Read the story.

The Dolphin

Greta and Ami had planned to kayak in Bluefish Bay. The day was warm and sunny. But Ami was sick and couldn’t go out. Greta’s parents usually didn’t let her paddle alone. Today, though, Dad said it looked pretty safe. She just had to bring a life jacket.

So Greta took off, enjoying the freedom of the solo trip in the bright sunshine. At first she didn’t notice when a sudden strong wind blew. But waves rose and fell, almost tipping her out of her kayak. The water turned dark. The wind grew. Rain began to pour. Greta paddled harder.

The wind was blowing her towards a huge, sharp rock. Greta’s arms were tired. She could barely keep paddling. The rock grew closer and closer.

Suddenly she saw it. A dolphin! It jumped out of the water. It seemed to be playing. Greta had heard stories of dolphins saving people in storms. She didn’t believe them. Still, the dolphin did make her feel safer.

Now the dolphin stopped jumping. It swam ahead of the kayak. Right before Greta reached the rock, the dolphin pushed the kayak away from danger. Greta sighed with relief as the kayak slid by the sharp rock. But then she saw the dolphin was herding her into a narrow bay.

The bay was lined with cliffs. Now Greta was heading straight for a wall of rock. She saw nowhere to land, only steep rock walls. The wind was blowing her towards the wall. She was going to smash into the cliff!

But the dolphin turned sharply. Greta sucked in her breath and followed, fighting the wind. Now she saw where the dolphin was leading her. A small rocky beach lay just ahead. Greta paddled hard for a few final strokes.

With one last pull, Greta made it to the shore. The waves were pounding, but she pulled the kayak out of the water and plopped down onto the beach. Now she’d be safe until the storm passed and she could paddle home.

She remembered the dolphin. Looking back out to sea, she saw her friend jump into the air. It flipped, splashed and disappeared. ‘Thank you!’ Greta yelled, jumping up and down and waving. She hoped the dolphin had heard her.

Now she knew those old stories were true. Just wait till she told Ami!