Splash's Secret Friend

by Catherine Hapka

  “Wait!” Splash yelled.

  Their magic was already flowing out toward the shark. Pearl could tell that Echo was trying to immobilize the creature with a type of magic called pushing. Dolphins didn’t like to use pushing unless they had no other choice, since it forced other creatures to do something they didn’t want to do. But this was an emergency!

  “You guys, stop!” Splash exclaimed. He swam right into the flow of energy, blocking it.

  “Get out of the way!” Flip cried. “That shark is small—we can totally get away before he tries to bite you.”

  “He’s not going to bite me,” Splash insisted.

  “Yeah,” the shark said. “I’m not going to bite him. I might bite you if you don’t stop throwing your goofy dolphin magic at me, though!”

  Splash frowned at the shark. “Quiet, Spinner. You’re not helping.”

  Echo’s eyes went wide. “You know his name?” She was so surprised, her magic stopped.

  Pearl was surprised, too. “What’s going on?” she exclaimed.

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” Splash blew out a frustrated stream of bubbles. “This is the friend I was telling you about. His name is Spinner.”

  All three of Splash’s friends stared at the shark. He was a blacktip, one of the smaller shark species in the Salty Sea. Pearl could tell he was young—probably around their age.

  “Hi,” Spinner said. Then he turned to Splash and bared his teeth. “I thought you weren’t going to tell anyone I was here.”

  “I know,” Splash replied. “But you don’t have to worry. These are my friends—the ones I was telling you about yesterday.”

  Spinner’s small black eyes swept over Pearl and the others. Pearl shivered, looking at his teeth.

  “What’s going on, Splash?” Echo sounded brave, but Pearl could see her fins shaking. “Why are you hanging out with this … this … shark?”

  “Spinner needs help,” Splash said. “He was migrating through Bigsky Basin when he got separated from his pod.”

  “Sharks don’t live in pods,” Spinner broke in. “That’s a dolphin thing. We live in schools.”

  “Okay,” Splash said. “Anyway, you got separated from your family, right?”

  “Right.” Spinner was swimming around behind Splash, his tail flicking with each turn. “Then a big, mean bull shark chased me, and I ended up stuck in a hole in some coral.”

  Splash looked at his friends. “That’s where I found him,” he said. “I heard him thrashing on my way home from school yesterday.”

  “He saved me.” Spinner stopped swimming and stared at Splash. “I never expected that from a dolphin.”

  Splash smiled at him. “It’s our job,” he said. “Dolphins are the protectors of the ocean.”

  Pearl nodded. She’d heard that all her life. But normally dolphins had to protect other creatures from sharks—not protect the sharks themselves!

  “Anyway, I helped him get out of the coral, and then found him a better place to hide until we figure out how he can get back to his family,” Splash said.

  Spinner was swimming again. This time he started moving in a large circle around the whole group. Pearl felt nervous when he passed behind her. He wasn’t very big, and Splash said he was his friend. But he was still a shark!

  Echo looked nervous, too. “What are you doing back there?” she said. “Stop circling us like that.”

  “Why?” Spinner kept swimming.

  “Because!” Echo cried. She tried to dart out of the circle before Spinner came around again.

  But the shark put on a sudden burst of speed, blocking her way. “Where are you going?” he demanded.

  Echo’s fins were shaking again. But her voice was steady as she responded. “I’m swimming straight back to school,” she announced, looking Spinner square in the eye. “I’m going to tell the teachers there’s a shark hiding out in our reef!”

  “YOU’RE NOT TELLING ANYONE ABOUT ME!” Spinner said. He bared his teeth, then bumped Echo with his snout, forcing her back over with the others.

  “Stop it!” Echo shouted. “You’d better stop, or … or …”

  “Or what?” Spinner sneered. “You’ll attack me with magical dancing lights?”

  “Stop it, everyone!” Splash exclaimed. “Look, Spinner, you’re scaring them. They aren’t used to being around sharks.”

  He swam over and shoved Spinner with his head, pushing him away from the other dolphins. Pearl held her breath, terrified that the shark would bite her friend. She was relieved when Spinner grumbled, but didn’t fight back.

  “That’s right,” Flip said, flapping his fins. “You’d better stay away from us, shark face!”

  “Fine,” Spinner muttered, swimming back and forth behind Splash, who stayed between him and the others. “I forgot that most dolphins are kind of wimpy. Anyway, I wasn’t trying to scare you.” He glared at Echo with his shiny black eyes. “I just didn’t want you to leave.”

  Echo frowned at him. “Try asking me nicely next time. That works better.”

  “Okay,” Splash said. “Now listen, Echo. You can’t tell the teachers, or anyone else, that Spinner is here.”

  “Why not?” Echo still sounded upset. “Old Salty told us to stay far away from all sharks.”

  “Exactly. He’ll be mad if he knows I helped one.” Splash glanced at Spinner. “Plus, he’ll probably chase Spinner away from the reef.”

  “So what if he does?” Flip blew out a noisy stream of bubbles. “Sharks never help dolphins! I say we chase him off the reef ourselves!”

  “Oh yeah?” Spinner bared his teeth. “I’d like to see you try.”

  “I still think we should get the teachers,” Echo put in.

  “Stop!” Splash sounded upset. “All of you—stop fighting! Do you really want to chase Spinner away? What do you think will happen to him out there all alone?”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Spinner said darkly. “I’ll become some oversized tiger shark or great white’s dinner. That’s what.”

  Pearl shuddered. Spinner was kind of prickly and different. But she didn’t want him to become another shark’s dinner!

  She stared at Spinner, trying to imagine how he felt. It wasn’t easy. Sharks were very different from dolphins! But in Pearl’s home lagoon, her pod helped baby sea turtles find their way out to sea. That meant Pearl was used to trying to see the world through the eyes of a different species.

  Sharks were much scarier than turtles. But any creature would be scared and lonely being away from his family.

  “Splash might be right,” she spoke up. “Maybe we should help Spinner.”

  “What?” Flip cried. Echo didn’t say anything, but she looked surprised.

  Pearl turned to Spinner. “You said you live in a school,” she said. “And that it’s like a dolphin pod?”

  “I guess so,” Spinner said. “I live with a bunch of other young sharks, and a few adults, too.”

  “Okay, so you live in a school,” Flip said. “Do you go to school, too? Like we do?” He still sounded suspicious of Spinner. But now he sounded curious, too.

  Spinner nodded. “At Shark Academy we learn all about hunting, and shark history, and stuff like that.” He looked sad for a minute. “I miss my best friends, Toothy and Dora.”

  Pearl looked at her own best friends. “He’s really not so different from us after all,” she told them. “We have to help him, the same way my pod helps the sea turtles.”

  “But sea turtles are nice,” Echo protested. “Sharks are mean!”

  “I’m not mean.” Spinner bared his teeth at her. “I’m just not a wimp, like dolphins.” Then he shot a look at Splash. “Most dolphins, I mean. Some are okay.”

  “Every creature in the sea has its place,” Pearl reminded Echo. “Even sharks.”

  “Yeah. Sharks are the best!” Spinner did a spinning underwater flip.

  “Hey, that looked like the flip Splash did earlier,” Flip said. “Did you teach him that, Spi
nner?”

  “Yes, he did,” Splash said. “If you help him, maybe he’ll teach you, too.”

  Flip still didn’t look too sure. But finally he nodded. “I guess Pearl is right. We’re supposed to protect all sea creatures.” He looked at Spinner. “That includes sharks.”

  Splash smiled with relief. “Echo? What about you?”

  Echo looked nervous. But she nodded, too. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Let’s help him find his family.”

  “Thanks.” Spinner bared his teeth at all of them. It took Pearl a moment to realize he was smiling.

  Just then all of them heard someone swimming their way. Flip peered around the coral formation.

  “Quiet, everyone!” he whispered. “It’s Mullet!”

  “Oh no,” Echo muttered. “What’s he doing here?”

  “Who’s Mullet?” Spinner asked.

  “Another dolphin,” Splash whispered. “Not a nice one, though. He’s always picking on us.”

  “Really?” Spinner peeked out as Mullet swam past. “Don’t worry. He didn’t even look this way.”

  “Good,” Splash said. “Let’s give him a few minutes to get farther away. Then we should go.”

  “What?” Spinner sounded dismayed. “But we haven’t decided how I’m going to get home!”

  Splash touched Spinner’s fin with his own. “I know, but it’s getting late. Don’t worry. We’ll be back tomorrow morning to figure out a plan.”

  “I’M GLAD YOU’RE SO EAGER TO GET TO SCHOOL this morning, Pearl,” Pearl’s father said with a chuckle. “But slow down—your old dad is having trouble keeping up with you!”

  Pearl smiled and slowed down. But not too much. She’d asked her father to swim her to school early. He hadn’t asked why, which was a relief. She’d promised Splash that she wouldn’t tell anyone about Spinner, but she didn’t like the thought of lying to her parents.

  “How long until the shark migration is over?” she asked as they continued on their way, skirting the edge of Bigsky Basin. Being so close to the deep water always made Pearl a little nervous—especially now.

  “A few more days,” her father replied. “Then everything can go back to normal.”

  “Good. I’m glad most of the sharks will be away from here soon.” Pearl hesitated. “I bet you are, too. You must hate sharks a whole lot, huh?”

  Her father looked surprised. “Of course I don’t,” he said. “I don’t hate any sea creature.”

  “But your fin …” Pearl waved a flipper at the scar on his dorsal fin. “A shark attacked you!”

  He chuckled. “Yes. That was just a shark being a shark.”

  “Okay.” Pearl felt confused. “But it probably would have eaten you if your pod hadn’t rescued you in time, right?”

  “Probably,” her father agreed.

  Pearl shook her head. “So why don’t you hate sharks after that?”

  “Hating all sharks for the actions of one would be foolish,” her father said. “Besides, hating a shark for wanting to eat would be like hating a seagull for wanting to fly.”

  “Oh.” Pearl had never thought about it that way. “Okay. But adults are always telling us to stay far away from sharks.”

  “Yes. That’s because we respect the danger some of the larger sharks can pose to dolphins. It’s why I’m swimming you to school during the migration. But that doesn’t mean we hate or fear all sharks.” He touched her fin with his own. “And I hope you don’t, either, Pearl. Sharks are not our enemies. Dolphins don’t believe in enemies.”

  “I don’t hate them,” she said softly, thinking about Spinner.

  “Good.” Her father chuckled. “Of course, that doesn’t mean you should invite a shark home to the lagoon to visit or anything!”

  Pearl forced a smile. But secretly she felt worried. Her father might not hate sharks like she’d thought. Still, it sounded as if he believed she should stay away from them. What would he think if he knew about Spinner?

  She felt confused and a little guilty at the thought of keeping such an important secret from him. But in a way, her talk with her father had also made her feel better about the plan to help Spinner. Her parents believed in helping all creatures, so it was probably what they would do themselves. Pearl only wished she could tell them the truth so they could help figure out a plan.

  But she couldn’t tell anyone. She’d made a promise to Splash. A true friend would never break a promise, and Pearl wanted to be a good friend.

  Echo, Splash, and Flip were waiting outside the school reef. “Well, look at this!” Pearl’s father said with a smile. “It looks like everyone is eager to get to school this morning.”

  “Yes,” Echo spoke up with a smile. “We love school. Right, Pearl?”

  “Right. Okay, thanks for swimming me here, Dad.” Pearl rubbed his fin quickly. “See you later.”

  “Bye, kids,” he said. “Pay attention to your teachers and learn a lot today, okay?”

  As soon as he swam away, Pearl and her friends hurried in the opposite direction, toward Spinner’s hiding place. “I thought you’d never get here, Pearl,” Flip complained. “We’ll have to hurry to figure out a plan and get back in time for Music class.”

  “Less talking, more swimming,” Echo told him. “The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back.”

  Splash was out ahead of the others. He was the first to round the coral formation. “Hey, Spinner,” he called. “Come out here. We don’t have much time.”

  There was no response. “Spinner?” Pearl said, swimming forward beside Splash. “Where is he?”

  “I don’t know.” Splash frowned. “He’s not in the hiding place, or—”

  “Listen,” Echo interrupted. “I can hear something over that way.”

  She was looking toward a wall of coral a short distance away. Now Pearl heard the commotion, too. It sounded like someone swimming and yelling over there on the other side of the coral.

  “Let’s see what’s going on,” Splash said, sounding worried.

  They all swam toward the wall. When they rounded the edge of it, Pearl gasped.

  Spinner was there, jaws open in a toothy snarl as he chased a terrified Mullet!

  “SPINNER, STOP!” SPLASH CRIED. “WHAT ARE you doing?”

  Spinner was pretty far ahead of them, and Mullet was even farther ahead. At first Pearl wasn’t sure either of them could hear Splash.

  Then Splash called out again, and Spinner stopped and turned around. Mullet kept going, though. He didn’t slow down until he was completely out of sight.

  “Wow,” Flip said. “I never saw Mullet swim so fast.”

  Pearl nodded. “I don’t think he even knew we were here,” she said. “That’s good, since he’d probably tattle on us to the teachers.”

  Spinner was swimming toward them, grinning. “Did you see that dolphin go?” he called. “He was so scared he practically left his fins behind!”

  “I can’t believe you did that!” Splash sounded upset. “Now you’ve really done it, Spinner!”

  Spinner looked surprised. “What do you mean? I was just trying to be a good friend.”

  “A good friend?” Echo exclaimed. “By trying to eat our classmate?”

  “You said that dolphin picks on you all the time.” Spinner frowned. “That makes him your enemy, right? When I saw him swimming past my hiding place, I figured I’d pay you back for helping me by giving him a good scare.”

  Pearl could tell that the young shark was honestly confused. Had he really thought he was being nice by chasing Mullet?

  Maybe he did, she thought. That just goes to show how different dolphins and sharks really are.

  “Dolphins don’t have enemies,” she told Spinner, remembering what her father had said just a little while ago. “Especially not other dolphins.”

  “Yeah. Anyway, you can’t do stuff like that,” Echo exclaimed, glaring at Spinner. “You could have gotten Splash—and the rest of us—in big trouble!”

  “Exactly,” F
lip added. “It’s just lucky that Mullet didn’t see us.” He glanced off in the direction Mullet had gone. “Probably.”

  “He definitely saw Spinner, though.” Splash still sounded upset. “He’s probably on his way back to school right now to tell the teachers there’s a shark in the area.”

  Pearl hadn’t thought of that. “Oh no. What are we going to do?”

  Flip shrugged. “What can we do?” he said. “Sorry, Spinner. We tried to help, but you messed it up. Now you’ll have to take your chances getting home on your own, unless you want to hang around and wait for the adult dolphins to chase you off, that is.”

  “No!” Splash cried. “We can’t just give up.”

  “Why not?” Echo said, still frowning.

  “Because Spinner’s our friend,” Splash insisted. “We have to help him. Right, Pearl?”

  Pearl hesitated, looking at Spinner. She wanted to help him, but he was making it so difficult! Maybe it would be better to let the teachers find him. Then they could decide what to do with him.

  Spinner stared at her. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was trying to be nice. I promise.”

  That made Pearl change her mind. “It’s okay,” she told Spinner. Then she looked at her friends. “Splash is right—we have to try to help him. He’s our friend. That’s the right thing to do.”

  At least I think it is, she added to herself.

  Echo and Flip still looked uncertain. But they both nodded.

  “All right,” Echo said. “If you say so, Pearl.”

  “Good.” Splash sounded relieved. “Hurry, we need to find him a new hiding place before Mullet comes back here with the teachers.”

  They split up and swam around. Finally Flip found a cave in some coral a good distance away.

  “Perfect,” Splash said as Spinner swam into the cave. He was completely hidden from view behind some waving sea plumes in front of the entrance. “You can hide in here whenever you hear someone coming. We’ll come back after school.”

  After that, the four dolphin friends had to hurry to make it back to Coral Cove Dolphin School. They swam in through the entrance just as it was time for classes to begin.