CLICKS - The Dolphin Prophecy

CHAPTER 1

I inhaled deeply and shut my eyes, seeing the location of the dolphins clearly in my mind. They frolicked in the riptide off towards the open ocean. They heard us calling them but did not swim closer to watch. For maximum success, we needed them to join our swim. My heart churned as I realized now, that was all up to me.

I wondered how on earth I’d reach them with my low, scratchy voice. Speaking loudly never worked well for me. Then, I heard their noises change as they went under the surface to play and swim even further from us.

You can do this, clicked Mica, straight into my brain. Slow and low. He said the syllables silently, emphasizing all the proper points for inflection. With this info, I realized that Stoney hadn’t repeated it perfectly. Somehow Mica had already learned which tones to pay attention to.

I repeated it silently then spoke it as loudly as possible. My voice lacked volume but I added energy by sending vibrations swirling through my bones, through the rocks and into the water, hoping to reach the dolphins below the surface.

They reacted instantly, repeating the clicks and whistles I made sound for sound. Quickly they moved towards me, churning through the thirty-foot sea waves that made Pinhold a famous surfing spot.  

“Again!” Stoney said, insistently.

So I listened, repeating myself five more times, until the dolphins came right into the bay. The mood shifted and I opened my eyes to the pure joy of their arrival. As if sensing my attention, the huge pod began playing and showing off in the waves.   They flipped, jumped and twisted in the air—showing off with glee.

“Well done,” Stoney said, looking proud of us all. “Now, go join the guardians of the sea for the traditional swim.”

I took a second to appreciate their silvery grey bodies moving before I dove off the rocks, getting in the water first. While everyone in The Guard would swim, only those of us pledging for the first time tonight had anything to prove.  

The inky-black water surrounding me hid silvery bodies darting around. They brushed against me, skin like neoprene, swimming in front, behind, churning the water to actually move me along. I stayed under with them as long as I could, reluctant to give up my primo spot for something as ordinary as air. When I finally surfaced, a dolphin with skin brighter than the others stopped, raised her head and stared. It felt like she recognized me, but I know I’d never seen her before.

But I’d heard of her, of course. White dolphins played a large role in Pinhold mythology. Based on her size and age, she was the elusive albino born the month before me. I never believed that she actually existed.

She dove back under the water and  I followed without taking enough oxygen. Underwater, she nudged me forward, and, as I picked up speed, she came alongside me. Her smooth movement created a slipstream, a pocket in the liquid that let me stay right up against her. I focused on staying with her as we moved in front of the crowd and lost track of all the other dolphins, and the people too.

Underwater, time passed differently. I didn’t realize that I had forgotten to breathe until I landed next to the dolphin on some jagged rocks, gasping for air. I couldn’t move my body, no matter what I tried.

A sharp fragment of rock dug into that soft indented space behind my ear. Blood—the dolphin's and mine—mixed in the water between us, and she looked wan, instead of just pale white.  I got worried. She flopped her tail a few times, unable to get off of the rock. When I moaned in pain, she stopped doing that and looked right at me with one eye. In order to do that, she had to turn her head to the side. I blinked for a second, breaking the stare when I felt her pulse. I knew it was there. It came through my skin and into my bones, right to the spot that hurt the worst. At once, the blood clotted and the pain stopped. But, I was still stranded too far away for anyone near the beach bonfire to see.