Tourists splashed into the pool.
“Hop in,” I yelled to Tomas as I slid into the water. It was cold but felt wonderful.
Tomas, Dad, and I chased each other around the pool.
“I think we’re going to have a nice stay in El Yunque,” Tomas said.
“Me too,” I nodded.
Dad let us swim another hour until we needed to head back to camp. During a research trip, everyone had to pitch in and help. We needed to get back to camp to help cook dinner.
Without electricity, cooking was basic and took a lot of time. We boiled water for rice. Dad boiled more water as he dropped hot dogs into the pot. Sliced papaya and mango served as a side dish. Dinner was nothing fancy.
Mom and Dr. O’Malley planned to hike deeper into the forest tomorrow to track the Antillean crested hummingbird. Dad said we would stay in camp, study, and handle mess duty—meals and clean up.
“Sounds like a plan,” Dr. O’Malley said. “Now, let’s have some dessert!”
Jake threw more logs on the campfire.
“I’ve got marshmallows,” Dr. O’Malley said. I knew why she and Mom were such good friends. They both liked roasted marshmallows.
When we’d eaten our share of the sticky treats, Mom thought it was time for bed.
“We’ve had a busy few days. Let’s call it a night,” she said quietly as she rubbed my back.
I leaned in for a hug.
“Are you having fun, baby?” Mom asked.
“Mmhmm,” I nodded.
“Good. Let me show you how to dig a cat hole for a potty.”
My heart sank. Goodbye public restrooms. Hello cat hole. Hello little shovel.
“Watch out for snakes and you’ll be fine,” she assured me.
Camping in El Yunque was not what I expected. The forest is actually a rainforest–rain being the key word. It poured nearly every day. Mom said El Yunque receives almost 250 inches of rain each year.
Tomas and I became accustomed to being damp. The raised wooden platforms kept the bottoms of our tents from getting soaked. But rain dripped through the roofs. Nights in the rainforest were not quiet. Coquí frogs sang coo-key coo-key coo-key all night, along with hundreds of insects.
Dad put us on a study schedule, but most days, after breakfast duties and school work, he would take us to La Mina Falls and let us swim. Dad called it our PE class. Mom, Dr. O’Malley, Jake, and Ben spent the days looking for the Antillean crested hummingbird. In the evenings, they would input their data into the computers to track the birds’ habits.
Tomas and I had free time to explore the rainforest, too. Armed with binoculars and a camera, we learned how to identify native birds and plants.
During one hike, Tomas asked me if I wanted to catch a snake.
“Not really,” I told him. I used to like to catch snakes and frogs. Not anymore.
“Come on, we could catch one and keep it as a pet.”
“Mom doesn’t believe in making wild animals into pets,” I said.
“So? She’ll never know.” Tomas smiled and took an empty glass jar out of his backpack.
“No way,” I said. “Count me out.”
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll be back with the biggest snake in the rainforest.” Tomas huffed and stomped away.
“Fine,” I said to his back.
I propped myself against a large rock and took my book out of my backpack. I liked to spend quiet time reading a good book.
I’m not sure how long I read before Tomas came back. He strutted up to me with an itsy bitsy coquí frog in the jar.
“Mari! Look! I didn’t catch a snake. But isn’t he cute?”
“He is for a frog,” I said.
“Kiss him and he’ll turn into a prince,” Tomas laughed.
“No thanks. I don’t want warts.”
Rain started to fall through the tree canopy.
“Well, we’re wet again,” I said to Tomas.
“Should we hike back to camp?”
“No, we can sit here for a while. We’ll be wet wherever we go,” I said.
“Ouch! The rain drops hurt!” Tomas moaned.
I looked at him quizzically.
“What do you mean it hurts?” I asked. Then a drop hit my head.
“Ouch!”
“Mari! Look up!” Tomas grabbed my upper arm. “It’s raining frogs!” he shrieked.
“YUCK!” I squealed. “I’m out of here!”
I jumped up to run back to camp. I didn’t want coquí frogs landing on me. Tomas opened his glass jar to catch the frogs. As he did, the one in the jar hopped out and disappeared into the mud. I grabbed Tomas’s arm. “Let’s go,” I cried. “This is disgusting!”
When we got back to camp, Tomas told Jake and Ben all about the rainstorm of frogs.
“It was so awesome,” Tomas exclaimed to Jake and Ben. “There were frogs falling from the sky!”
“It is pretty cool.” Ben said. “Do you know why that happened?”
Tomas and I shook our heads. I thought it might be something out of a scary movie.
“When it’s very humid the coquí try to climb higher into the trees. Tarantulas wait for them up there, to eat them. Instead of becoming a tarantula’s dinner, the coquí leap out of the trees,” Ben told us.
“So, we were the frogs’ landing pad?” Tomas asked.
“Yep, more or less,” Ben answered.
“I want to take a hot shower and wash frog slime off me,” I shivered.
Mongoose!
Occasionally, Mom let me and Tomas tag along when she went into the field. Today, she needed us to help her record the egg hatching of an Antillean crested hummingbird. We set up three cameras around the perimeter of the nest. We were careful not to disturb the mother bird or the nest.
“Looks great, kids. Now we just sit and wait for those two eggs to hatch.”
“Got snacks?” Tomas asked. He was always hungry.
Mom took out dried apricots and granola bars from her backpack. Tomas rolled his eyes at me. He was tired of healthy snacks. But he was stuck with it because ants devoured his candy supply two weeks ago.
“How long until the eggs hatch?” I asked Mom.
“I’ve been watching this nest and calculating the hatch date. We’ll wait here the rest of the afternoon. If they haven’t hatched we’ll leave the cameras in place and come back to check on them tomorrow.”
Sitting around and waiting all day didn’t sound like fun. Mom could probably tell by the bored look on my face.
“Hey, why don’t you kids take a short hike? I’ll watch the nest.”
As Tomas and I turned to walk into the forest, I saw a small dark shadow dart into the bushes near one of the cameras.
“Mom, what was that?” I asked.
“What?” she said.
“Something just ran into the bush,” I whispered.
Beady eyes and a pointy snout poked from the bush. Its nose twitched. It must have smelled our snack. It crept around our backpacks.
“Step back slowly,” Mom whispered.
Tomas and I nodded our heads. We backed away from our packs. The creature stopped scavenging and glared at us.
“That’s a freaky rat,” Tomas whispered.
“It’s a mongoose,” Mom told us. “It might carry rabies.”
My heart pounded harder. Rabies. That’s deadly.
“If it comes at us, run back to camp. Only rabid mongooses attack people,” Mom said.
The mongoose ate all of Mom’s dried apricots. It nosed around my backpack. As it went from pack to pack and back again, it would stop and stare at us with its beady eyes. We could see its sharp teeth.
“It probably smelled all of the candy bars that you had in your backpack,” I hissed at Tomas.
After it finished our snacks, it decided we looked interesting. As it walked toward us, Mom shouted, “Run!”
Tomas and I bolted toward camp. Mom threw a large rock at the mongoose. I think she hoped to scare it so we would have t
ime to get away.
The rock made the mongoose angry and it lunged at Mom.
“Mom!” I yelled. “Tomas get some sticks and rocks! Throw them!”
Tomas and I grabbed everything we could find and chucked it at the mongoose. He spit and hissed at us. Tomi threw a larger rock that landed on the mongoose’s tail. It shrieked and dashed into the underbrush.
“Let’s get out of here!” Mom said. We ran all the way back to camp.
“Did it bite you, Mom?” I asked after we caught our breath.
“No, it missed. But it sure tried hard,” she said. “Jake!” Mom called out.
“Yes, Dr. Perez?” Jake said as he walked across camp.
“Jake, take the Jeep and drive to the ranger station right away. File a report so they know we met a mongoose. It might have rabies.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jake said and hopped in the Jeep.
“We’ll let the rangers handle that mongoose,” Mom said. “They’ll track it down and trap it.”
Bio Bay
Mom’s research trip was successful. The team collected data about the Antillean crested hummingbird. After the mongoose scare, Mom’s cameras captured the hatch of two healthy hummingbird chicks. Mom was excited about sharing her research with other scientists when she returned to Chicago.
After packing up camp and saying our goodbyes to Dr. O’Malley, Ben, and Jake, Dad suggested we spend our last night in Puerto Rico doing something special. We rented kayaks to explore Bio Bay. Tomas and I didn’t know what a bio bay was. I trusted Dad when he told us it would be cool.
“It sounds like a biohazard,” Tomas said sarcastically. “Like a toxic waste dump.”
“Give it a chance. You’ve had fun so far,” Dad said.
Tomas was tired and seemed a little grouchy.
“We’ll see the bioluminescent bay best after dark,” Dad said. We waited until the sun completely set before we paddled out through a mangrove tunnel.
“This is spooky,” whispered Tomas.
“Just paddle close to us,” Mom advised.
We heard the gentle sound of water lapping as our paddles cut through the bay.
“We’re almost there,” Dad said, turning his kayak.
After a few more minutes of paddling, we came out of the mangrove tunnel. We only had moonlight as our guide. “Here we are, in the Bio Bay,” Dad said proudly. The water rocked us in our kayaks.
“My arms are sore from paddling,” Tomas grumbled. “We’re here. Are we done yet? Can we go now?”
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked Tomas.
“Nothing. I just want to go back to the hotel.”
I knew something was wrong with Tomas. This wasn’t normal for him. Maybe he didn’t feel well.
“Splash your paddle in the water,” Dad said.
I hit the water with my paddles. The water lit up like it was charged with electricity. Neon blue flashes of light rippled across the water!
“Do it again,” Dad said.
I did and the water lit up again. We were soon surrounded by glowing water. Tomas perked up.
“Awesome,” he whispered.
“How does the water do this?” I asked Mom.
“It’s the microscopic plankton that live in the water. They are bioluminescent. They glow,” she said.
“It’s magic,” Tomas said. Even though Tomas sounded like a little kid, I agreed with him. It did look like magic.
“This has been an amazing trip,” I said to Mom.
“Yes, honey, it has been amazing,” Mom sighed and leaned back in her kayak, stretching and smiling.
They let us splash the water with our paddles for a while. We turned to paddle out of the bay when another group of kayakers appeared.
“Let’s head back and enjoy a quiet evening,” Dad said.
We followed him back through the mangrove tunnel, listening to the insects and frogs singing in the night.
At the hotel, guests gathered around the pool for an evening swim and live music. Tomas looked curiously around the crowd.
“What are you doing?” I asked him. “You look like you’ve never seen people before.”
He shook his head at me but didn’t say anything. Then he raced to catch up with Mom and Dad.
He stopped them and pointed to the pool. I saw Mom shrug her shoulders and nod.
Tomas ran to the pool. What was he up to? I trailed behind him. He turned to look at Mom and Dad, like he was making sure they weren’t watching him. He edged around the pool. I followed, careful to stay in the shadows, out of his sight.
Tomas yanked six hibiscus flowers off a bush. What was he doing? Destroying the hotel property? He glanced around nervously again and checked his wristwatch.
“Tomas,” a girl’s high pitched voice rang across the courtyard. It was Carmen. Tomas waved to her and she ran to him. Ah ha! I thought. That’s why he didn’t want to waste time at Bio Bay. He had a date.
Because of course I must look after my twin brother, I hid in the bushes and watched them. Tomas gave Carmen the hibiscus flowers he’d taken from the hotel pool deck. Carmen tucked one of the flowers behind her ear. They talked quietly on a bench. Carmen laughed a lot. Tomas looked like a lovesick puppy.
I couldn’t really hear what they were saying so I crept closer.
“I will miss you when you go back to Chicago,” Carmen said quietly.
“Me too,” Tomas answered.
“I meant it when I said you better call or write.”
“I will,” Tomas promised.
They sat silently for a moment.
“Here,” Carmen said. “A good-bye gift for you.” She reached into her bag and handed Tomas a long, rolled object.
Tomas unrolled the present. It was a large t-shirt that said “I Left My Heart in Puerto Rico” on the front.
“When you wear it, think of me,” Carmen giggled.
Tomas blushed again. He nodded, staring at the ground.
“I will. Thanks,” he mumbled, twisting the shirt in his hands awkwardly.
I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. I sounded like a donkey. I slapped my hand over my mouth.
“What was that?” Tomas asked, startled.
“I don’t know, but it came from over there,” Carmen pointed toward where I was hiding in the bushes.
Oh no, I thought. They would see me and Tomas would freak out. I tried to back away through the bushes, but my shirt got caught. Tomas got off the bench and moved toward where I was. I cowered low, trying to make myself invisible.
Tomas rustled the bushes. He peered down at me.
“Tomas, what is it?” Carmen called.
“Nothing. Just a big stupid bird,” he replied.
“Get lost. Now!” he hissed at me, his eyes narrowed. He looked furious.
I shook my head no.
“Go or I’ll tell Mom and Dad you were sneaking around,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Like you?” I asked.
“Tomas, who are you talking to?” Carmen asked.
“Uh, no one. I’m just sending a text message,” Tomas pretended to type on his phone. “It’s my mom,” he lied.
“Go away, you’re ruining it. Please?” he said, putting his hands together as if he were begging. Then he turned and rejoined Carmen on the bench.
I was getting hot and itchy in the bushes anyway so I crept back out to the pool deck to wait for Tomas after his date.
Later, Tomas walked back to the pool with Carmen. He held her hand and she gave him a peck on the cheek as she left. Turning, he saw me sitting on a lounge chair.
“Why do you try to ruin everything?” he asked.
“I don’t,” I snapped.
“Yes, you do. I can’t have any privacy.”
“You’re the one who’s sneaking around, acting all suspicious,” I replied.
“Was not.”
“Uh, yeah you were. I had to make sure you weren’t in trouble.”
“You’re nosy,” Tomas said.
“You’d do the same to me, if I was on a date.”
“It wasn’t a date.”
“Looked like one to me.”
Tomas clenched his fists. “It wasn’t a date.”
“With your girlfriend,” I teased.
“We’re just friends. I was just saying good-bye,” Tomas looked sad. I decided to let it go.
Home
“Wake up, sweetie,” Mom nudged my shoulder. I rubbed my eyes, squinting at the morning sunlight.
“What time is it?” I mumbled, yawning.
“Time to get up and catch an airplane,” Mom said cheerfully.
“Ugh,” I moaned. Puerto Rico was incredible, even the soggy rainforest camp. I wasn’t ready to leave the island and go back to Chicago. I knew Tomas wasn’t ready to leave, either. He loved the hot tropical weather, the water, and the hearty meals of beans and rice. He loved Carmen. I giggled at the thought.
“We leave in an hour. If you want to shower and eat breakfast, you better hurry,” Mom said as she rubbed my back. I rolled to the side of the bed. “Fine. I’m up,” I said as I sat up and plunked my feet on the tile floor.
Tomas woke up earlier than I did. He was helping Dad pack the rest of our bags.
“Time to load the car,” Dad said as he saw me stumbling to the bathroom. “Don’t dilly-dally,” Dad sang out as I walked by him.
Despite my feet dragging, we made it to the airport on time. The flight was long so I napped. Tomas stayed awake, organizing the photos from our Puerto Rico adventure on his laptop. He had a few photos of Carmen.
Mom woke me up as the airplane touched down in Chicago.
“We’re home,” she said brightly. I looked out the window. Although it was April, the sky was slate gray. The trees were bare. After spending three months in the glow of Puerto Rico, Chicago, from the sky, looked bleak and dreary.
“Home sweet home,” Dad said as he unlocked our apartment door. He was right. It had been so long since we’d left for Puerto Rico, it was comforting to be back in a familiar place with all of our things. I curled up on the sofa, snuggling with the throw pillows. Tomas plopped down beside me. As he slid his phone in his pocket, I saw an image of Carmen on the screen.
Isle of Enchantment Page 4
