A Daring Rescue Read online

  Daddy had taught Abby all about herbs and other plants over the years. She spotted the mint immediately. Before she could bend down to pick it, though, she saw a flash of bright blue out of the corner of her eye.

  She spun around. “Bogart?” she whispered, squinting into the forest.

  There! Between the trees, she’d seen another flash of blue and gold. It was the missing macaw—it had to be!

  Abby rushed forward, pushing her way into the moonlit forest. Which way had Bogart gone?

  Suddenly, a loud squawk rang out from deeper in the trees. The bird sounded scared!

  “It’s okay, Bogart!” Abby called. “I’m coming!”

  She raced down the deer trail. There were a couple more terrified shrieks from the bird, though she still couldn’t see him.

  Before she knew it, she burst out into a clearing. It was Dolphin Cove! Abby had been so distracted that she hadn’t really noticed which way she was heading.

  But now she saw where she was—and that she wasn’t alone. Bella stood at the edge of the water. She wasn’t looking at the dolphins, though they were bobbing in the waves just offshore. Instead, she was staring into the underbrush.

  “Oh!” Abby blurted out, suddenly nervous about facing her friend—or ex-friend?

  Bella spun around. But she didn’t look mad—just anxious.

  “I just saw a raccoon chasing after a big blue parrot,” she told Abby, pointing into the woods a few yards from where she was standing. “I think the bird might be injured. We have to help it!”

  Abby forgot all about her fight with Bella. “That’s Bogart!” she cried. “I thought he sounded scared—now I know why. That raccoon wants to eat him for dinner!”

  “Come on.” Bella was already hurrying toward the woods. “Grab a stick or something. Maybe we can scare off the raccoon. But be careful—they can be mean!”

  “Okay.” Abby grabbed the thickest stick she could find. Then she followed her friend into the woods.

  It was much darker under the trees. Spooky shadows seemed to dart around the girls’ feet, though Abby told herself they were probably made by cute little lizards or frogs.

  “Bogart!” she called. “Are you in here?”

  A loud squawk rang out from just ahead. “This way!” Bella said. “There they are!”

  Abby spotted them, too. Bogart was flapping along the ground, dragging one wing. “You’re right—he definitely looks injured!” she exclaimed. “Hey, you mean bully,” she called out to the raccoon. “Leave him alone!”

  The raccoon stopped and spun around. That gave the macaw a chance to flap away out of sight. The raccoon chattered angrily at the girls, then darted off in the same direction.

  “Oh no,” Bella said. “He’s still after the parrot! I think they went this way …”

  Abby followed close behind her. Just ahead they both could hear the animals crashing through the underbrush.

  “Now they’re turning that way, I think.” Abby pointed off to the right.

  Bella nodded and changed directions. There was a big clump of thorny vines in the way, and it took them a few moments to carefully step around them. By that time, the sounds were fading a little. But then another squawk rang out.

  Abby tilted her head, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Somehow, noises sounded different in the dark. “I think they’re heading toward the cove again,” she said.

  “I think you’re right.” Bella was already changing directions. “Let’s go!”

  Soon the girls burst back into the clearing. Abby gasped. The raccoon was there—and he was creeping toward Bogart! The macaw edged toward the water, still dragging his injured wing.

  “Quit that!” Bella cried.

  “Let’s go!” Abby brandished her stick and stepped forward. But Bella stopped her.

  “Don’t get too close,” she warned. “If that raccoon hasn’t run away by now, he’s not scared of us. He might bite if we go over there.”

  Abby knew Bella was right. But they couldn’t let him grab the poor macaw!

  Bogart crept just out of reach. But he was running out of space. He hopped up onto the first of the line of rocks that jutted out into the water. The raccoon followed.

  “Uh-oh,” Bella said. “Now he’s trapped on that little spit!”

  She was right. The raccoon blocked the only path back to dry land. “Too bad Bogart can’t swim like the dolphins,” Abby said. Then her eyes widened as she got an idea.

  She pursed her lips—and let out a loud whistle! The raccoon jumped and spun around again.

  “That won’t stop him for long,” Bella said. Sure enough, the raccoon soon crawled out across one of the rocks, then another.

  “I know.” Abby was watching the water. She smiled when Rascal’s head popped up. She whistled again, and the dolphin zoomed closer—sending a wave of water over the rocky spit!

  Bella gasped as Bogart was washed into the cove. “Oh no!” she cried.

  “Oh yes.” Abby kicked off her shoes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the raccoon dashing off into the forest, looking wet and disgruntled. “Now we can rescue Bogart!”

  She rushed into the shallows. But Bella grabbed her arm.

  “You can’t go in there!” she cried. “It’s nighttime, and you don’t have a life jacket or anything! Anyway, I can’t see the bird anywhere.”

  Abby couldn’t see Bogart, either. But the dolphins were gathering in one spot near the end of the spit, their gray heads bobbing in the dim light.

  She fished her phone out of her pocket. “Here,” she said, turning it on and handing it to Bella. “If anything happens, use this to call someone.”

  Without waiting for a response, she plunged into the dark water.

  Swimming in the dark was scary, especially when Abby felt something brush past her leg. But she relaxed when a slender gray shape appeared beside her. It was Graygirl.

  “Help me find Bogart, okay?” Abby whispered.

  The dolphin swam closer, nudging her a little to the left. Abby went the way the dolphin was pushing her. A second later, she saw Rascal’s head pop up. He let out a whistle, then disappeared underwater again.

  Now Abby saw the rest of the pod just ahead. She swam toward them. When she got closer, she saw Nana nosing at something—a limp blue form in the water.

  It was Bogart! A second later, Neptune swam in and nosed at the bird, too. Bogart let out a weak squawk and flapped one waterlogged wing. Next, Domino nudged at him, turning him slightly so his head stayed above water.

  Suddenly, Abby understood what was happening. They’re helping him! she thought in awe. The dolphins are working together to keep Bogart from sinking!

  Abby pushed gently past Domino. “Excuse me, guys,” she said as she treaded water. “I’ve got him, okay?”

  She reached out carefully. The macaw squawked and flopped when she touched him. But she was able to grab him around the breast, which felt surprisingly slender and light beneath the wet feathers. Finally, Bogart relaxed.

  “Thank you,” he squawked.

  Abby was so surprised she almost dropped him. “You talk!” she exclaimed.

  She half expected him to reply, “Why, yes, of course I do, you silly girl!”

  Instead, he let out a soft coo, then said, “Thank you, thank you, you’re welcome!”

  Abby smiled, suddenly remembering that some parrots could be trained to say a few words. “Yes, you are—very welcome,” she said. “Now let’s get you back to shore so you can dry off. Coming, guys?”

  She glanced at the dolphins surrounding her, all of them bobbing quietly in the dark water. When she started swimming carefully back to shore with one arm, Bogart clutched in the other, she wasn’t alone. The entire pod flanked her until the water got too shallow for them to go any farther.

  * * *

  A little over an hour later, Abby’s hair was almost dry and everyone at the resort had calmed down a little. As soon as Abby had plunged into the water, Bella had called
Abby’s parents because she was too scared to wait. Daddy and Rachel had arrived moments after Abby emerged with Bogart. Right behind them were Sofia, one of the maids, and most of the other guests.

  As soon as Sofia got a look at the bird, she’d confirmed that it was, indeed, Bogart, the missing blue-and-gold macaw that Carlos had mentioned. Then she’d called a friend from Key West who was a vet. He’d promised to come out by boat immediately to take a look at the bird’s wing and make sure his time in the water hadn’t harmed him.

  While they waited in the dining pavilion for the vet to arrive, Abby’s parents reminded her that swimming without an adult was dangerous. That was why it was a rule. But they agreed not to punish her for breaking it—this time.

  “But only because it was for a good cause,” Rachel said, giving Bogart a pat.

  Abby’s father nodded. “Next time, though …”

  “Don’t worry, Daddy,” Abby said quickly. “There won’t be a next time. I promise.”

  After that, Sofia told the entire group the same story Carlos had told Abby. And since his previous owner didn’t want him back, Abby’s parents agreed that Bogart would make an outstanding mascot for their resort.

  “You’ll have to help me build him a shelter,” Abby’s father had warned her. “It’ll be quite a project. And you’ll have to learn how to take care of him properly. You can ask the vet about the basics, then do more research online.”

  “I will,” Abby said, stroking Bogart on his sleek blue head. The macaw perched on the table in front of her. His wing still hung awkwardly, but he looked much calmer now that a mean raccoon wasn’t stalking him. He even managed to peck at some berries Sofia had brought him from the kitchen. “I can’t believe I finally have a pet!” Abby said as she watched him.

  Rachel chuckled. “You certainly found a dramatic way to get him,” she joked. “You’re a lucky bird, Bogart.”

  “I’m a pretty bird,” Bogart replied in his hoarse, funny voice.

  Everyone laughed. “You certainly are,” Bella’s aunt said.

  Mrs. Smith-Patel glanced around at the resort, which looked peaceful beneath the milky light of the moon. “This has certainly been a honeymoon to remember,” she said. “Maybe we should come back for our first anniversary.”

  Her husband nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “We’ll be glad to have you back anytime,” Daddy said. “Everyone is welcome here at Dolphin Island Family Resort.” He winked at Abby.

  She smiled. Her father had finally done it—he’d come up with the perfect name for the business! And once everyone heard about the friendly dolphin pod, Abby was sure people would come from far and wide to visit!

  Daddy turned to Rachel and said something about clearing a more direct path to the cove right away. Rachel wanted to put in some benches where people could sit to watch the dolphins.

  “But we’ll want to keep it as natural as possible,” she added. “It’s such a lovely place as it is.”

  Abby nodded her agreement. She loved hearing their plans, but she was a little distracted. Bella hadn’t said much since they got back to the resort. Right now she sat across the table from Abby, watching Bogart eat.

  Abby stood up and walked over to her. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”

  “Sure.” Bella followed her to the edge of the pavilion, out of earshot of the adults.

  Then she sat down on the steps facing the beach. Abby sat beside her.

  “So are you still mad at me?” she blurted out. “About telling the secret, I mean.”

  Bella looked down at her feet. Then she shot Abby a sidelong look. “I guess not,” she said. “Maybe you were right about sharing the dolphins. I was just worried that bringing lots of people to the cove would change things too much.”

  “Sometimes change is good.” Abby shrugged. “Anyway, I only told Daddy and Rachel because I thought it would help the resort. And I was worried.”

  Bella looked surprised. “Worried about what?”

  Abby told her what she’d overheard her parents saying about needing more guests. “… so I thought the dolphins would make more people want to come here,” she finished.

  “They definitely will,” Bella said with a nod. She bit her lip. “I just hope …”

  Abby guessed what she was thinking. “Don’t worry, my parents will be careful not to hurt the dolphins. Rachel even said they want to keep the cove as natural as they can.”

  “I know.” Bella glanced over her shoulder toward the others. “They’re really cool. I’m sorry I acted like a jerk.”

  “You didn’t!” Abby assured her. “And I’m really sorry, too. I should have talked to you before I told them about the cove.” She shrugged. “Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain—at least that’s what Daddy says.”

  Bella giggled. “That’s funny. My mom says I think so much I sometimes forget to talk.”

  “Really?” Abby grinned. “Maybe it’s a good thing we became friends. We balance each other out!” She shot the other girl a questioning look. “We are friends, right?”

  “Yes,” Bella said without hesitation. “We’re definitely friends. And we might be opposites, but at least we have one thing in common—dolphins!”

  “Yeah!” Abby cheered. She peered out at the moonlit lagoon. “Hey, speaking of dolphins …”

  Bella turned to look, too. Then she gasped. “It’s them!” she said. “I think it’s our pod!”

  Abby just nodded, watching as several sleek gray shapes leaped and played in the clear water. She was pretty sure she recognized Rascal, Graygirl, Domino …

  “Maybe they came to check on Bogart,” Bella said.

  “Maybe.” Impulsively, Abby reached over to give her new friend a hug. “Or maybe they’re just excited to be a part of Dolphin Island Family Resort—like us!”

  Read on to discover how the adventures

  at Dolphin Island continues!

  Abby Feingold stepped out of the woods into the sheltered cove. The water was calm, ruffled only slightly by the breeze coming off the ocean.

  “Anybody here?” Abby called. She took another step toward the rocky shore’s edge. “Dolphins? Yoo-hoo!”

  She let out a loud whistle. A second later, a sleek gray head popped into view.

  Abby smiled. “Rascal!” she called. “I’m glad the weather report didn’t scare you away.”

  A gust of wind blew her wavy brown hair into her face. Abby pushed it back, squinting out at the dolphin. He was bobbing in the water, watching her with his big, dark eyes. Where were the others?

  She got her answer a moment later when five more dolphins popped into sight. One of them, Echo, leaped up and dove back into the water with a splash.

  Abby laughed. “Do it again,” she called, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “I told Daddy and Rachel I’d take some photos for the resort’s website.”

  Abby lived on Barnaby Key, a small island in the Florida Keys. The island had been a wedding gift from a relative to her father and brand-new stepmother. Now Abby, Daddy, and Rachel lived there full-time and ran Dolphin Island Family Resort. The resort had only been open for a month, but Abby already couldn’t imagine living anywhere else! She especially loved the cove, and the pod of dolphins that came there every day. She and her friend Bella had named all of the dolphins: Rascal, Echo, Domino, Graygirl, Nana, and Neptune.

  Abby snapped some photos of the dolphins playing. They dove and jumped, doing flips and twists in the air or skimming along just below the surface. She laughed as Neptune did a loud belly flop. Just then another gust of wind almost blew the phone out of her hand.

  “Wow,” she said to Graygirl, who was floating near the shore. “I guess the hurricane must be getting closer.”

  She frowned, a little worried. She wasn’t afraid of hurricanes—as a lifelong Florida girl, she had been through several. But she wasn’t sure how a hurricane would affect the island and its wildlife, including the dolphins.

  Then she shrugged off her worri
es. “Oh well,” she murmured. “The forecasters don’t even know if the storm is coming toward us or not.”

  Just then the phone buzzed in her hand. It was a text from Rachel:

  Guests heading out soon—come back if u want to say bye!

  “Oops.” Abby realized she’d lost track of the time. That happened a lot when she was at the cove! “Sorry, guys,” she called to the dolphins. “I have to go.”

  Echo let out a soft whistle, as if he understood what she had said. Abby smiled and whistled back. Then she turned and hurried into the woods, following the familiar trail among the palm, gumbo limbo, and buttonwood trees.

  A few minutes later, she emerged into a large open area. At the center stood the main house. Six guest bungalows were scattered across the beautiful grounds. Daddy had worked as a landscaper back on the mainland, and he still loved getting his hands dirty planting all sorts of beautiful flowers, vines, and shrubs.

  The house faced a sheltered lagoon with crystal-blue water and a white sand beach. At one end of the beach was the dock where Abby’s family kept their motorboat, the Kismet. Daddy and Rachel used the boat to take guests back and forth between the resort and Key West, a large, busy island with an airport and lots of shops and restaurants, which was about three miles away.

  At the moment, Daddy was fiddling with the ropes tying the boat to the pilings. The departing guests were waiting to board. Some stood on the dock with their suitcases, while others were taking a few final photos on the beach or beneath the majestic palms.

  Rachel and some of the resort employees were there, too, chatting with the guests or helping with the luggage. Abby also spotted Carlos Alvarez, the eight-year-old nephew of Sofia, the resort’s head cook. Occasionally, Carlos took the boat out with her from Key West, where they both lived, and spent the day on Barnaby Key.

  “Hey, Carlos,” Abby said, hurrying over. “Are you leaving already? I was hoping you could help us clean up everything before next week’s guests get here.”