Isle of Enchantment (7 page)

Mongoose!

Occasionally, Mom let me and Tomas tag along when she went into the field. Today, she needed us to help her record the egg hatching of an Antillean crested hummingbird. We set up three cameras around the perimeter of the nest. We were careful not to disturb the mother bird or the nest.

“Looks great, kids. Now we just sit and wait for those two eggs to hatch.”

“Got snacks?” Tomas asked. He was always hungry.

Mom took out dried apricots and granola bars from her backpack. Tomas rolled his eyes at me. He was tired of healthy snacks. But he was stuck with it because ants devoured his candy supply two weeks ago.

“How long until the eggs hatch?” I asked Mom.

“I've been watching this nest and calculating the
hatch date. We'll wait here the rest of the afternoon. If they haven't hatched we'll leave the cameras in place and come back to check on them tomorrow.”

Sitting around and waiting all day didn't sound like fun. Mom could probably tell by the bored look on my face.

“Hey, why don't you kids take a short hike? I'll watch the nest.”

As Tomas and I turned to walk into the forest, I saw a small dark shadow dart into the bushes near one of the cameras.

“Mom, what was that?” I asked.

“What?” she said.

“Something just ran into the bush,” I whispered.

Beady eyes and a pointy snout poked from the bush. Its nose twitched. It must have smelled our snack. It crept around our backpacks.

“Step back slowly,” Mom whispered.

Tomas and I nodded our heads. We backed away from our packs. The creature stopped scavenging and glared at us.

“That's a freaky rat,” Tomas whispered.

“It's a mongoose,” Mom told us. “It might carry
rabies.”

My heart pounded harder. Rabies. That's deadly.

“If it comes at us, run back to camp. Only rabid mongooses attack people,” Mom said.

The mongoose ate all of Mom's dried apricots. It nosed around my backpack. As it went from pack to pack and back again, it would stop and stare at us with its beady eyes. We could see its sharp teeth.

“It probably smelled all of the candy bars that you had in your backpack,” I hissed at Tomas.

After it finished our snacks, it decided we looked interesting. As it walked toward us, Mom shouted, “Run!”

Tomas and I bolted toward camp. Mom threw a large rock at the mongoose. I think she hoped to scare it so we would have time to get away.

The rock made the mongoose angry and it lunged at Mom.

“Mom!” I yelled. “Tomas get some sticks and rocks! Throw them!”

Tomas and I grabbed everything we could find and chucked it at the mongoose. He spit and hissed at us. Tomi threw a larger rock that landed on the
mongoose's tail. It shrieked and dashed into the underbrush.

“Let's get out of here!” Mom said. We ran all the way back to camp.

“Did it bite you, Mom?” I asked after we caught our breath.

“No, it missed. But it sure tried hard,” she said. “Jake!” Mom called out.

“Yes, Dr. Perez?” Jake said as he walked across camp.

“Jake, take the Jeep and drive to the ranger station right away. File a report so they know we met a mongoose. It might have rabies.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Jake said and hopped in the Jeep.

“We'll let the rangers handle that mongoose,” Mom said. “They'll track it down and trap it.”

Bio Bay

Mom's research trip was successful. The team collected data about the Antillean crested hummingbird. After the mongoose scare, Mom's cameras captured the hatch of two healthy hummingbird chicks. Mom was excited about sharing her research with other scientists when she returned to Chicago.

After packing up camp and saying our goodbyes to Dr. O'Malley, Ben, and Jake, Dad suggested we spend our last night in Puerto Rico doing something special. We rented kayaks to explore Bio Bay. Tomas and I didn't know what a bio bay was. I trusted Dad when he told us it would be cool.

“It sounds like a biohazard,” Tomas said sarcastically. “Like a toxic waste dump.”

“Give it a chance. You've had fun so far,” Dad said.

Tomas was tired and seemed a little grouchy.

“We'll see the bioluminescent bay best after dark,” Dad said. We waited until the sun completely set before we paddled out through a mangrove tunnel.

“This is spooky,” whispered Tomas.

“Just paddle close to us,” Mom advised.

We heard the gentle sound of water lapping as our paddles cut through the bay.

“We're almost there,” Dad said, turning his kayak.

After a few more minutes of paddling, we came out of the mangrove tunnel. We only had moonlight as our guide. “Here we are, in the Bio Bay,” Dad said proudly. The water rocked us in our kayaks.

“My arms are sore from paddling,” Tomas grumbled. “We're here. Are we done yet? Can we go now?”

“What's wrong with you?” I asked Tomas.

“Nothing. I just want to go back to the hotel.”

I knew something was wrong with Tomas. This wasn't normal for him. Maybe he didn't feel well.

“Splash your paddle in the water,” Dad said.

I hit the water with my paddles. The water lit up like it was charged with electricity. Neon blue flashes of light rippled across the water!

“Do it again,” Dad said.

I did and the water lit up again. We were soon surrounded by glowing water. Tomas perked up.

“Awesome,” he whispered.

“How does the water do this?” I asked Mom.

“It's the microscopic plankton that live in the water. They are bioluminescent. They glow,” she said.

“It's magic,” Tomas said. Even though Tomas sounded like a little kid, I agreed with him. It did look like magic.

“This has been an amazing trip,” I said to Mom.

“Yes, honey, it has been amazing,” Mom sighed and leaned back in her kayak, stretching and smiling.

They let us splash the water with our paddles for a while. We turned to paddle out of the bay when another group of kayakers appeared.

“Let's head back and enjoy a quiet evening,” Dad said.

We followed him back through the mangrove tunnel, listening to the insects and frogs singing in the night.

At the hotel, guests gathered around the pool for an evening swim and live music. Tomas looked curiously around the crowd.

“What are you doing?” I asked him. “You look like you've never seen people before.”

He shook his head at me but didn't say anything. Then he raced to catch up with Mom and Dad.

He stopped them and pointed to the pool. I saw Mom shrug her shoulders and nod.

Tomas ran to the pool. What was he up to? I trailed behind him. He turned to look at Mom and Dad, like he was making sure they weren't watching him. He edged around the pool. I followed, careful to stay in the shadows, out of his sight.

Tomas yanked six hibiscus flowers off a bush. What was he doing? Destroying the hotel property? He glanced around nervously again and checked his wristwatch.

“Tomas,” a girl's high pitched voice rang across the courtyard. It was Carmen. Tomas waved to her
and she ran to him. Ah ha! I thought. That's why he didn't want to waste time at Bio Bay. He had a date.

Because of course I must look after my twin brother, I hid in the bushes and watched them. Tomas gave Carmen the hibiscus flowers he'd taken from the hotel pool deck. Carmen tucked one of the flowers behind her ear. They talked quietly on a bench. Carmen laughed a lot. Tomas looked like a lovesick puppy.

I couldn't really hear what they were saying so I crept closer.

“I will miss you when you go back to Chicago,” Carmen said quietly.

“Me too,” Tomas answered.

“I meant it when I said you better call or write.”

“I will,” Tomas promised.

They sat silently for a moment.

“Here,” Carmen said. “A good-bye gift for you.” She reached into her bag and handed Tomas a long, rolled object.

Tomas unrolled the present. It was a large t-shirt that said “I Left My Heart in Puerto Rico” on the front.

“When you wear it, think of me,” Carmen giggled.

Tomas blushed again. He nodded, staring at the ground.

“I will. Thanks,” he mumbled, twisting the shirt in his hands awkwardly.

I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. I sounded like a donkey. I slapped my hand over my mouth.

“What was that?” Tomas asked, startled.

“I don't know, but it came from over there,” Carmen pointed toward where I was hiding in the bushes.

Oh no, I thought. They would see me and Tomas would freak out. I tried to back away through the bushes, but my shirt got caught. Tomas got off the bench and moved toward where I was. I cowered low, trying to make myself invisible.

Tomas rustled the bushes. He peered down at me.

“Tomas, what is it?” Carmen called.

“Nothing. Just a big stupid bird,” he replied.

“Get lost. Now!” he hissed at me, his eyes narrowed. He looked furious.

I shook my head no.

“Go or I'll tell Mom and Dad you were sneaking around,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Like you?” I asked.

“Tomas, who are you talking to?” Carmen asked.

“Uh, no one. I'm just sending a text message,” Tomas pretended to type on his phone. “It's my mom,” he lied.

“Go away, you're ruining it. Please?” he said, putting his hands together as if he were begging. Then he turned and rejoined Carmen on the bench.

I was getting hot and itchy in the bushes anyway so I crept back out to the pool deck to wait for Tomas after his date.

Later, Tomas walked back to the pool with Carmen. He held her hand and she gave him a peck on the cheek as she left. Turning, he saw me sitting on a lounge chair.

“Why do you try to ruin everything?” he asked.

“I don't,” I snapped.

“Yes, you do. I can't have any privacy.”

“You're the one who's sneaking around, acting all suspicious,” I replied.