“We have about thirty campers right now,” Melanie explained as they moved through the cafeteria line. Benny had piled his plate high with spaghetti and meatballs and was reaching for a slice of Key lime pie. “Most of them are kids, but we have a few adult guests, too.”
“I guess grown-ups like to learn about the ocean, just like we do,” said Soo Lee thoughtfully.
“That’s right.” Melanie paused and scanned the room. “You see that tall man with the beard sitting over by the window? That’s Nick Simon. He’s a marine biologist. That means he studies animals and plants that live in the ocean.”
“Could we meet him?” Benny asked eagerly. “I have a zillion questions I’d like to ask him about fish.”
“Sure,” Melanie said, making her way past long tables filled with tanned campers in T-shirts and shorts, all enjoying delicious dinners. “Follow me.”
A few minutes later, the Aldens were sitting down at a table with Nick Simon and a couple named Hilary and Joshua Slade, who ran a charter sailing company. Nick Simon was nice, but the Slades weren’t very friendly. It seemed as if they’d rather be sitting alone.
A thin young woman approached the table. “Is there room for one more?” she asked. She spoke rapidly as if she were a little nervous.
“Of course, Katherine,” Melanie said. “We would be delighted if you’d join us.” She turned to the Aldens. “This is Katherine Kelly. She’s an underwater photographer.”
“That must be fun,” Jessie said, biting into a piece of garlic bread.
Katherine Kelly shrugged. “Sometimes. I’m here to take some pictures of coral formations for an article in a nature magazine.”
“I guess you know that we have a long stretch of coral here in the Keys,” Melanie explained to the Aldens. “The reef runs a hundred and twenty-eight miles.” She turned to Benny. “You’ll get a chance to see some of it this week when we take a glass-bottom boat ride.”
“Will I get to see all those fish I read about?” he asked Henry. Grandfather had bought Benny a book on tropical fish before they left home, and they had read some of it every night before bed.
“I’m sure you will see lots of them,” Henry answered. “Which one is your favorite?”
“Oh, the car-wash fish,” Benny said promptly.
“The car-wash fish?” Melanie laughed. “I’ve never heard of that one, and I’ve lived down here all my life.”
“That’s just a name I made up,” Benny said. “It reminds me of a car wash. The fish all line up, and this really pretty blue fish cleans the tiny parasites off their bodies.” He turned to Nick Simon. “What’s the real name? I forget.”
Nick Simon looked uncomfortable. “It’s . . . well, that must be . . . ” He scratched his chin, and looked helplessly at Melanie. “I can’t seem to come up with the name of that fish.”
“You must mean the blue angel fish,” Melanie said slowly. Henry noticed that she looked a little taken aback. Nick Simon was a marine biologist. Surely he had heard of a blue angel fish?
“And I want to collect seashells,” Benny announced. “Lots of them.”
“Me too,” Violet added. “I like the ones that are pink and white. You can hold them up to your ear.”
“Oh, those are conch shells,” Katherine Kelly said. “You’d better not touch them. You can get slapped with a five-hundred-dollar fine for removing them.” She sounded annoyed.
“Five hundred dollars just for picking up a seashell?” Henry asked. He looked doubtful.
“She’s right,” Melanie assured him. “We have signs posted around Camp Coral to remind you. You’re not allowed to take any conch shells from the camp.” Her voice was very serious. “And you shouldn’t even touch the coral because the bacteria on your hand can kill it.”
“But my hands are clean!” Benny said. He held up his hands to show her, smiling proudly.
“I’m sure they are, Benny, but the slightest human touch can destroy an entire stand of coral that took thousands of years to grow,” Melanie insisted.
After dinner, the Aldens changed into bathing suits and joined Hilary and Joshua Slade and some other campers at the edge of the water. A boat was anchored at the shore, and Melanie was handing out plastic pails to everyone.
“What are we doing?” Soo Lee asked. “Are we going fishing?”
“Sort of. Each of you is going to collect specimens to keep in your aquarium. Just fill your pail with sea water, and step on the boat. I’ll explain more once we get going,” Melanie said.
“But I don’t even have an aquarium,” Benny protested.
“Oh, yes, you do.” Melanie grinned. “You have your very own aquarium with your name on it in the ocean studies room. I checked it this morning. Each of you has one.”
“My own aquarium!” Benny was excited. “What’s in it?”
“Well, nothing but salt water just yet. But I bet you’ll collect lots of exciting fish tonight.”
Violet looked doubtful. “What if we pick the wrong fish?” she asked. “What if they eat each other?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here to help you.” Melanie helped the campers into the boat. Then she cast off the thick rope that anchored it and signaled to a young man to start the engine.
They moved swiftly over the crystal water until Melanie signaled to stop the engine. “Let’s stop. It’s shallow here,” she said, jumping overboard. The water rose just past her knees. “You can collect some really pretty sponges, and there are plenty of algae and sea fans.”
“Ooh, there’s something spiky down there,” Violet said, peering nervously into the water.
“That’s a sea urchin. You can take him. He’ll do fine in your pail,” Melanie assured her.
When everyone had gathered sponges and sea grass, they all got back in the pontoon boat and then headed for another shallow area.
“Oh, I see what I want,” Soo Lee said as soon as the boat stopped. They were near the edge of a mangrove-lined shoreline. “It’s a starfish!” she said, jumping into the water to collect her prize.
“I found a horseshoe crab,” Henry said, plunging his hand underwater.
Benny had just used a net to capture a rainbow parrot fish when he noticed Joshua Slade grab something from the sandy sea bottom. He watched in amazement as the charter captain tucked it under his shirt. Was he really stuffing a fish inside his clothes? Why didn’t he drop it in his bucket of salt water?
Before he could say anything, Violet announced that she had found a live conch, and with Melanie’s permission, she placed it carefully in her pail.
“I thought we weren’t allowed to take those,” Hilary Slade objected.
“We return all the specimens to the ocean once we’ve studied them in the aquarium,” Melanie reassured her. “This conch will never leave Camp Coral. It will go right back where it came from.”
After the sun set, the group headed back to camp, where Melanie helped them set up their tanks. “You have a little free time now,” Melanie said. “But I’d suggest you turn in early. We have a big day tomorrow.”
“Your aquarium is beautiful,” Soo Lee said a few minutes later. Violet had just arranged a sea fan against the rear wall of her five-gallon tank. Her prized conch was settled on a pile of red algae and sea grass.
“Thanks. Melanie said he eats algae, so I’m hoping he’ll get hungry and come out.”
“Did Melanie tell you what a conch looks like?” Henry asked her. “Like a big brown tongue!”
After everyone had finished arranging their tanks, they emptied their pails of sea water and stacked them neatly in the storeroom. The Aldens left the classroom building and stepped into the balmy night air. There was a full moon, and a soft breeze rustled through the stately palms that fringed the grounds. A few of the staff members were building a fire on the beach, and someone was strumming a guitar.
“Do you want to join them on the beach?” Henry asked.
Benny gave an enormous yawn and Violet looked at Henry. “I think we should turn in. Benny looks like he’s going to fall asleep standing up.”
“I am not!” Benny said indignantly. He hated to go to bed because he never wanted to miss a moment’s fun. He clapped his hand over his mouth just as he started to yawn again.
“Time to say good night,” Henry said, steering his little brother toward the boys’ cabin.
An hour later, Benny was tucked into bed, his mind filled with memories of the ride out to the grass flats. Collecting fish had been a lot of fun, and he was very proud of his beautiful parrot fish. Suddenly he frowned. He really should tell Henry about Joshua Slade hiding a fish inside his shirt! That was the strangest thing he had ever seen. Unless, of course, it wasn’t a fish . . . but what else could it be? Before Benny could answer his own question, he drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, in the girls’ cabin, Violet sat up in bed and whispered, “Soo Lee, are you awake?”
“I am now,” Soo Lee answered with a laugh from the neighboring bed. “What’s wrong?”
“I just remembered something. Did you notice if I turned on the filter in my aquarium?”
“I’m pretty sure that you did,” Jessie said sleepily. “Didn’t it make kind of a whooshing noise?”
“I don’t know. I’m just not sure. If the filter isn’t on, there won’t be enough oxygen in the water.” She bit her lip. “I don’t know what to do.”
“There’s only one thing to do,” Jessie said. “If you don’t go back and check, you’re going to worry about it all night.”
“We’ll come with you,” Soo Lee offered. She reached for her robe.
Minutes later, the three girls made their way along the winding path to the classroom building. All the lights were out, but Violet was relieved to find the side door was unlocked. When Violet found the light switch, she hurried to the aquarium.
“See, I told you everything was okay,” Jessie called to her. “I can see the water bubbling from here.”
“Everything’s not okay,” Violet said in a trembly voice.
“What’s wrong?” Jessie asked as she and Soo Lee hurried to Violet’s side. Violet pointed wordlessly to her tank.
“Oh, no!” Soo Lee said. “Your beautiful conch shell is gone!” |