Catching Waves (4 page)

The first hours of school the next day dragged on endlessly for Kai. Finally, it was lunchtime — and time for him to put his
plan into action. He wolfed down his sandwich then asked one of the lunch room monitors for permission to use the bathroom.
But instead of going to the lavatory, he tiptoed into the library computer room.

The lights in the room were off. Kai crossed to the terminal farthest from the door and switched on the monitor. The screen
glowed bright blue in the darkened room. Kai glanced nervously over his shoulder, certain he’d see a librarian bearing down
on him and demanding to see his permission slip. But he was alone.

Every student had a password that gave them access to the school’s network and the Internet. Kai typed quickly and in a matter
of moments had a long list of Web sites containing the words “Sunny” and
“surfing.” He clicked on the first one and began reading.

Ten minutes later, he sat back and rubbed his eyes. He’d gone through six articles about surfing. All mentioned a talented
up-and-coming surfer named Sunny and how she’d dropped out of the sport without explanation. Kai had hoped to see pictures,
but so far the articles had been text only. He checked his watch and saw that he had only five minutes left before he needed
to get to his next class. He leaned forward and clicked on the seventh article.

At that moment, the computer room was flooded with light. Kai spun around in his chair and came face-to-face with the head
librarian.

“Oh, uh, hi, Ms. Kerns,” he mumbled. “I — I was just, um, just … leaving?”

M
s. Kerns folded her arms across her chest and looked down her nose at Kai. “Tell me, Mr. Ford, what is so important for you
to do on the computer that you had to break my rules?”

Kai hung his head. He knew Ms. Kerns was a stickler for rules. But she also had a reputation for being fair. Kai decided to
appeal to her good side.

“My own computer is busted or else I would have waited until I got home to do this research,” he said, hoping the word “research”
would soften her up a bit.

Ms. Kerns eyeballed the list of articles he’d pulled up. She drummed her fingers against her arm. She seemed to be considering
something. Kai’s hopes rose. Maybe he wouldn’t be given two days of detention after all.

“I’ll tell you what, Kai,” she said finally. “Since this is your first offense, I’m willing to make a deal with you.”

Kai suddenly felt apprehensive.
What kind of a deal would a librarian want to make? Would he have to read a whole stack of books? Or shelve a countless number
of titles? Or worse yet, read a story aloud to a group of first graders
? He’d heard of other kids doing that — it sounded horrifying to him.

“As you may know, I am the advisor for the school magazine.”

The school magazine was a twice-monthly publication put together by students.
It featured articles on school and community activities, interviews with teachers, and a list of upcoming events. Kai hadn’t
known Ms. Kerns worked with the students on it, but he nodded as if he did.

“It just so happens we are short one article this issue,” Ms. Kerns continued. “So here’s the deal: you write a 1000-word
piece on surfing for the magazine, to be delivered to my desk no later than Friday after school, and I’ll overlook the fact
that you broke into my computer room. Agreed?”

Kai gulped. Two days of detention suddenly didn’t seem so bad! Then he remembered about the surf contest. He wanted to get
in as much practice time as he could between now and the competition. Detention took place after school — prime surfing time.
He couldn’t afford to spend two afternoons sitting in study hall instead of
riding the waves. On the other hand, he could research and write the article after supper, when he wasn’t allowed to surf.

He realized Ms. Kerns was waiting for an answer. “Uh, is there anything particular about surfing you want me to write about?”
he asked.

Ms. Kerns smiled. “Just so long as it is interesting, informative, and factual, not simply a story about what it feels like
to surf, you may write what you wish.” Just then a bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period. “Okay, Kai, off you go. I
look forward to reading your work.”

By the end of school that day, Kai was still trying to figure out what he’d write about. When he stepped outside, the sun
was shining, there was a stiff breeze, and his surfboard and gear were ready and waiting in the back of his father’s truck.

I’ll just go surfing for a little while
, he told himself as he veered toward the shore.
I’ll work out the article when I get home
.

Kai loved going surfing right after school. Unlike the weekends, the ocean wasn’t crowded with surfers and he could usually
get in a good number of runs without having to wait too long.

When he hit the beach that afternoon, he was happy to see that only a few other people were riding the waves. He soon realized
why, however. The surf was choppier than usual. That meant surfing was going to be more difficult. But Kai didn’t care. He
had a contest coming up. The more practice he got in, the better.

He changed quickly in the bathhouse and then grabbed his board and ran into the surf. He planned to work on a series of three
moves to do for the upcoming competition. He’d start with a bottom turn,
gaining speed as he hurtled up the wave. Then he’d launch into a double grab air off the lip. And finally, assuming he was
still standing after grabbing the rails, he’d try a tailside reentry, coasting back down the wave looking over his shoulder.

He went over each move in his head as he paddled out to the lineup. He did a few easy runs to get the feel of the day’s waves.
After his third ride, he was ready to try the tricks. He dangled his legs in the surf, watching for his turn and working hard
to keep his balance in the choppy water.

Just then, he heard someone call his name. He glanced around and saw Vaughn paddling toward him.

Kai felt a stab of uneasiness. He wondered if Vaughn was still mad about the other day. A close look at his friend’s face
told him he was.

“I’ve been looking for you,” the other boy
said, his voice laced with anger. “You really goofed things up for my cousin on Saturday, you know! Not only did you mess
up his surf time, but someone almost stole his board!”

Kai opened his mouth to apologize. Then suddenly he felt something nudge his foot. He looked down and saw a large shadowy
shape swim beneath him. A moment later a triangular fin cut the surface of the water then disappeared beneath the waves. Before
his brain could process what he was seeing, he heard Vaughn gasp a single word that turned his blood to ice.

“
Shark
!”

K
ai pulled his legs out of the water as quickly as he could. Vaughn did the same. Heart pounding, Kai knelt on his board, clinging
tightly as waves rocked him from side to side and threatened to dump him into the cold ocean. He searched the sea, but the
shifting surface made it difficult to see into the depths below.

Then he saw it — a torpedo shape rising up toward him. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for dagger-like teeth to sink into
his board and topple him helplessly into the surf.

Instead, he heard a loud puffing sound. A gentle mist that smelled faintly of fish wet his face. His eyes flew open and he
found himself staring into a shiny, blue black eye. A moment later the eye — and the sleek body attached to it — disappeared
beneath the waves.

Kai almost sobbed with relief. The creature wasn’t a shark. Shark eyes were flat and dull, the eyes of a killer. The creature
that had looked at him just now showed intelligence and good humor.

“It’s not a shark, Vaughn!” he called excitedly. “It’s a dolphin! A bottlenose dolphin!”

Kai had heard other surfers talk about sharing waves with dolphins. Dolphins didn’t attack people; in fact, there were many
accounts of dolphins helping humans who were being threatened by sharks. And
according to eyewitnesses, the graceful mammals with the built-in smiles seemed to love playing in the surf as much as the
humans.

Kai had always wanted to surf with a dolphin. He sat up on his board and scanned the water, hoping the mammal would surface
near him again.

Vaughn hung around, too. His earlier anger seemed to have vanished in the wake of the scare. Kai seized on the change of mood
and apologized to his friend again and again for causing problems for his cousin.

Vaughn finally started laughing. “Okay, enough!” Then he sighed. “I just feel bad for my cousin, you know? He loves to surf,
but ever since he started making movies he can’t catch a wave without people hounding him. I’d promised him he’d be left
alone here. He trusted me, and I let him down.”

Kai felt lower than a sand flea. He was about to apologize yet again when suddenly the dolphin broke though the water between
their boards, heading in toward shore. Kai and Vaughn exchanged delighted looks.

“Come on!” Vaughn yelled. They spun their boards to follow the animal. The dolphin seemed to want their company, for instead
of swimming away it lingered in the surf. And when a wave formed at their backs, the dolphin rode the white water with them
before turning back out to sea.

“That was so cool!” Vaughn cried. “C’mon, let’s see if we can find it again!”

Kai and Vaughn paddled back out to the lineup. Twice more the dolphin swam alongside them. Then it splashed farther
out to sea where it joined a number of other dolphins. That was okay with Kai. He knew he’d remember catching the waves with
the graceful animal for a long time.

He was glad Vaughn had been there to share the experience, too. It helped patch things up between them. Before their next
ride, Kai told Vaughn about the surf shop and the contest.

“I know all about it,” Vaughn told him. “Gonna win me a new board for my quiver!”

“Oh yeah?” Kai said with a smile. “You got to beat me first, pal! Check out these moves!”

For the next half hour, Kai practiced his three maneuvers. The less-experienced Vaughn worked on some simpler tricks. When
it was time to leave, the two boys walked up the beach together.

“I gotta get going. See you at school, Kai,” Vaughn said after he’d rinsed off.

Kai waved good-bye, finished cleaning his board, and hurried to his father’s truck. He’d made it in time for a ride. On the
way home, Kai told his father all about the dolphins. “Sure am glad they weren’t sharks,” he said, shivering a bit as he remembered
his initial fright.

“You and me both!” his father said. “I’ve never witnessed a shark attack on a surfer. They don’t happen that often, fortunately.
Still, it’s important to remember that when we’re surfing, we’re in their turf. You see one, you get out of the water as quickly
—and quietly — as you can.”

As Kai listened to his father, he suddenly had an inspiration for his magazine article. He would write about shark attacks
on surfers — where they happened, why they
happened, and what surfers could do to prevent them from happening. He could open with a story of one such attack then follow
up with the dos and don’ts of sharks and surfing. After that day’s scare, he realized it was information he’d like to learn
about too!

A
fter dinner that night, Kai did his assigned homework. Then he asked his father if he had any books on sharks. When his father
wanted to know why he needed such a book, Kai confessed about what had happened at the library. Mr. Ford chewed him out for
a full five minutes, telling him how disappointed he was Kai had broken school rules. Then he pointed Kai toward the computer
and told him to get working.

“But, Dad, isn’t the computer broken?”

His father looked embarrassed. “Turns
out it was just a loose connection. I could have repaired it myself in a second instead of calling in the repair guy.”

Kai groaned inwardly.
If only Dad had tried fixing the computer on Sunday, I wouldn’t be stuck writing this article
! he thought.

But he
was
stuck, and he knew the sooner he started the work the sooner he’d be done. He logged onto the Internet, pulled up a number
of sites containing the words “shark attack” and “surfing,” and began reading.

He soon found himself engrossed in his subject. He learned that shark attacks on swimmers and surfers were rare, with an estimated
fifty to seventy-five people attacked per year. In fact, people were more likely to be struck by lightning or killed by an
elephant than fatally wounded by a shark.

Scientists classified three types of attack — encounters, provoked attacks, and unprovoked attacks. Encounters were chance
meetings of humans and sharks. There was no contact between the two species during these meetings; they simply were in the
same place at the same time. Provoked attacks, on the other hand, did involve contact. These attacks happened when a human
did something the shark may have found threatening, like trying to touch it. Then the shark was likely to defend itself by
biting the human. And finally, there was the unprovoked attack, when a shark went for a human for no apparent reason. Many
researchers thought unprovoked attacks happened because the shark mistook the human for a seal, sea lion, or other kind of
prey.