The Girl Who Dreamt of Dolphins (15 page)

Megan and Bethany’s parents talked about cutting their holiday
short and driving home that same day, but a tearful Bethany had
persuaded them not to. They didn’t let Megan out of their sight
though for the rest of the holiday and she wasn’t allowed to go out
and play with her local friends in any circumstances. ‘We’re going
to watch you like a hawk’, their mum had said decisively. Megan had
played with her kid sister instead and Bethany had had a great
time; the two of them had made the biggest sandcastle
ever.

Bethany came out of her reverie and put back the photo back on
the windowsill. She glanced around the studio. It was later than
she’d thought. Just then, her mobile phone beeped from where she’d
left it on her workbench in one corner. She didn’t always get good
reception and they weren’t so close to a transmitter so she was
glad that the text message had got through for once.

‘
It’s me, Lucy’ the text message read. ‘I really want to get
away from Dad and come and see you. Can I?’

Chapter Nine
:

It had been a cold, still night when the first light crept
across the cloudless sky. The sun’s rays were tinged with red and
infected the lapping waves with a ruby hue. The pods of dolphins
slowly stirred into lazy consciousness. They started swimming in
wide, relaxed circles and talk broke out amongst them. The older
dolphins still had a lot of catching up to do and the younger ones
still had new friends to make. They may all have been hungry, but
fishing could wait. There was still a lot of socialising to
do.

Spirit and Dancer had slept peacefully overnight. Dancer woke
first and swum up to Spirit, giving him a playful pat with her
fin.

‘
Hey Spirit, you were snoring!’ she joked.

‘
I do not snore!’ Spirit replied emphatically, picking up on
the joke, though he was still half asleep.

‘
That’s what you think!’ retorted Dancer, swimming around
him.

‘
Well you talk in your sleep’ replied Spirit stifling a
laugh.

‘
Oh and what do I say?’

‘
Give me mackerel, give me herring, pollock and plaice’
mimicked Spirit.

‘
Hey you!’ exclaimed Dancer, chasing his tail.

Spirit sped off, laughing and before they knew it, ten other
youngsters were chasing him too, speeding in, around, under and
over the older dolphins, turning heads as they went. Spirit raced
down to the bottom and turned sharply. Dancer and two other
youngsters collided with each other as they too tried to turn and
then made off again in a mad dash. Spirit leapt clear of the water,
turning a somersault in the air, splashing back noisily into the
water. Dolphin after dolphin followed him into the air in a crazy,
spontaneous, headlong chase. Spirit turned again in the water, but
this time he could not escape and before he knew it, five dolphins
had piled into him. They collapsed, laughing back into the water,
elated and happy. The youngsters chatted contentedly between
themselves. Yesterday half of them didn’t even know each other at
all. Now they felt as if they’d know each other half their lives.
It felt good, it felt natural. The older dolphins looked on
approvingly; it was good to see the young dolphins getting to know
each other.

Eventually the youngsters broke up into smaller groups and
some joined their own pods again.

Spirit and Dancer had joined Summer and Moonlight and were
relaxing when a figure swam up to them. She was evidently old and
had half a dozen scars on her back, though whether from propellers
or from shark attacks, it was not clear. She approached them in a
slow, awkward motion, as though the exertion caused her bones to
ache.

‘
You, young dolphin’ she called in an uncertain voice. Dancer
and Spirit both turned to look at her, not knowing which of them
that she was referring to. The old dolphin nodded impatiently in
Spirit’s direction.

‘
Yes?’ he asked.

‘
Young man. A word’ she said, indicating with her head that she
wanted him to swim along with her. Spirit threw a glance at Dancer,
as if to say I don’t know what she wants, but I’d better find out.
He swam along with her a short distance from the group.

‘
My name’s Shimmer’ she introduced herself matter-of-factly. ‘I
may be old now’ she continued, ‘but once I really did shimmer. And
you young man, what is your name?’

‘
I’m Spirit’ he replied.

‘
And why did the elders give you that name?’

‘
I’m not sure’ he answered. ‘I think maybe they saw something
unusual in me’ Spirit said uncertainly. ‘My mother, when I was
young, said I had a far off look in my eyes that seemed to show
spirit. Why?’

‘
I saw’ Shimmer replied simply.

‘
Saw what?’ asked Spirit, confused.

‘
I saw your vision. You are a Child See-er.

‘
A Child See-er?’

‘
Don’t be coy with me’ continued Shimmer tartly. ‘You know
exactly what I mean. The child that came to you last night. The
human child! She is what they call a Dolphin-Child, and you, young
dolphin, are a Child See-er’ Spirit didn’t know what to say so he
didn’t say anything. He swum on. Eventually he turned and eyed
Shimmer with a worried look on his face.

‘
Are you one too?’ he asked.

‘
No. Beware!’ She was a very blunt-speaking old
dolphin.

‘
Beware of what?’ Shimmer sighed and her stern look softened.
‘Let me tell you a story. I had a sister once and she was a Child
See-er too. A small male human, a boy, would come to her. They
would talk for a long, long time, away from the pod. Then the boy
would fade away into the depths. My sister was very happy. She said
it made her feel complete. The boy obsessed her and even when he
was not there, you could tell that she wished that he was. It was
almost like love. I told her that she was silly and that it was the
dolphins around her, her own kith and kin, who she should care for.
I said I would tell the elders, but she implored me not to. I
promised my sister that I would not and in fact I always kept my
word. I have kept my word until this very day, because I have never
met a Child See-er before or since, until you.’

Spirit said nothing, but the old dolphin’s words had a
powerful effect upon him. Shimmer continued.

‘
My sister became distant from the pod. She would not swim with
the rest of us to fish and often she preferred to go off on her
own. First of all she would swim away from us all for only an hour
or two. Then she would swim off alone for hours on end. Eventually
she would stay away for a night and then two. And then one day she
didn’t come back.

‘
What happened to her, your sister I mean?’ Spirit
asked.

‘
Nobody knows’ continued the old dolphin, a sad note in her
voice. ‘But it is my belief that she let herself become weak
through not eating properly. It is dangerous to swim alone, but
more so if you are not vibrant and healthy. I believe that she was
taken by the orcas. If she had been strong, she could have out-swum
them. She was not.’ Shimmer stopped and looked directly at Spirit.
‘I still miss my sister. I feel her loss to this very day. I often
think of her and that young male human, floating in the water
beside her. He ruined her. And so I say to you young Spirit;
Beware. Do not turn your back on your pod and all that should be
important to you.’

‘
I won’t!’ exclaimed Spirit defensively. ‘I would never turn my
back on Dancer and Summer, Moonlight, Chaser and Breeze and of
course Storm. And I’ve had such a great time meeting all these
other young dolphins’ said Spirit, looking back on the pods behind
him.

‘
That’s as maybe’ replied Shimmer disapprovingly. ‘But you must
choose. You must choose between the girl and your pod. Before it is
too late!’

‘
No, no. I couldn’t’ murmured Spirit, confused again. ‘I’ve
only just found her. I barely know her.’

‘
Then all the more reason to stop it before you do get to know
her.’

‘
But, but….’ stuttered Spirit uncertainly. He paused, thinking
hard. ‘I can’t’ he decided, turning defiantly to the old dolphin.
‘I won’t. I am not your sister. I will not make the same
mistakes.’

‘
That’s what you think young dolphin’ said Shimmer, with an
edge to her voice, ‘but we will see. We will see.’

In the distance they could see that all the dolphins of the
various pods seemed to be gathering together again, as they had for
the council yesterday. Curious, Spirit and Shimmer turned and swum
back to the larger group.

As they drew close again, Dancer joined Spirit and whispered
in his ear ‘What was that all about then? It all looked a bit
intense.’

‘
You don’t want to know’ replied Spirit, trying to put Dancer
off.

‘
Oh but I do, I do’ replied Dancer, brimming over with
curiosity. Spirit thought about lying and cast about in his mind
for something to tell her. But no, he would not. Dancer was his
friend. If he could not tell Dancer everything, then who could he
tell.

‘
She says I am a Child See-er.’ Dancer looked at him directly.
A look of incomprehension was on her face, but then a flash of
understanding passed across her features. She had a thousand
questions she wanted to ask Spirit, but she thought perhaps she had
an idea what Spirit meant. Before she could speak though, Storm and
another elder addressed the assembled dolphins.

‘
I smell a storm on the way’ said Storm to the group. ‘We
should swim to deeper, safer waters.’ Storm was so named because
from a very early age he had had an ability to sense the subtle
shifts and changes in the weather and could tell when a storm was
on its way, hours before anyone else could. Many were surprised by
Storm’s announcement; the wind was still calm and only wispy light
clouds appeared high in the sky above them. Storm’s ability was
well known though and Spirit and Dancer had witnessed his uncanny
predictions time and again. He was never wrong.

Another elder dolphin that Spirit did not know also addressed
the grouped dolphins. ‘We all know that when there is a storm we
cannot stay as a larger group’ she said. ‘It is safer to be with
our own small pods. That way we will notice if one of our number is
missing. Too many dolphins all around us in a storm can be
confusing.’

Chatter soon broke out amongst the assembled dolphins. They
started to form into pods and one by one they broke away and swum
off until they were lost to sight, with only the odd whistle and
click echoing back, to let them know where they were.

Both Spirit and Dancer felt particularly sad that the council
had broken up. They had met so many young dolphins of their own age
and just started to get to know them. Now they were dispersing
again. At least they would see them all at the next full moon. What
was it that Storm had said? They were to look for a special dolphin
in their midst. That gave Spirit an uneasy feeling. He had enough
to cope with at the moment and certainly didn’t want any more
attention than he’d already received. He looked around to see if
Shimmer was still there, but it looked like she had already left
with her own pod. Spirit was glad. It’d be no fun with Shimmer
around.

With Moonlight leading the way, the dolphins of Spirit’s pod
moved away too, heading for deeper waters, where they could ride
out the storm more easily. They moved with sinuous, muscular
strokes of their tails. They were fully focused on the journey
ahead of them. Storm followed, behind the others, putting his head
up periodically to sense the weather above him. Already the wind
had picked up and the waves were growing rough. In the distance
Storm could see a great wall of blue-black cloud rolling in from
the west. He was right, but the storm would be upon them sooner
than he feared.

Spirit was lost deep in thought as they swam along. He could
see the storm clouds on the horizon too. The more he thought about
what Shimmer had said, the more he was convinced that the old
dolphin had been wrong. He had his coming of age swim ahead of him.
He had to swim alone at that time and was determined to be counted
as an adult like the others. More than that, he knew that Shimmer
was wrong about Lucy. Whatever might happen between him and Lucy
and whatever Storm might say about humans, he knew that she was
different. He could tell that she had a real warmth and empathy.
Nothing bad could possibly come from the contact that he and Lucy
shared. He just wished that she would come to him again soon,
tonight maybe. Spirit decided to drop back and speak to Storm
straight away about his coming of age swim. He wanted to get
Shimmer’s words out of his head once and for all. He wanted, no, he
needed to prove himself.