Dolphin Child (25 page)

‘
This way’ he said as he swam into the narrower channel. Dancer
followed him, but she was bigger than Spirit and was feeling
increasingly vulnerable and uneasy. It got narrower and narrower
and at the same time the taste of the water seemed to become
fresher. They both realised that this was some tiny stream feeding
into the estuary waters and they only just had enough room to turn
in to go back.

‘
I suppose we’d better try the next channel’ said Spirit, once
they were back in the deeper water.

‘
We don’t have much time’ warned Dancer anxiously. ‘Remember
we’ve got to do this before the tide turns, or we’ll be stuck
here’. The two dolphins headed up the next channel, which became
deeper and broader again reassuringly quickly. It was still hard to
see though and the soft mud seemed to absorb their echo location
clicks. It became much harder to ascertain where the edge was.
Spirit broke the surface of the water to look and was alarmed to
see the silhouettes of two humans looming above him. They seemed to
have long rods in their hands. They stumbled back in surprise at
seeing two dolphins in such shallow water. Spirit and Dancer
flicked their tails to head on past the two fishermen on the bank.
After a minute or so they slowed down again and Dancer paused to
sense the water.

‘
I think the tide is turning Spirit’ she said, ‘we should turn
back now.’

‘
No, just a bit further’ exclaimed Spirit. Suddenly, they both
heard something.

‘
Is it? … It’s the sound of a dolphin isn’t it?’ asked Dancer.
Spirit let off a burst of whistles and clicks and then paused to
listen for a reply. Nothing. He tried again. This time they heard a
feint sound in response.

‘
Come on!’ Spirit exclaimed, ‘let’s get closer.’ They pushed
forward and beyond them was something that looked like it might be
a closed-link fence stretched across the channel. But the silt had
settled there and as the two dolphins progressed, it boiled up into
their eyes and face and then became more solid. Even Spirit could
sense now that the waters of the tide were beginning to turn and
retreat. The water level would soon drop and with it any chance
they might have of escape.

‘
It’s me! Spirit!’ called Spirit with all his might. ‘We’re
going to save you Star-Gazer! We’re going to get you out of here!’
They stopped and listened. Suddenly they heard a reply, the sound
muffled by the mud and silt around them.

‘
I love you Spirit, but get out of the estuary now. Come back
after the rains have come! They wash the channels clean of mud!
Go!’

‘
I love you Star-Gazer! We will come back!’ shouted Spirit, but
still he lingered there hoping that there was something, anything
that he could do to set his mother free.

‘
Spirit we must go now!’ commanded Dancer urgently.
Reluctantly, Spirit turned to follow his friend. They were so
close, but the water level had already dropped. It was not safe to
stay.

On the other side of the mud and the fence, Star-Gazer was
elated that she had suddenly heard the voice of her son, but was
scared for him in equal measure. The inlet where she was trapped
was deeper than the channel on the other side and she raced round
it in agitation, trying to leap from the water. When she had first
been trapped there, she had tried many times to leap the closed
link fence, but it was no good. She did not have enough clearance
to make a really good leap and there was also a submerged cable
stretched a couple of meters in front of the fence which made a
good jump impossible.

Her heart raced and her thoughts burst with a thousand ideas.
Meanwhile Spirit and Dancer struggled to get back to deeper
water.

They seemed to be slithering over mud all the time now and
Spirit could tell from her movements that Dancer was starting to
get panicky.

‘
Don’t worry Dancer’ we’re almost there now he tried to
reassure her. They shot past the two humans who seemed to want to
wade into the water to greet them and swam quickly on until the
channel merged with the deeper water of the estuary.

‘
Wow, that was scarily close!’ exclaimed Dancer, breathing a
sigh of relief. They made their way back to the open sea to tell
the rest of the pod what had happened. There was only one thought
going through Spirit’s head though. ‘Star-Gazer’s alive. She’s
alive!’

Chapter Fifteen:

Lucy had had an exhausting, emotional day. Not only had she
used all the powers of her mind to find and talk to Star-Gazer, but
she had summoned up enough energy to speak to Spirit too. She felt
drained and weary. Despite her tiredness though, Lucy’s mind was
racing as she lay in bed.

Lucy had been so happy to be able to tell Spirit that his
mother was alive, yet her friend’s reaction had in a way surprised
her. Normally he seemed warm and happy to be around humans, but the
thought that his mother had been captured by some human had made
him steely and determined.

‘
I am so lonely here’ Star-Gazer had told her. ‘I miss Spirit,
Summer and the others so much. Please help me if you
can’.

Like Spirit, Lucy wondered what sort of a person would capture
a wild creature such as Star-Gazer who had spent her life swimming
the wide open sea and imprison her instead in a muddy lagoon.
Perhaps Spirit was right to learn to fear humans she thought and
the harm that they could bring. It would be safer for him that way,
than if he thought everyone could be trusted like her.

Lucy’s mind wandered on to Paul. He had seemed so small and
abject as he stood there surrounded by those kids, throwing clumps
of earth at him. She knew that dolphins could be mean too
sometimes, but not like this. ‘They’re more civilized than people’
she thought. Maybe she was romanticising the lives of dolphins.
Perhaps they could be as cruel to each other as humans, but she
didn’t think so.

As they had walked down the bottom of the walled stream to
where Dad was waiting in the car park and while Paul still shook
with tears and shock, he’d said to her ‘I want to be with Spirit. I
want to be a Dolphin-Child like you. You’ve got to let
me.’

Lucy had not known what to say. She didn’t know how she’d
become a Dolphin-Child, or why. All she knew was that for as long
as she could remember she’d dreamt every night of dolphins; vivid
dreams that had been almost as real to her as her waking moments.
She hadn’t even heard the term ‘Dolphin-Child’ until Paul had used
it. She’d had no idea before her trip to the museum that someone
like Susan Penhaligon had once lived, or that there had been other
children like her over the generations. She didn’t think you could
choose to be a Dolphin-Child.

‘
It’s not like there’s a magic spell I can teach you to turn
you into a Dolphin-Child’ she said as they carefully stepped from
stone to stone.

‘
You can show me’ replied Paul. ‘I can learn from you and copy
you. I swum with Spirit didn’t I? I can do that again. I’ll learn’
he continued earnestly. ‘You’ll see!’ Lucy wasn’t so sure. It was
something that had to come instinctively, from deep inside you. It
wasn’t a skill that you could learn, like riding a bike, or doing
tricks on a skateboard.

‘
I can certainly let you swim with Spirit again’ she reassured
him, though really Lucy did not know exactly what to say to the
small boy. It sounded as though he was still very close to tears
and she did not want to upset him again. Paul nodded.

‘
I’d like to be a dolphin and swim away for ever’ he said ‘as
far as I can get from this dump’ he added. Lucy smiled despite
herself, but at the same time she felt uneasy, though she couldn’t
say exactly why. Paul paused.

‘
Up here’ he said. They had reached the point where the walled
stream had passed under the High Street, but the tide was part way
in and sea water had flooded up the stream from where it flowed
into the harbour. There were hand and foot holds in the steep stone
sides and Paul climbed up to the top of the wall with ease. Lucy
followed him more slowly and cautiously, wary of slipping
backwards. When she got to the top Paul pointed down a narrow
alley.

‘
Car park’s just down there’ he said. ‘We’ll find your Dad’s
car in no time.’ Lucy glanced at her watch. She was much later than
she’d promised to be and she didn’t like to think what Dad would
say when she turned up with a strange boy all covered in mud and
smeared tears. Still, she had to do something. Things had got too
serious. A grown-up needed to know what was happening to Paul. He
obviously couldn’t cope on his own anymore or… Well, she didn’t
like to imagine.

Once they’d driven back to the cottage, Lucy asked Dad if she
could wander down to the farm and the studio. Dad said he’d be down
in a few minutes and hoped that whatever Bethany had cooked was
going to be good, because he was feeling hungry.

The late afternoon sun flooded the valley and swifts wheeled
above her in the air catching midges and flies on the wing. There
was a low hum of insects in the hedgerow. It felt strange not to be
living with Bethany in the studio anymore. It was great being with
Dad in the luxury of the holiday cottage, but it felt somehow as
though she were missing out on the fun of Bethany’s bohemian
lifestyle.

As Lucy walked in from the lane into the farmyard, she saw
Mary and Darren sitting on the doorstep of the farmhouse, each with
a mug in their hands. Darren raised his hand in
greeting.

‘
Hello there young Lucy!’ he called in a friendly
voice.

‘
Had any adventures today then Lucy?’ said Mary. Lucy walked up
to them, but hardly knew where to begin.

‘
I heard you helped out a young lad who was in a spot of
bother’ continued Mary before Lucy had a chance to reply. Lucy
looked surprised.

‘
I know, I know. News travels fast round here’ Mary said. ‘I
was in town and I couldn’t help but over-hear while I was picking
up a few things in the shop. Mrs Treddinick is very upset about
what happened to her Paul.’

‘
Well, you know, I had to do something’ was all that Lucy could
think to say in reply.

‘
You were a brave girl and you did the right thing’ added
Darren. Lucy felt awkward and embarrassed. She changed the
subject.

‘
Mary, Darren, do you know a big house with its own lagoon in
the woods off the estuary?’ she asked.

‘
Why let me see’ said Darren thoughtfully. ‘That would be the
Penrose place wouldn’t it?’ Mary nodded. ‘It was bought twenty
years ago or more by Norman Penrose who if memory serves was some
fellow that had made it big in banking in London. Came down here to
retire with his wife. Do you know anything about that place Mary
love?’ he asked, looking at his wife.

‘
Oh I think he was into sailing boats. Had one moored by the
mouth of the river and liked to race. Don’t know what’s happened to
him. It’s gone quiet down there recently.’ They chatted a bit
more.

‘
You go and find Bethany’ said Mary. ‘A very tasty smell has
been wafting out of the kitchen of the studio this last hour or so.
I think you and your Dad are in for a treat this
evening.’

Lucy gave them a little wave and strolled on round the corner
to the studio. There was a small patch of grass between it and the
hedge of the field and Bethany had set up a trestle table and
brought the kitchen chairs outside. Crockery and glasses were set
on the table. Lucy walked into the studio and was confronted by a
warm and savoury smell from the oven. Bethany looked up from her
cooking and gave her a brief affectionate hug.

‘
I thought we could all eat outside this evening and enjoy the
late afternoon sunshine’.

‘
Lentils?’ asked Lucy, inspecting a pot. Bethany
laughed.

‘
No I just told your Dad that to wind him up’ she explained.
‘I’ve made two types of quiche, got new potatoes with mint, salad
and freshly cooked bread. There’s even a splash of wine for us
grown-ups. Not a lentil in sight’.

‘
Mm! Sounds good’ replied Lucy. Bethany busied herself with the
finishing touches to the salad and Lucy wandered back into the work
area where Bethany’s oil paints and canvasses were
arranged.

Recently Bethany had done some sketches of Lucy. One was of
Lucy sitting on a large rock at the edge of the sea, her legs
folded beneath her, looking back over her shoulder towards the
lapping waves. Lucy had felt self-conscious posing for Bethany
while her aunt sketched with rapid strokes of her pencil. Yet she
was pleased with the result and Dad had asked whether he might have
a copy when he had seen it. The sketch was pinned to a piece of
board now leaning against the wall.

Next to it was a sketch of a woman in the same pose, seated
upon the very same rock looking out to sea. It was unmistakably a
picture of her mother.

‘
I’m sorry Kiddo’ said Bethany coming up behind her and laying
a hand upon her shoulder. ‘I should have put that one away. It’s
just that…when I look at you I can’t help but think of
Megan’.

Lucy didn’t know what to say, but instead leant instinctively
in towards her aunt and the comfort that her presence gave. Bethany
gave her shoulder a squeeze. Being close to Bethany helped her feel
close to the memory of Mum. Curious though the picture was, it felt
good to think that Bethany was still thinking of Mum and that she
wasn’t just a faded photograph in an album.