The Big Spill Rescue Read online

  “Well, I have to work!” Austin said. “I’m not retired like you. I can’t stay out fishing all night like you can.”

  “People go fishing at night?” asked Violet.

  Austin nodded. “That’s when the striped bass are most active.” He turned to the old man. “If I could stay out all night fishing, I would win for sure. But this will be my year anyway. You’ll see.”

  The older man shrugged. “I’ll believe it if I see it.” The man headed off to go fishing.

  Kayla talked with Austin for another minute about the competition. She was curious about how many fish were being caught. As the two talked, the Aldens watched boats come and go.

  Violet pointed out over the water. “Look at that one,” she said. “It doesn’t look like the others.”

  “Most of these boats are fishing boats,” said Henry. “But that one has a rounded front. It doesn’t look like it’s made to go fast. It has a big cabin though.”

  The boat captain must have seen them watching. She waved and gave a friendly smile. The children waved back.

  When Kayla was done talking to Austin, the group continued down the docks and onto the beach. As they walked a nice breeze blew off the ocean. It smelled sort of fishy.

  “It’s quieter here,” Violet said. “Peaceful.”

  “Yes,” Jessie agreed. “I’m surprised there aren’t more people on the beach. I guess it’s only May. Maybe it gets more crowded later in the summer.”

  “Most people stay closer to town,” Kayla said. “That’s good. You’ll see why in a minute.”

  In the distance the flat beach changed as low hills sprung up into dunes. The children spotted a sign ahead. When they got closer, Henry could read it. “‘Beach closed to vehicles,’” he read.

  “How can you close a whole beach?” Benny asked.

  “It means vehicles like cars are not allowed to go any farther,” Henry said.

  “I wouldn’t drive on the beach anyway.” Benny jumped in the sand. “It’s more fun to walk. The ground is squishy.”

  Henry read more of the sign. “It says there is a protected animal habitat ahead.”

  “Ooh, what kind of animal?” Violet asked.

  Before anyone could answer, an engine roared. It got louder and louder, making a whining sound. A red-and-black all-terrain vehicle came down the beach. Sand flew up from behind the wheels. Kayla hurried toward it, waving her arms.

  The ATV turned and skidded to a stop, spraying sand across Kayla’s legs. The driver wore a red-and-black helmet to match the ATV. She pulled off the helmet and her long brown hair spilled out.

  The woman said her name was Jenny Mitchell. “What’s the problem?” she asked.

  “The beach is closed here,” Kayla said. “You can’t take your vehicle any farther.”

  Jenny blew out a loud breath. “It’s so annoying!” She explained that she had been off-roading all around the world. “I came to Port Elizabeth because the sand dunes are supposed to be so awesome. But I’m not allowed to go anywhere!”

  Kayla crossed her arms. “We have to protect the beaches.”

  Jenny also crossed her arms. “Who are you, the nature police?”

  “I work for Protectors of Animals Worldwide,” said Kayla. “So basically, yes.” She pointed at the sign. “In any case, you can see the rules.”

  “All right, fine!” She grumbled as she headed back to her ATV. “I’ll have to find another way to make this lousy place interesting. Maybe I’ll try riding at night.” She jammed her helmet onto her head and sped back the way she came.

  Kayla glared after her. Finally, the ATV vanished from sight.

  “She didn’t seem very nice,” said Benny.

  “No, she didn’t. It’s a good thing this is here.” Jessie tapped the sign saying the beach was closed. The sign tipped to one side. “Whoops.”

  “It’s not easy to keep this upright in sand.” Kayla straightened the sign. She still looked concerned about the woman on the ATV. Then she brightened up. “Let’s keep going. We just might get to see the protected animals.”

  “What are they?” Violet asked.

  Kayla just smiled. “You’ll see.”

  Benny skipped ahead. “Maybe we can guess. Maybe we’re going to see…a huge whale! One of the really big ones.”

  “I don’t think they would close the beach for a whale,” Henry said. “The whale would stay in the ocean.”

  “What about a sea turtle?” Violet asked. “They come to shore sometimes.”

  Benny ran back to Kayla. “Is it a turtle? Did we get it right?”

  “No turtles and no whales.” Kayla pointed ahead. “Here we are.”

  A low fence stretched across the beach. It was made of up of small wire squares. Behind the fence the sand rose into dunes.

  “I don’t see anything,” Jessie said.

  “Nothing?” Kayla asked.

  “Well…” Jessie shaded her eyes against the sun. “I see sand dunes and some grass and wildflowers. I see some insects in the grass. That’s all.” She cocked her head. “I do hear something though. What’s making that sound?”

  They heard short, high-pitched whistles. Just then a little bird ran past on the sand. It had a pale gray back and a white breast. A ring of black ran around its neck. It almost blended into the sand behind it. Only the orange on its beak and legs stood out.

  “A little birdy!” said Violet.

  “That is a piping plover,” Kayla said. “And this is its nesting ground.”

  Benny giggled. “Piping plover, piping plover. That’s fun to say.”

  The bird moved in quick little darts, a few steps at a time. It grabbed something in the sand with its beak.

  “It must be eating bugs.” Benny made a face. “Yuck.” He liked almost every kind of snack, but not bugs! The birds could keep those.

  Another plover joined the first one.

  “They’re so small,” Jessie said. “Each one would fit in my hand. I’d like to hold one.”

  “Give it a better snack than bugs,” Benny suggested. “Maybe it will come to you.”

  “We have to keep our distance,” said Kayla. “This pair is getting ready to mate. Then they’ll nest. Hopefully there will be babies next month.”

  “That’s why the ATV couldn’t come this way,” Henry said.

  “Right,” said Kayla. “Even walking too close to their nest could disturb them. The fence helps protect them. If the birds don’t think it’s safe here, they might leave.”

  Benny put his hand on the fence. “All of this is just for two birds? Why are they so important?”

  “We have to protect all rare species, remember?” Henry said. “Big or small, cute or plain. They’re all important.”

  “Oh, right.” Benny peered between two boards. “Hi, little birds. Stay safe.”

  “That isn’t all,” Kayla said. “These birds also have a very important role on the beach. They are an indicator species.”

  Benny turned to her. “What’s an indy—that thing you said?”

  “An indicator species shows the health of the whole area,” she explained. “If that species is doing well, the area is probably doing well too. If the species is struggling, you have a problem. If the species is gone, it shows a big problem.”

  “They’re like an early warning signal,” Henry said. “If piping plovers are in trouble, the whole beach may be.”

  “Exactly,” Kayla said. “That’s why we watch these plovers carefully. We want them to survive. We also want to see what they tell us about all the other plants and animals here.”

  “Are piping plovers endangered?” Violet asked.

  Kayla nodded. “Yes, and they almost went extinct. At one time, there were fewer than eight hundred pairs on the whole Atlantic coast. Finally people decided to protect them. Now there are more than two thousand pairs. See? Conservation can work—if we work at it.”

  “That’s good.” Violet pulled out her sketchbook. She wanted to remember these birds. br />
  “Our work isn’t done though,” Kayla added. “The birds face the same dangers as before. Too many beaches and shorelines are getting developed with buildings, destroying their habitat. Also, pets like cats and dogs can attack the birds, and people can disturb the dunes. The fence helps our little friends stay safe.”

  One bird flew over the sand dunes. He called with a shrill, piping note.

  “That’s the male,” Kayla said. “He’s telling the female he’d like to be her mate.”

  The male bird landed a few feet away from the female. He crept closer. Once he was nearby, he stood upright with his neck stretched out. He raised his feet one at a time, kicking high.

  Violet laughed. “He looks like he’s marching.”

  The female moved away from him slowly. He followed.

  Violet sketched some sand dunes behind the birds in her picture. Then she waved good-bye as the birds ran back among the dunes. Violet was happy the work Kayla was doing seemed to be helping the plovers. She hoped they would continue to stick around—not only for their sake, but for the whole beach’s.

  CHAPTER 3

  A Perfect View

  On the way back to town, the Aldens continued to explore. The area wasn’t blocked off, so they went into the dunes. They found all kinds of plants growing right out of the sand. Kayla explained that the plants had slowly changed over many, many years to live there. They had adapted to the soil.

  “Plants and animals need the right habitat,” Kayla said. “Some can only live in wet rain forests. Others only live in dry deserts. These plants and animals are perfect for this place.”

  “People are animals too,” Jessie said.

  “That’s right,” Kayla agreed. “People have adapted to live many places. That makes us special. We also like to change the places where we live. We build houses. We pave roads and parking lots. We have offices and huge stores. These changes help us stay comfortable, but they can also cause harm. The animals and plants living there might not like the changes. It might be harder for them to survive.”

  Benny smiled up at her. “That’s why people like you try to help the animals. And me too someday!”

  Kayla smiled back. “The animals will be happy to have your help.”

  In the dunes, Violet drew more pictures. Jessie made notes. Henry helped Benny climb up the steep slopes. Finally, they were tired and hungry. They emptied sand from their shoes and went back to town to meet Grandfather and Mr. Young at a restaurant for dinner.

  When they were done eating, Benny patted his stomach. “I am full! Unless there’s dessert. I still have room for dessert.”

  Grandfather laughed. “Maybe later. Before that, I have a surprise for you. But we need to hurry to get there in time.”

  The Aldens said good-bye to Kayla and her father and got into Grandfather’s car.

  “What’s the surprise?” Benny asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

  “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Grandfather said.

  “It could be a phone call to Mrs. McGregor and Watch,” Jessie said. She missed their housekeeper and their dog back in Greenfield.

  Henry sat in the front seat. He turned back to look at his siblings. “Grandfather said we had to hurry. That means this thing happens at a certain time.”

  “Not calling Mrs. McGregor then,” Jessie said.

  They drove down the road that ran near the coast. Sometimes they could see the ocean. At other times, the sand dunes blocked the view.

  “It could be a movie or a play,” Violet said.

  Henry shook his head. “A movie or play would be in town. We’re going away from where people live.”

  They knew they would find out the surprise soon. Still, it was fun to try to solve this little mystery.

  The sun dropped lower in the sky. It turned the sand dunes golden. Light sparkled on the ocean.

  “Oh, look!” Henry said from the front passenger seat. “A lighthouse!”

  The other children leaned forward to see better. “It looks pink,” Violet said. “That’s because the sun is low. I bet it’s really white.”

  Grandfather turned off the main road. He drove down a short, winding road toward the lighthouse.

  “Grandfather!” Jessie said. “Is the lighthouse our surprise?”

  Grandfather pulled into a parking space. “That’s right. We’re going to watch the sunset from the top!”

  The children piled out of the car. They looked up at the lighthouse a short distance away. It was so tall! They would have a great view from the top.

  A man walked toward them from the lighthouse and met them at a gate. He opened it and shook hands with Grandfather.

  “Children, this is Robert Williams,” Grandfather said. “He will be our tour guide.” He introduced the four children.

  Mr. Williams seemed to be about Grandfather’s age. But he had dark circles under his brown eyes, which made him look even older.

  “We’d best hurry if you want to see sunset,” he said with a yawn. “We have to go up a lot of steps.”

  The children wanted to run ahead to the lighthouse, but they slowed down to keep pace with Mr. Williams and Grandfather. Mr. Williams opened the lighthouse door with a key. He put his hand over his mouth to cover another yawn. “Excuse me. I haven’t been sleeping well.”

  Inside the lighthouse their footsteps echoed as they entered a round room. Stairs with a metal handrail led up and up and up in a spiral.

  Benny stood in the center of the room. He turned in a circle as he looked up at the spiraling stairs. “I’m getting dizzy!”

  Grandfather ruffled his hair. “Then stop turning in circles.”

  “I like getting dizzy,” Benny said, spinning one more time.

  Mr. Williams looked at his watch. “We should move along.” He started up the steps, and the children got in line behind him.

  A few steps up, Mr. Williams paused. His breathing was loud. He moved to the side. “Maybe you children should go on ahead. I thought I was in good shape before I started this job. I walked a couple of miles every day. Turns out that’s different from all these steps.”

  “Should we go ahead?” Jessie asked Grandfather.

  “Yes, just be careful and don’t touch anything.” Grandfather stayed behind with Mr. Williams as the children went on up. It was a lot of steps! Henry counted 217 of them.

  Finally, they reached the top and entered a large room with glass walls.

  Jessie pointed to a big glass structure in the center of the room. “That must be the light.” It was taller than any of them! “I wouldn’t want to be here when the light was on,” she said. “It must be very bright.”

  They waited quietly until Mr. Williams and Grandfather joined them. When they arrived Mr. Williams took a minute to catch his breath.

  “Let’s see,” Mr. Williams said once he was ready. “We’re in the lantern room. The tower is brick, but as you see, this room is made of glass in metal frames. The panes must be kept clean so ships at sea can see the light at night.”

  Benny pointed. “I see a ship out there right now.”

  “More than one,” Henry said. “They are really far away though.”

  Benny turned to Mr. Williams. “Will they come close? We could look down at a ship and wave to people!”

  “They’d better not come close!” Mr. Williams said. “Port Elizabeth is too small for that kind of traffic. Those ships go to bigger ports along the coast.”

  Jessie stood close to the glass and peered out. “One small boat is closer to us,” she said. “It’s that old-fashioned boat we saw earlier.”

  Mr. Williams looked out too. “Oh yes, that’s Linda Tanaka’s tugboat.”

  “Of course,” Henry said. “We were wondering what it was. Tugboats help bigger boats move by pushing or pulling them, if I remember correctly.”

  Benny grinned at his big brother. “Like you help me by pushing me on the swings?”

  “Something like that,” Henry said. “Some of the b
ig ships can’t come to shore safely on their own. The tugboat pushes them to the dock.”

  “That’s right,” Mr. Williams said. “Around here, the really big ships can’t dock at all. The water isn’t deep enough, and they would damage the shoreline. The tugboat brings supplies to the big ships. They stay out in the ocean where it’s deep. Linda has been running that tugboat for years.” He paused to yawn again.

  “Port Elizabeth is more of a fishing town,” Grandfather said.

  “We met a man in the fishing competition,” Jessie said. “He was fishing for striped bass.”

  “Half the town is in that competition,” Mr. Williams said. “They’re out day and night trying to catch the biggest one.”

  “Are you in the fishing competition?” Henry asked. “Is that why you’re so tired?”

  “I’m tired because I’m up all night.” Mr. Williams yawned. “But not because I’m fishing. I started this job last week, and I live in the lighthouse keeper’s house down on the point. That light is so bright! I don’t know if I can get used to living so close by.”

  “I guess you have to be nearby,” Henry said. “If anything goes wrong, you need to fix it right away.”

  “Yes,” Benny said. “Otherwise one of those big ships might crash.” He smacked his hands together and made a crashing sound.

  Mr. Williams leaned on the railing. “Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about that. Big ships like that are run by electronics these days. Computers tell them exactly where they are. They can run in the dark or in a storm. Nothing slows them down.”

  “So you don’t have to stay up all night?” Jessie asked. “You don’t have to make sure the light is working?”

  “Nope,” he said. “It’s all automatic these days. The light runs itself. I’ll give my tours during the day. I’ll sleep at night, if I can ever get used to the light, that is. Now, would you like to step out to the catwalk?”

  Benny looked all around. “You have cats up here?”

  Mr. Williams laughed. “The catwalk is the platform outside. It goes around this room. That’s how they clean the windows.”

  Violet peered outside. “Is it dangerous?”