plankton too, I realized.
“What’s that yellow thing they’re playing with?” Sheena asked. “It looks like—”
“It is!” I shouted. “Our lifeboat! The dolphins brought it back!”
The lifeboat rope had tangled around the middle of one of the dolphins.
Wherever the dolphin swam, the boat trailed behind it.
“Let’s go rescue it!” Dr. D. cried. He splashed into the water. Sheena and I
followed him. No time to worry about giant crabs. We had to get that raft.
We swam out to where the dolphins played. They gurgled at us. They didn’t
seem afraid of us at all.
Why should they be? They were a lot bigger than we were!
They’re only dolphins, I told myself. Dolphins don’t hurt people.
But I was a little afraid of them. Especially since our visit from the giant
crab.
Dr. D. grabbed the edge of the rubber raft. Sheena and I climbed in.
“Now, if I can just get that rope from around this dolphin…” Dr. D.
groaned.
He tugged on the rope. The dolphin began to swim.
“The dolphin is carrying us away!” Sheena said. “Wait, dolphin! Stop!”
The dolphin didn’t stop. It kept swimming, faster and harder.
Dr. D. hauled himself into the boat.
The island was a speck behind us now. We couldn’t swim back to it if we
wanted to! The dolphin was carrying us far out to sea.
“We might as well settle back and enjoy the ride,” Dr. D. said. “There’s
nothing else we can do.”
The dolphin pulled us all night long. The sea was calm that night. We slept
in the boat again.
When I opened my eyes, everything was gray. Misty.
I heard the dolphin gurgling and chirping, as if it were talking to us.
The sun was just about to come up. The ocean was covered with a thick blanket
of fog.
The dolphin poked its head over the side of the boat. It had slipped the rope
off. It was free now.
With a splash, it swam away. It quickly disappeared through the thick fog.
I peered through the fog. I could barely see past the lifeboat. We were still
in the middle of the ocean. But I thought I saw something nearby. Something big
and white.
Like a boat.
My heart sank.
Oh, no, I thought. I think I’ve seen this boat before.
I shut my eyes again, wishing it would go away.
I opened them. There it was.
No! It can’t be! It’s too horrible!
I shook Dr. D. “Wake up!” I cried. “Look where we are!”
Dr. D. opened his eyes. “Huh?” my uncle muttered. “Where are we?”
“The dolphin carried us back!” I wailed. “Back to Dr. Ritter’s boat!”
28
“Oh, no!” Sheena wailed. “Not again!”
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“Shhh!” Dr. D. whispered. “Stay calm. They don’t know we’re here. Maybe we
can get away somehow.”
“Get away?” I exclaimed. “To where?”
“I can’t stay on this raft another minute!” Sheena insisted. “I want to go
home!”
“That stupid dolphin!” I muttered. “I thought dolphins were supposed to be
smart! I can’t believe it pulled us to Dr. Ritter’s boat.”
The fog surrounded us like a thick gray curtain. It swept in and out, making
Dr. Ritter’s boat appear to shimmer.
The rubber raft drifted closer to the boat. I could almost touch the side of
the bow.
I thought I saw a word printed there. I did. The name of the boat.
I strained to read it. I could make out the first few letters.
C-A-S…
Huh?
“Dr. D.!” I cried. “It’s not Dr. Ritter’s boat. It’s our boat! It’s
the Cassandra !”
Dr. D. squinted. “Yes!” he cried. “You’re right, Billy!”
We were safe! Sheena and I jumped up and danced around.
“We’re home! We’re home! We’re home!” we sang.
The lifeboat bounced under our feet. “Whoa!” I cried. We nearly tipped it
over!
“Sit down, kids,” Dr. D. said. “We’re two feet from safety. We don’t want to
drown now .”
We paddled the rubber raft to our boat and dragged ourselves aboard.
I was so tired. But I couldn’t help doing another little dance on the deck
“What’s that yellow thing they’re playing with?” Sheena asked. “It looks like—”
“It is!” I shouted. “Our lifeboat! The dolphins brought it back!”
The lifeboat rope had tangled around the middle of one of the dolphins.
Wherever the dolphin swam, the boat trailed behind it.
“Let’s go rescue it!” Dr. D. cried. He splashed into the water. Sheena and I
followed him. No time to worry about giant crabs. We had to get that raft.
We swam out to where the dolphins played. They gurgled at us. They didn’t
seem afraid of us at all.
Why should they be? They were a lot bigger than we were!
They’re only dolphins, I told myself. Dolphins don’t hurt people.
But I was a little afraid of them. Especially since our visit from the giant
crab.
Dr. D. grabbed the edge of the rubber raft. Sheena and I climbed in.
“Now, if I can just get that rope from around this dolphin…” Dr. D.
groaned.
He tugged on the rope. The dolphin began to swim.
“The dolphin is carrying us away!” Sheena said. “Wait, dolphin! Stop!”
The dolphin didn’t stop. It kept swimming, faster and harder.
Dr. D. hauled himself into the boat.
The island was a speck behind us now. We couldn’t swim back to it if we
wanted to! The dolphin was carrying us far out to sea.
“We might as well settle back and enjoy the ride,” Dr. D. said. “There’s
nothing else we can do.”
The dolphin pulled us all night long. The sea was calm that night. We slept
in the boat again.
When I opened my eyes, everything was gray. Misty.
I heard the dolphin gurgling and chirping, as if it were talking to us.
The sun was just about to come up. The ocean was covered with a thick blanket
of fog.
The dolphin poked its head over the side of the boat. It had slipped the rope
off. It was free now.
With a splash, it swam away. It quickly disappeared through the thick fog.
I peered through the fog. I could barely see past the lifeboat. We were still
in the middle of the ocean. But I thought I saw something nearby. Something big
and white.
Like a boat.
My heart sank.
Oh, no, I thought. I think I’ve seen this boat before.
I shut my eyes again, wishing it would go away.
I opened them. There it was.
No! It can’t be! It’s too horrible!
I shook Dr. D. “Wake up!” I cried. “Look where we are!”
Dr. D. opened his eyes. “Huh?” my uncle muttered. “Where are we?”
“The dolphin carried us back!” I wailed. “Back to Dr. Ritter’s boat!”
28
“Oh, no!” Sheena wailed. “Not again!”
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“Shhh!” Dr. D. whispered. “Stay calm. They don’t know we’re here. Maybe we
can get away somehow.”
“Get away?” I exclaimed. “To where?”
“I can’t stay on this raft another minute!” Sheena insisted. “I want to go
home!”
“That stupid dolphin!” I muttered. “I thought dolphins were supposed to be
smart! I can’t believe it pulled us to Dr. Ritter’s boat.”
The fog surrounded us like a thick gray curtain. It swept in and out, making
Dr. Ritter’s boat appear to shimmer.
The rubber raft drifted closer to the boat. I could almost touch the side of
the bow.
I thought I saw a word printed there. I did. The name of the boat.
I strained to read it. I could make out the first few letters.
C-A-S…
Huh?
“Dr. D.!” I cried. “It’s not Dr. Ritter’s boat. It’s our boat! It’s
the Cassandra !”
Dr. D. squinted. “Yes!” he cried. “You’re right, Billy!”
We were safe! Sheena and I jumped up and danced around.
“We’re home! We’re home! We’re home!” we sang.
The lifeboat bounced under our feet. “Whoa!” I cried. We nearly tipped it
over!
“Sit down, kids,” Dr. D. said. “We’re two feet from safety. We don’t want to
drown now .”
We paddled the rubber raft to our boat and dragged ourselves aboard.
I was so tired. But I couldn’t help doing another little dance on the deck
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