The Magic Charm

by Summer Waters

  “Please say yes,” squeaked the littlest one.

  Antonia stared at him. His eyes sparkled mischievously and he bobbed in the water as if he could hardly bear to keep still. He looked like Spirit, his silver body lined with a narrow stripe that ran from his eyes to his mouth and chin to flipper.

  “Please?”

  How could she refuse?

  “Yes, I’d love to be your Silver Dolphin,” she answered.

  The dolphins stared blankly at her and Antonia realised she was speaking in her human voice. She tried again, concentrating hard on behaving like a dolphin and was overjoyed when her voice clicked out her reply. “Yes, I’ll be your new Silver Dolphin.”

  “Bubbly!” The littlest dolphin squealed with excitement and swam in circles around Antonia.

  “Bubbles, calm down,” said Spirit sternly. “Bubbles is my youngest,” he added. “Then there’s Star, my wife, and Dream, my daughter.”

  Dream was only a bit larger than Bubbles, but seemed much more grown-up.

  “Hello,” she said indifferently.

  Star was very pretty, with similar markings to Spirit only she was lighter in colour. She swam up to Antonia and gently rubbed her nose against Antonia’s. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s not easy being a Silver Dolphin, but we will help you as much as we can.”

  “How will I know when I’m needed?” Antonia stuttered.

  “You will hear our call,” said Spirit.

  Antonia touched her silver dolphin necklace.

  “That’s right,” said Spirit. “The necklace is our link with you. I will call you again over the next few days so you can practise answering. Star is right. It’s not easy being a Silver Dolphin. The work can be hard and dangerous.”

  Antonia’s stomach fluttered. She desperately wanted to be a good Silver Dolphin, but would she be good enough?

  “Can I teach her some swimming moves?” asked Bubbles. He leapt out of the water, his body making a perfect arch.

  “Show off!” said Dream.

  Spirit clicked a laugh.

  “Not yet, Bubbles. Antonia needs time to take all this in. Let her go home now and we will call her again soon. Always wear your charm, Silver Dolphin. It is the only way we can call you.”

  Antonia didn’t want to go back home. She wanted to swim with the dolphins, especially Bubbles, and learn all they could teach her. But she didn’t dare disobey Spirit so she whistled a goodbye and headed back to the beach.

  As she stepped out of the sea the water poured off her. By the time she’d padded back to her bag and shoes only her hair was slightly damp. Antonia clasped her hand over her dolphin charm. It was silent now, but its body still felt soft and slippery. Just like Star when she’d rubbed Antonia on the nose. Antonia grinned, then catching sight of her watch the grin immediately vanished.

  “Oh, no!” she gasped.

  It was nearly four o’clock. Her mum would be home any minute and if Antonia wasn’t there she’d be in huge trouble. Shoving her feet in her shoes she snatched up her bag and raced up the beach.

  Chapter Three

  When Antonia arrived home she was surprised to find the house empty. For a guilty moment she wondered if Mum had gone out to look for her, but then the front door banged open and Mum and Jessica crowded into the tiny hall.

  “Sorry, darling,” Mum said, slipping out of her shoes and giving Antonia a hug. “We were late leaving school. Someone fell over in the playground and needed a plaster.”

  Antonia wriggled free.

  “That’s OK. Can I have something to eat?”

  She was starving. It must be all that swimming, she thought, touching her dolphin charm.

  “Yes, sure. What’s that you’re wearing?” replied Mum.

  “It’s a necklace. I won the Sea Watch competition.”

  “Did you? That’s fantastic. Let’s have a proper look.”

  Antonia swept back her long blonde hair so Mum could look at the necklace.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “I know.”

  Antonia longed to say more. She wanted to tell her mother how the necklace had called her into the sea to swim with real dolphins. She was dying to say that she was the new Silver Dolphin. But she kept her mouth tightly shut. Mum would probably think she was mad. Besides, she had a feeling that the necklace might not work if she told people about it.

  “Clever girl,” said Mum proudly. “What did Sophie say? I bet she was pleased for you.”

  “I think so,” said Antonia, remembering Sophie’s comments and feeling slightly uncomfortable.

  “No doubt she was surprised. It was a poster competition for the Sea Watch charity, wasn’t it? It must be the first art competition she hasn’t won.”

  “Yes, it was…I’m going to volunteer for Sea Watch as well,” Antonia added. Mum was right. Sophie must have acted strangely because she’d been surprised. “Can I go to the beach with Sophie tomorrow afternoon? She said her dad will take us.”

  “Of course you can,” said Mum. “Dad and I are going into town tomorrow afternoon so it’ll save dragging you around with us. Now what would you like to eat?”

  That evening Antonia found it hard to stop fidgeting. Her fingers kept straying to the dolphin necklace. What if the dolphins called her now? How would she get out of the house without Mum and Dad finding out? They’d never agree to her going down to the beach on her own. By bedtime Antonia was so jumpy she didn’t think she could possibly sleep. Looking out of her bedroom window before drawing the curtains on the summer night Antonia saw the dolphins swimming in the bay. Bubbles, easily identifiable as the littlest, kept leaping out of the water. Antonia grinned, sure he was putting on a show just for her. The sight of the dolphins, her dolphins, reassured her. She didn’t think Spirit would call her in the night, but if he did then she would find a way to answer his call. Antonia stopped worrying, climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep, to dream of dolphins.

  Early the next morning Antonia’s dad took her to Sandy Bay beach for her surfing lesson. Jessica insisted on going too.

  “When can I learn to surf?” she asked as she watched Antonia pull on her wetsuit.

  “When you can swim as well as Antonia,” said Dad, ruffling Jessica’s hair.

  “You’ll love learning to surf, it’s great,” said Antonia enthusiastically.

  Jessica frowned.

  “But that won’t be for ages. Antonia’s brilliant at swimming. She swims like a dolphin.”

  Antonia jumped. What did Jessica mean?

  “Naomi’s sister says you’re an ace swimmer,” said Jessica wistfully.

  Antonia laughed with relief. Naomi was Jessica’s best friend and her sister was in Antonia’s class.

  “You’ll soon be able to swim like me if you keep practising,” she said as she fastened her wetsuit and picked up her board.

  “Enjoy your lesson. See you later,” said Dad.

  “See you,” said Antonia.

  Under her wetsuit Antonia could feel the dolphin necklace pressing against her skin. What would her teacher say if the dolphins called her during her surfing lesson and she had to take off? The thought made her stomach flip. She wished she would get a call soon. All this waiting and wondering was making her head spin.

  The surf was good. Antonia soon lost herself in the thrill of riding the waves. After her lesson she let Jessica sit on her board while she towed her along in the shallows. Jessica’s eyes shone with excitement.

  “I’m going to learn how to swim better quickly,” she said.

  “You do that,” Antonia agreed. She loved surfing and wanted everyone else to love it too.

  There were tuna sandwiches for lunch with cherry tomatoes, crisps and a glass of iced lemon. Antonia ate in the garden with Jessica.

  “Can I come to the beach with you?” asked Jessica, through a mouthful of sandwich.

  “Not today,” said Antonia.

  “Please? I don’t want to go to the shops with Mum and Dad.”

  �
��Sorry, Jess,” said Antonia. “But I’m going with Sophie and her dad.”

  “You’re mean,” said Jessica.

  “No I’m not. You don’t take me with you when you go round to Naomi’s house.”

  “That’s different,” said Jessica. “Naomi’s too small for you.”

  “And my friends are too big for you,” chuckled Antonia. “Why don’t you want to go to the shops? You’ll have a great time. Mum will buy you some sweets if you’re good.”

  “But I want to swim! And I want a necklace like yours. Can I try it on?”

  “Erm, not now, Jess,” Antonia scrambled to her feet. Was it her imagination or had the dolphin charm vibrated just then? Ignoring Jessica’s cries for her to stay she hurried into the house, dumped her plate and glass in the kitchen then ran upstairs to her room. It was very quiet. Her silver necklace lay still. Antonia stood in a beam of sunlight spilling through the slanted window and tried not to feel disappointed. She pulled her swimming costume out of her drawer and put it on under her clothes. She might as well get ready to meet Sophie.

  Antonia was bundling things into her bag when the dolphin charm juddered against her skin. She started, trembling with excitement as the dolphin charm started vibrating. The dolphins were calling. Antonia grabbed a towel, shoved it in her bag then raced downstairs.

  “Bye, Mum, bye, Dad,” she called.

  “Not so fast,” said Mum, blocking the front door. “Here, give this to Sophie’s dad for ice cream.” She thrust a note at Antonia. “And what time will you be back?”

  “Teatime,” said Antonia, hopping up and down. The dolphin necklace had started clicking. The noise grew louder as Antonia sidestepped her mother to pull open the front door.

  “Ring me if you’re going to be late,” said Mum.

  “I will.” Antonia was amazed that her mother hadn’t noticed the dolphin noises emitting from her necklace. The whistles and squeaks were ear-splitting. Antonia ran down her road towards the coastal path.

  “Silver Dolphin,” whistled her necklace. “Come to us.”

  “I’m on my way,” Antonia whistled back.

  As she reached the cove she wondered about getting into the sea: it was Saturday afternoon and even Gull Bay was busy. Would anyone try to stop her from swimming on her own? Antonia picked her way across the beach. Today there were no dolphins waiting for her, but the necklace was still clicking, urging her to get into the water. Antonia changed out of her clothes, put her bag on an empty patch of sand and took a deep breath. She was ready. She splashed into the sea, gasping at its coldness. The moment she was in deep enough to swim Antonia struck out in the water, breaststroke arms and dolphin legs. Her body moved like a real dolphin, her legs melding together like a tail. No one seemed to notice her as she swam towards the open sea, but in case anyone was watching Antonia dived down under the water just before she passed the orange safety buoy. Usually she could swim for fifteen strokes before needing to come up for air, but today her lungs felt stronger. Antonia stayed under the water as she swam further out to sea.

  Chapter Four

  She swam all the way to the mouth of the cove before surfacing. The sunlight was dazzling. Antonia screwed up her eyes and shook her head as droplets of water ran down her face and into her nose and mouth. Where were the dolphins? Were they in danger? She swam in a circle as her eyes searched for them. The swell was greater out here and Antonia had to kick hard to stop herself from drifting into the open water. When she swam out as the Silver Dolphin, her legs moved together as if they were joined like a tail. Antonia wished they would work like that when she was just swimming for fun.

  “Silver Dolphin.”

  The call was so close it made Antonia jump. She spun round expecting to see Spirit behind her, but the sea was empty.

  “Where are you?” she whistled back.

  “Over here. Come and find me, Silver Dolphin.”

  Antonia hesitated, unsure whether to carry on. The water would be even rougher once she was out in the open sea. She had already broken her parents’ rules by swimming alone and past the orange safety buoy. But what good was a Silver Dolphin who only stayed inshore? Convinced she was doing the right thing Antonia struck out for the open water. She had just swum clear of the cove when Spirit called again. His high-pitched whistling sounded from her left. Antonia changed direction, swimming faster as she headed towards the rocky coastline. Suddenly her skin felt tingly. It was a few moments before Antonia realised the tingling was coming from tiny vibrations in the water. Seconds later a shape swam past.

  “Bubbles! Are you OK?” she exclaimed.

  “You found us.” He squeaked a laugh. “You passed your first test.”

  “I have to pass tests?” Antonia was surprised and felt a bit put out.

  “Of course,” said Bubbles. “You can only be our Silver Dolphin if you can do the job. There’d be no point otherwise.”

  “Well done, Silver Dolphin.” Spirit and Star swam up with Dream trailing behind them. Spirit lifted his head out of the water, bobbing a half bow. “Your swimming is much stronger today.”

  “I can swim underwater for ages,” said Antonia excitedly. “And I can feel vibrations in the water. I sensed Bubbles when he swam up behind me.”

  Spirit opened his mouth, smiling. “Now you are ready for your first task. It’s a simple one to start with. Litter has gathered along the rocks; if left it will be washed into the sea where it becomes a danger to the marine life. I’d like you to clear it up.”

  “Of course.”

  Antonia smiled at Spirit, hoping he couldn’t sense her disappointment. She knew litter was dangerous to turtles and seabirds, who often mistook plastic bags for food. But she’d hoped for something a little more exciting than litter-picking for her first job as a Silver Dolphin.

  “Bubbles can swim with you and show you where the litter has gathered. Any problems, just call me,” said Spirit.

  “Thank you,” Antonia brightened immediately. It would be fun swimming with Bubbles.

  The little dolphin obviously thought so too. He leapt from the water, his silver body curving gracefully as he flew through the air.

  “Show off,” clicked Dream.

  “He’s young. He’s enthusiastic,” said Spirit. “Come on. We’re supposed to be meeting the rest of the pod. They’ll wonder where we’ve got to.”

  Spirit flicked goodbye with his tail while Star lightly rubbed noses first with Bubbles and then gently with Antonia. She nearly fainted with excitement. Antonia still couldn’t believe she was actually swimming and speaking with dolphins.

  “Come on, Flipper Feet,” called Bubbles.

  Antonia snapped to attention and dived after Bubbles. He was fast, reaching the rocky cliff face where it plunged into the sea long before she did. She raced after him, leaping in and out of the water, loving the way it felt as if she was flying.

  “Now it’s your turn to show off,” said Bubbles. “I can’t climb rocks or pick up litter.”

  He bobbed in the water, whistling encouragingly, as Antonia scrambled on to a cluster of rocks. The rocks were slimy with seaweed and she almost fell back into the sea. Her face fell when she saw the awful mess. There were crisp packets, drinks cans, polystyrene food cartons and a long tangle of fishing net. Bubbles became very subdued at the sight of the torn net.

  “One of our pod got caught in an old net last year,” he said.

  “What happened? Was he hurt?” asked Antonia.

  Bubbles shivered.

  “It was a female and she drowned. We called for the Silver Dolphin, but we were way out at sea and it was too late by the time she arrived.”

  “Oh,” Antonia’s heart sank. She hadn’t considered that she might fail at her job. The thought frightened her.

  “That’s why litter-picking is so important,” said Bubbles.

  Antonia carefully combed the rocks, not wanting to miss a scrap of rubbish. She found an old carrier bag, which she crammed most of the litter into. The rest
she wrapped up tightly in the fishing net.

  “Play time,” said Bubbles. “Leave the rubbish bundles there and we’ll collect them in a bit. Come and play Sprat.”

  “What’s Sprat?” asked Antonia, lowering herself from the rocks into the water.

  “It’s a catching game,” explained Bubbles. “You can be the sprat. I’ll give you a three waves’ head start.”

  It was fun chasing each other in the water. Bubbles kept leaping out of the sea to suddenly change direction. Antonia tried that too, but the move was harder than it looked and she ended up doing an enormous belly flop. It reminded her of a swimming game she played with Sophie called Sharks. Sophie! Antonia guiltily remembered she was supposed to be meeting up with her friend. What was the time now? Was she very late?

  “Bubbles,” called Antonia. “I have to go.”

  The little dolphin ignored her and swam further out to sea.

  “Bubbles, I’ve got to go now.” Antonia suddenly realised she was talking in her own language and called again, this time with clicks and whistles.

  “Don’t go.” Bubbles twirled along the surface of the sea as if he were dancing on his tail. “Stay a bit longer and I’ll teach you how to somersault.”

  Antonia knew it would be fun to stay with Bubbles, but it wasn’t fair to let Sophie down.

  “Next time.”

  Antonia swam back to the rocks to collect her bundles of litter. Towing them back to the shore was awkward. The bundles dragged in the water, slowing her down. Something transparent floated past her. Antonia reached out thinking it was a plastic bag then drew her hand back quickly.

  “Jellyfish!” she squeaked.

  Bubbles clicked a laugh.

  “Jellyfish!” he exclaimed. “Sharks are scarier. They chase you. Jellyfish usually just float on past.”

  But Antonia was scared of jellyfish. She’d been stung by one at low tide once when she’d been rock-pooling with her family. Her hand had swollen up like a balloon and it hurt for ages. She still had nightmares about it sometimes.

  As they neared the mouth of the cove Bubbles slowed.