Diamond wasn’t as far out at sea as Antonia had expected from the faintness of her call. Her family was there too, but there was no time for friendly greetings. The dolphins had their work cut out supporting a large white bird. Blaze and Swirl were on one side with Diamond, Beauty and Jet on the other.
“It’s an albatross,” gasped Antonia. Her stomach tightened at the sight of it. One of the bird’s wings was stretched out on top of the water while the other was pinned to its side by a very long fishing line that ended in a metal hook cruelly lodged in the bird’s curved beak. Its head feathers were rumpled and its dark eyes pleaded for help.
“He got caught in a tuna line,” explained Diamond. “Two men were fishing from a boat. When they accidentally snared the bird, they just ditched the line and sailed away.”
“How cruel!” Antonia swam to the bird’s head, intending to release the hook from its mouth, but as she raised her hand, the bird jerked his head back in panic.
“Steady, boy,” crooned Antonia, treading water.
Cai went to free the bird’s wing.
“Let me get the hook out first or he might try to fly away,” said Antonia.
“Good idea,” agreed Cai. “We’ll never hold him if he struggles. He’s enormous.”
Antonia hated seeing such a magnificent creature so vulnerable and bedraggled. Slowly she stretched out her hand. The bird watched with wary eyes, but gradually the panic left him and he relaxed. The fish hook was thicker than the ones Antonia was used to and felt murderously cold to touch. She pushed down on it, but the hook was firmly lodged in the bird’s mouth. Blood spurted from the wound on to Antonia’s hand as she continued to put pressure on the hook.
The bird’s body was tense, but he stayed still, knowing he was being helped. Antonia was conscious of the dolphins watching her and it made her fingers clumsy, but at last the hook came free. Breathing a sigh of relief, she untied it from the twine and stowed it in her pocket.
“Well done,” whispered Cai.
The wound needed treatment. Keeping the albatross’s beak open, Antonia inserted her fingers back in its mouth.
Heal, she thought.
She imagined the gash knitting together until the bleeding finally stopped.
Heal.
Any minute now Antonia expected to feel a warm glow travel down her hands and into her fingers as the healing magic began to work.
Heal!
Nothing was happening, except for that funny buzzing noise in her head. Trying not to panic, Antonia worked to tune the buzzing out and focus on her healing powers. At last her fingers started to prickle. Excitedly she concentrated on making the albatross better, but to her dismay the prickling sensation faded and the buzzing noise returned. Antonia shook her head, but the noise wouldn’t go away.
“Heal!” In desperation she spoke the words aloud.
The bleeding slowed and finally stopped, leaving a nasty wound in the bird’s mouth.
“Well done, Silver Dolphin,” said Diamond. “I suspected you had higher powers.”
“But…” Antonia’s voice squeaked with disbelief. “I haven’t done anything yet.”
“You stopped the bleeding,” said Diamond.
“I didn’t mend the wound.” Antonia was dismayed.
Diamond clicked a short laugh. “Only a very powerful Silver Dolphin can heal wounds completely. You did the best you could. Keep practising and who knows, maybe one day you will have that power too,” she said kindly.
Cai’s eyes flashed with a mixture of pride and exasperation as he opened his mouth to explain that Antonia could do that already, but Antonia shook her head. She hadn’t been able to heal the albatross so what was the point in saying otherwise?
A horrible thought stole through her mind. Had she overdone things when she’d rescued the turtle? Was it possible to damage her powers, like a sports injury when you pushed yourself too far? The buzzing was still there. It was softer, but as irritating as a trapped fly. Suddenly, Antonia longed to talk to Claudia and ask her about it.
Claudia.
Antonia tried to contact her friend by their special telepathy.
Claudia.
She pictured Claudia’s sea-green eyes and her wild, curly brown hair. Where would she be right now? Antonia couldn’t remember the time difference between England and Australia except that it was significant.
The buzzing noise in Antonia’s head was still annoying her. It made it hard to think, let alone communicate by telepathy. Frustrated, Antonia gave up then realised that Cai was speaking to her.
“I’ve loosened the line,” he explained. “We’ll untie it properly when he’s ashore.”
“When he’s ashore?” Antonia repeated in bewilderment.
“Yes,” Cai grinned. “I didn’t think you were listening. You had that funny faraway look on your face. Diamond has offered to help us swim the bird to the beach. Then one of us can run up to the apartment and get Mum and Dad to phone for a vet.”
“Is everyone coming?” Antonia glanced at the dolphins.
“No,” clicked Cai. “We’ll be too conspicuous. Even at this time in the morning there may be people about. Diamond thinks the three of us can manage on our own.”
Diamond suggested that Antonia and Cai support the albatross from one side while she took the other. The other dolphins helped while Antonia and Cai swam into position.
“Good luck, Silver Dolphins,” clicked Swirl and Jet.
“Good luck,” added Blaze and Beauty.
It was awkward swimming the bird back to the beach, but he didn’t struggle and Antonia was convinced that he knew he was being helped. Diamond swam as far inshore as she dared without becoming grounded.
“Good luck, Silver Dolphins,” she whistled. “I hope you save him.”
Antonia and Cai swam on until their knees were bumping on the seabed. As they rose from the sea, the water cascaded from them. Antonia wriggled her toes in the hard, wet sand, marvelling at how one moment her legs felt joined together and the next they were working independently. The albatross felt much heavier once they were out of the water.
“How are we going to do this?” Antonia wondered.
“We won’t carry him far,” said Cai. “Let’s get him a bit further up the beach then one of us can go and get help.”
She and Cai rested the bird in the shallow water then, by holding hands, they made a human stretcher to carry him. As Antonia walked slowly up the beach, she reckoned the albatross weighed almost as much as she did. His wings looked far longer than her arms and he had massive webbed feet.
“Not much further,” panted Cai.
The sky was getting lighter. They carried the bird clear of the water and set him down on the golden sand.
“Lucky it’s so early,” wheezed Antonia, her cheeks red with exertion. “Or we would have had to carry him to those trees to shelter him from the sun.”
“We might still have to,” said Cai. “It depends how fast the vet can get here. Shall I fetch my parents?”
“Yes,” said Antonia, relieved that she didn’t have to. Not only was she exhausted, she also felt shy about waking Mr and Mrs Pacific. How would they react to Cai and Antonia being up so early? With a cheery wave, Cai ran off, stopping at the steps to pull on his shoes.
The albatross lay in the sand with his head drooped wearily on his snowy white chest. One black-tipped wing was still tied to his body; the other he had tucked by his side. Antonia checked that the fishing line wasn’t hurting him and loosened it in a few more places. She didn’t think that the bird would fly away if she freed him completely, but couldn’t take that risk. His wound needed treating or he might die from an infection.
As she murmured comforting words, the bird’s eyes began to droop. So did Antonia’s. She couldn’t ever remember feeling this tired before. The faint buzzing in her head had returned. Antonia lay on the sand, pressing her ear to the ground to make the buzzing go away. She didn’t mean to fall asleep, but the next thing she knew, Cai was shaking her aw
ake again.
Chapter Seven
“Sleepyhead,” Cai teased, but his dark eyes were thoughtful. Embarrassed, Antonia stood up and tried to look alert. Mr and Mrs Pacific were astonished by the sight of the albatross.
“You found it in the shallows?” asked Mrs Pacific for the umpteenth time. “But what were you doing out so early?”
“It’s the jet lag,” said Cai. “We haven’t adjusted to Australian time yet.”
Mr Pacific chuckled. “Claudia did warn us that you two had a knack for finding injured animals,” he said. “Expect the unexpected were her exact words.”
Antonia and Cai shared a smile. Good old Claudia! She must have guessed they would meet up with the local dolphins.
“Did you phone for a vet?” asked Antonia.
“I spoke to the receptionist at the hotel and she told me to ring the North Coast Sea Life Rescue Charity,” said Mrs Pacific, running a hand through sleep-tousled hair. “They’re used to dealing with this sort of thing. They have a twenty-four-hour emergency helpline. I phoned it and a very friendly lady said she’d send a local officer out. He’ll be here shortly.”
“That looks like him now,” said Cai, pointing to a stocky man coming down the steps to the beach carrying a large bag.
The officer said he had seen far too many albatrosses tangled in fishing line.
“This one’s not too bad,” he commented, after examining the wound. “It looks like someone’s already had a go at treating it.”
He glanced up at Antonia and Cai who smiled innocently back.
“Hmmm, well, I’ll clean it first then give the bird a shot of antibiotic before we set him free.”
The albatross struggled a bit, but the officer was used to birds resisting his help. He worked swiftly and soon the bird was ready to be released.
“Stand back,” he warned everyone.
He cut the remaining line away and stepped back himself. The albatross stretched out his enormous wings then tentatively flapped them. Suddenly he was off, running towards the sea, his wings flapping rhythmically. With a stuttering cry, the albatross launched himself in the air and flew away.
“Magic!” sighed Mr Pacific. “What? Why are you laughing?” he added as Antonia and Cai giggled. The officer packed his equipment back into his bag and they walked off the beach together.
Mrs Pacific wanted to go back to bed, but she was outvoted by the others.
“We might as well have an early breakfast and head off to the crocodile park,” said her husband.
“It won’t be open this time in the morning,” grumbled Mrs Pacific as she filled the kettle and began preparing breakfast.
Antonia was feeling better after her short nap on the beach and looking forward to visiting the crocodiles. “I must remember to take my camera,” she said. “Jessica will never forgive me if I don’t take lots of pictures.”
It was fun doing the touristy things, even though the crocodiles’ craggy faces and sly, slit-like eyes gave Antonia the creeps. The most exciting part of the day was seeing a real live koala in a tree outside the gift shop. Antonia took several photos before going inside and buying Jessica a cuddly koala that sang ‘Waltzing Matilda’.
On the drive home, Antonia reflected that she’d not thought about Silver Dolphins once during the outing. But now her worries came back to her with a bang. Why weren’t her higher powers working properly? Was it because of jet lag or was her magic weakening? Antonia shivered, hoping it was the jet lag that was making her feel so bad. She loved being a special Silver Dolphin. Having extra powers, like being able to heal animals, was amazing.
“Have a sweet,” said Cai, offering Antonia the crumpled bag he was holding.
Filled with sudden guilt, Antonia blushed. Cai was an ordinary Silver Dolphin. Not once had he moaned or shown any jealousy of Antonia’s extra powers. And he’d made a huge difference in their area.
If my powers are fading then I’ll manage like Cai, Antonia reassured herself.
But what if your powers go completely? countered a voice in her head.
Antonia pushed the thought away. Of course her powers wouldn’t leave her completely. That was a mad idea! Once a Silver Dolphin, always a Silver Dolphin, that’s what Claudia had said.
“Sweet?” asked Cai again, jiggling the bag under her nose.
“Thanks.” Antonia pulled out a strawberry sherbet and popped it in her mouth, sucking thoughtfully. Whatever happened, she would do her best as a Silver Dolphin.
That evening, the hotel held a barbecue at the restaurant overlooking the beach. Antonia and Cai joined up with some other children and they had a fun time messing about together.
“I saw a turtle today,” boasted a small boy.
“That’s nothing—we saw a shark when we were out on my dad’s boat,” countered another boy.
“My turtle was eating a box jellyfish with massive tentacles. The jellyfish tried to strangle the turtle, but it just sucked the tentacles up like spaghetti.”
“My shark was eating a diver,” said the second boy. “He ate everything, even the air tanks.”
“My mum heard that you rescued an albatross wrapped in a tuna line,” said an older girl, pointing at Cai and Antonia. “How cool was that!”
The two boys momentarily stopped arguing and stared at Cai and Antonia.
“An albatross,” said one of them in disgust. “That’s tame!”
Antonia snorted with laughter, but at the same time the conversation left her feeling slightly uneasy. What if Diamond called upon them to help with a shark or, horror of horrors, a box jellyfish?
Antonia was terrified of all jellyfish, even harmless ones, having suffered a nasty allergic reaction when she’d been stung by one before. Would her powers be enough to deal with such dangerous creatures? Antonia wished she knew what was happening to her, and if there was anything she could do to stop it.
Chapter Eight
“Tag!” clicked Jet, tossing a battered strip of seaweed at Antonia. “You’re it! Or shall we stop this game and have a water fight?”
“Water fight,” whistled Cai, swimming up behind them. “But first you promised to show me how to breach.”
“Is there time?” Antonia asked, half hoping that Cai would agree there wasn’t. They’d been in the sea for ages and she was feeling tired again. It was the day after the crocodile trip and Diamond had called them for another mission. To Antonia’s consternation, Cai had heard Diamond’s call first.
“The dolphins need us,” he’d said, when Antonia didn’t respond.
At first Antonia couldn’t hear her charm at all. She’d felt it fluttering against her neck and had had to concentrate very hard to hear Diamond’s shrill whistle.
Luckily the call hadn’t been urgent. The mission had been to clear up some litter thrown overboard from a passing boat. After learning about the blue ringed octopus, Antonia was wary about collecting rubbish. But she had kept her fears to herself and worked hard to pick it all up. With or without her special powers, she was determined to be a good Silver Dolphin.
“The carrier bags are the worst,” Diamond had said, her silver body shivering in disgust as one floated by. “Turtles mistake them for jellyfish then suffocate when eating them.”
Antonia and Cai had recovered three carrier bags and filled them with the rest of the rubbish. Diamond told them to leave the bags on a nearby beach while they played with Jet and Swirl.
“You deserve a treat. We’ve been working you hard,” she had clicked.
Antonia and Cai didn’t need rewards for being Silver Dolphins, but were thrilled to play with their new friends again. First they had swum the rubbish to the secluded bay and left it on the beach where they’d rescued the turtle.
“We’ll come back for it later,” Cai had said, wedging the bags between some rocks.
Jet and Swirl had waited for them out at sea; Jet with a long strip of seaweed on his nose ready to play seaweed tag.
They played for ages until Cai asked t
o be taught how to breach. Jet helped Cai while Swirl helped Antonia.
“Wicked!” exclaimed Cai, when he’d finally got the move. “I can’t wait to show Bubbles and get him back for all the times he’s splashed me.”
Jet and Cai joined forces against Swirl and Antonia and between them they churned the sea into a frothy whirlpool. It was such fun splashing each other and Antonia was annoyed when she tired before everyone else and let the boys get the better of her team.
“Enough,” she panted. “We ought to go before your mum and dad miss us.”
Cai reluctantly agreed.
“Next time we’ll beat the boys,” Swirl clicked in Antonia’s ear before they left. Antonia had to concentrate really hard to understand what Swirl was saying. Her voice sounded like it was coming from far away. It didn’t help that the buzzing noise was back in her head and that it was so loud it made her feel dizzy.
Antonia suddenly felt exhausted and longed to be back on land. She wasn’t sure she had the energy to tow the rubbish home and was grateful when Cai insisted that he collect the bags from the beach on his own.
“It doesn’t need both of us,” he assured Antonia.
Antonia pushed her wet hair away from her face. She and Cai usually did everything together, no matter how small the task. Had Cai guessed she was tired again? He didn’t mention it, but when he returned with the carrier bags, he only let Antonia take one from him.
“Thanks,” she said gratefully.
“I should be thanking you. It’s easier to swim with two bags,” Cai said as they swam back to the hotel beach.
The rest of the day was spent lazing around one of the hotel pools with Cai’s parents. Antonia stayed in the shallow end, lazily floating in the cool water while Cai and his mum and dad had swimming races and then a noisy water fight. Antonia knew she wasn’t being very good company, but Cai was having so much fun he didn’t seem to notice.
Bedtime couldn’t come soon enough and at last Antonia was able to go to her room. She was incredibly tired, but no sooner had she laid down her head than it filled with worrying thoughts. What was that buzzing noise? Was it because the Silver Dolphin magic wasn’t working properly? What if it failed her completely?
Moonlight Magic Page 3
