radioed for help with returning the flamingos to their regular exhibit.

  “Excuse me,” Mia said, approaching one of the teens. “I think I know how the animals are being let out.”

  The teen, a girl with bleached-blond hair, raised an eyebrow at Mia. “Oh, you do, do you?”

  “I think someone is letting the animals out during off-feeding hours. That’s when you need to watch them.”

  The girl nodded, mock serious. “Like all the time—whenever we wouldn’t normally be keeping an eye on them? Thanks, Sherlock.”

  “Well, maybe just after feeding time, then. Like these flamingos. When were they last fed?”

  “Who knows?”

  Mia refused to give up. “Well, maybe it was a little while ago. And afterward, after everyone was gone, Dr. Dolittle came and . . .”

  Now, the girl’s eyebrow rose even higher than it had the first time. “Dr. Dolittle?”

  “No, I mean, that’s just what we’ve been calling him. Obviously, that’s not really his name.”

  “Listen, kid, I have no idea how you found out about our problem, and we’re grateful that you rounded up the flamingos for us. Truly. But it’s none of your business. Just let us handle things, all right?”

  She joined the others, to help herd the flamingos away. Mia felt like one of those cartoon characters who have actual steam come out of their ears. Kid? She hadn’t even actually said thank you—just, “We’re grateful, but.”

  “You okay, Mia?” Maddie put her hand on Mia’s arm.

  When Mia didn’t answer, Maddie dropped her hand. Lulu didn’t say anything at all. The girls stood there, arms at their sides, three deflated balloons.

  “Girls, what do you say we try out Iceberg Float again? Or Alligator Ambush? Maybe this time we can
break fifty-three? No?” Miss Julia kept trying. “We all wanted to try Bermuda Triangle. Maybe it’s time to head in that direction.”

  “I guess we could try the Bermuda Triangle . . .” Lulu said, glancing at her sisters.

  It wasn’t hard to see that Lulu wanted to ride Bermuda Triangle, even though she was trying to maintain her miserable face out of loyalty.

  “Bermuda Triangle does sound like fun,” Maddie admitted. “Maybe we should take a break on the mystery, Mia? If we stop thinking about it so hard, we might get an idea—you know how that happens sometimes?”

  Heat rushed to Mia’s cheeks. “We don’t need an idea. We have one. The problem is that no one will listen!”

  People walking by turned to look, but Mia didn’t care. If shouting was what it took for someone to listen to her, then she would shout. From the top of the tallest ride if she had to. She knew she was onto something, and if she had to spend the rest of the day camped outside animal habitats to prove it, she’d do that.

  “Is there a way to find out the feeding times?” Mia asked. “I mean, other than by watching, or finding scraps of paper at the exhibits?”

  “Maybe there’s a schedule at the info desk,” Maddie suggested.

  “Oh, that makes sense,” Mia said. “People like to see the animals when they’re being fed, right?”

  “Girls . . .” Miss Julia said.

  “Come on!” Mia said, starting in that direction.

  “I want to go on the Bermuda Triangle ride,” Lulu said, digging her heels in too.

  “Maybe we can get the feeding schedule and then go on the ride?” Maddie suggested.

  Mia breathed deep, trying to control her frustration. “Once we get the feeding schedule, we need to go to see whichever animals are being fed next. Obviously, solving the mystery is the most important thing.”

  Lulu’s expression darkened. “We’re supposed to be having fun!”

  “Girls, we aren’t going to argue,” Miss Julia said. “If we need to, we can go home right now.”