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3
Summer holidays
It was the height of the season. The village bustled with holiday makers. Throughout the day the fishing boats, loaded with passengers. left the jetty. As soon as one departed another one would pull alongside the stone steps. Business was brisk and the six little fishing boats running dolphin trips were fully occupied all day. Everyone was happy.
Because it was inside a large bay the harbour was protected. The entrance to the bay was through a deep channel between high cliffs. Outside was the mighty ocean. Right in line with the entrance to the bay was a jagged rock. It was called Black Rock. Over the centuries it had claimed many ships. Indeed, originally the bay was called Black Bay. But when a lighthouse was built on the top of the cliffs it was renamed Lighthouse Bay.
The lighthouse was painted white and pointed towards the sky like a giant finger. It was a safety marker which, for many years after it was built, helped approaching boats steer clear of the dreaded Black Rock. Now all the big fishing boats had radar and GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) navigation. They didn’t need the lighthouse to steer safely into the harbour. Nonetheless they liked to see it standing boldly on top of the cliffs.
Pat, whose real name was Patrick, lived in a sturdy house alongside the lighthouse. Pat was a Warden for International Wildlife Watch. His job was to observe and record the wildlife in the area. Pat had a variety of jobs before he became a warden. These included being a lighthouse keeper and working as a deck hand on fishing boats. But his job as warden was the one he liked most of all. He had always enjoyed watching seabirds. Over the years, without knowing it, he had become quite an expert. Now he could watch the birds and get paid for it.
Pat was a bachelor and enjoyed his solitary life. His needs were few. He grew some of his own vegetables in a small walled garden. He caught fish off the rocks. Pat cooked on an ancient stove fuelled with driftwood.
Pat seldom left the lighthouse. Those who wanted to see him had to visit his lonely home. Pat’s favourite visitor was Postie the postman, who, when necessary, brought supplies as well as letters. The lighthouse was his last delivery. Postie had given up a well-paid job in a big city to become a rural postman. He never regretted that decision. The two men would spend hours swapping stories. If the weather was good they would stand outside in the sunshine. But mostly they sat chatting with mugs of tea beside the stove in the kitchen.
The arrival of Dilo brought a new interest into their lives. It happened just before Pat’s sister Mary, whom he seldom saw, was taken seriously ill. She begged her brother to look after her two children for a while. She didn’t tell him that they were known locally as the “Terrible Twins” because of the mischief they got up to.
At first the middle-aged bachelor strongly resisted the idea. He certainly didn’t want two children tearing around the place. He was quite happy with his dog Boka and his cat Sprat for company.
Robin and Debra’s arrival, in the pouring rain, was not a happy experience for Pat. But eventually they settled in. Robin was mad about computers and brought his own with him. When he showed his uncle how it could be used to store and analyse information about wildlife, Pat became a convert. Soon the two of them were engrossed, with Robin proudly showing his uncle things he never knew were possible.
It was Dilo the dolphin though who cemented the friendship between Pat and his niece Debra. They grew to love the friendly dolphin in completely different ways and for completely different reasons. Debra enjoyed swimming with Dilo. The bond between the girl and the dolphin grew even stronger when Mike, a local diver, gave Debra a wetsuit and taught her to dive.
To Pat. Dilo was a symbol of freedom. The dolphin reminded him of his earlier years when he was a seaman and the many times he watched dolphins playing around the bow of his boat.
Robin couldn’t swim and didn’t like to admit that he was a bit scared of the sea. One day he slipped off the rocks and fell into the water. Fortunately Dilo was nearby and saved him from drowning. After that Robin set up a special file on his computer and recorded all Dilo’s movements and activities.
Debra and Robin visited their uncle whenever they could. Now they were back for the summer holidays. It was their first day and the twins were looking forward to new adventures.
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