of his sandwich — he was starving.
The seal popped its head out of the water again. It watched Jake eating.
‘Can we give it a fish?’ Jake asked.
‘Sure.’ His dad picked one, the smallest kahawai, from the bucket. He held it out to the seal, who seemed to smile as it took the fish in its jaws. With a toss of the head, the fish disappeared down the seal’s gullet in one go. It reminded Jake of something but he couldn’t think what. It was nice to see the seal eating, but Jake was still hungry, and he was scared.
‘What if we don’t make it back to shore?’ he asked his dad. ‘We’ll have to eat fish.’ His clothes were damp, and he shivered. A hot tearsprang to his eye and he didn’t have time to wipe it away before it fell on his cheek.
‘Hey, hey,’ said his father. ‘We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.’ He looked determined suddenly, and took up the oars again.
As he put them in place, the seal dived under the water again and emerged a few metres away. It turned onto its side and waved a flipper in the air.
Jake wiped his cheek. ‘I think it wants us to follow.’
‘I doubt that very much,’ said Dad, but he rowed a few strokes towards the seal anyway. It dived down again and came up further away. Every time the dinghy got close to it, the seal submerged itself, only to re-emerge a distance away, always looking back at them, sometimes waving a flipper again. They rowed for half an hour. Dad’s face was beaded with sweat and his cheeks were red. He was breathing fast.
Jake’s heart was beating hard. Could the seal really be showing them the way home? Thenhe had a terrible thought. Perhaps it knew somehow that he had stolen the sealskin, and it was leading them further and further out to sea as a punishment. But just as he was about to tell his father to stop, to turn around, he gave a shout.
‘The island!’ Through the mist, the island emerged like a giant crouching turtle. Beyond it, the mist was retreating, the sky was thinning to blue and the curve of Island Bay was coming into view. The seal went under for the last time, and Jake couldn’t see where it had come up. But by then, it didn’t matter. They knew the way home.
11
A terrible storm developed that afternoon. Jake sat inside with his father watching the sea whip itself into a frenzy. The house shook and moaned.
‘I can’t believe I took you out there without checking the weather forecast,’ said his dad. ‘I’m so sorry, Jake. We could have been out there in this. I never would have forgiven myself.’
‘It’s a good thing that seal showed us the way home.’
‘Yes, how extraordinary. I suppose it was just chasing fish, and the fish were moving with the current. The tide was going in, after all. But it seemed like it was waiting for us, didn’t it?’
‘It was.’
His father ruffled his hair. ‘Then if you say that’s what happened, that’s what happened. It was an adventure anyway.’
Dad lit a fire and they huddled around it. Jake wondered how Ted was getting on in his little cottage. He hoped the sea didn’t come right up into the house. What about Jessie? Was she scared? He wished he could get on his bike and go and see her, to tell her about the seal that had saved their lives. She would believe him.
After dinner, they toasted marshmallows on sticks in the glowing embers of the fire, while Dad told him stories. Jake liked to close his eyes and listen to the sound of his father’s voice wash over him, taking him to faraway places. He felttruly happy when he was here, sitting next to his father in the warm light. He wished he could live here, go to school in Wellington, but it was complicated, because he also wanted to live with his mother, and it just wasn’t possible to have both his parents in the same house. Besides, if Dad had a new girlfriend, there might not be many nights like this left, just the two of them. He had to savour this moment because what if Cara moved in? What if they had a baby?
The seal popped its head out of the water again. It watched Jake eating.
‘Can we give it a fish?’ Jake asked.
‘Sure.’ His dad picked one, the smallest kahawai, from the bucket. He held it out to the seal, who seemed to smile as it took the fish in its jaws. With a toss of the head, the fish disappeared down the seal’s gullet in one go. It reminded Jake of something but he couldn’t think what. It was nice to see the seal eating, but Jake was still hungry, and he was scared.
‘What if we don’t make it back to shore?’ he asked his dad. ‘We’ll have to eat fish.’ His clothes were damp, and he shivered. A hot tearsprang to his eye and he didn’t have time to wipe it away before it fell on his cheek.
‘Hey, hey,’ said his father. ‘We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.’ He looked determined suddenly, and took up the oars again.
As he put them in place, the seal dived under the water again and emerged a few metres away. It turned onto its side and waved a flipper in the air.
Jake wiped his cheek. ‘I think it wants us to follow.’
‘I doubt that very much,’ said Dad, but he rowed a few strokes towards the seal anyway. It dived down again and came up further away. Every time the dinghy got close to it, the seal submerged itself, only to re-emerge a distance away, always looking back at them, sometimes waving a flipper again. They rowed for half an hour. Dad’s face was beaded with sweat and his cheeks were red. He was breathing fast.
Jake’s heart was beating hard. Could the seal really be showing them the way home? Thenhe had a terrible thought. Perhaps it knew somehow that he had stolen the sealskin, and it was leading them further and further out to sea as a punishment. But just as he was about to tell his father to stop, to turn around, he gave a shout.
‘The island!’ Through the mist, the island emerged like a giant crouching turtle. Beyond it, the mist was retreating, the sky was thinning to blue and the curve of Island Bay was coming into view. The seal went under for the last time, and Jake couldn’t see where it had come up. But by then, it didn’t matter. They knew the way home.
11
A terrible storm developed that afternoon. Jake sat inside with his father watching the sea whip itself into a frenzy. The house shook and moaned.
‘I can’t believe I took you out there without checking the weather forecast,’ said his dad. ‘I’m so sorry, Jake. We could have been out there in this. I never would have forgiven myself.’
‘It’s a good thing that seal showed us the way home.’
‘Yes, how extraordinary. I suppose it was just chasing fish, and the fish were moving with the current. The tide was going in, after all. But it seemed like it was waiting for us, didn’t it?’
‘It was.’
His father ruffled his hair. ‘Then if you say that’s what happened, that’s what happened. It was an adventure anyway.’
Dad lit a fire and they huddled around it. Jake wondered how Ted was getting on in his little cottage. He hoped the sea didn’t come right up into the house. What about Jessie? Was she scared? He wished he could get on his bike and go and see her, to tell her about the seal that had saved their lives. She would believe him.
After dinner, they toasted marshmallows on sticks in the glowing embers of the fire, while Dad told him stories. Jake liked to close his eyes and listen to the sound of his father’s voice wash over him, taking him to faraway places. He felttruly happy when he was here, sitting next to his father in the warm light. He wished he could live here, go to school in Wellington, but it was complicated, because he also wanted to live with his mother, and it just wasn’t possible to have both his parents in the same house. Besides, if Dad had a new girlfriend, there might not be many nights like this left, just the two of them. He had to savour this moment because what if Cara moved in? What if they had a baby?
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