Read Online Whale Song by Cheryl Kaye Tardif - Free Book Online Page A

were drawn to her left arm and there was a collective gasp of shock. Annie had a broken arm. And it was wrapped in a cast and sling.
    Mrs. Higginson rushed to her side. “What happened, dear?”
    Annie shrugged. “I fell off my bike.”
    Goldie and I watched in disbelief as our teacher fussed over and pampered my archenemy. Annie sat down on a deck chair and let out a soft whimper. The sound sent Mrs. Higginson scurrying for a pillow.
    “ Think she’s faking?” I asked Goldie.
    “ Naw, the cast is real.”
    “ I don’t think she fell off her bike. I think she got into a fight.”
    Goldie snickered. “I wonder what the other guy looks like.”
    I couldn’t resist a grin―until I glanced at Annie and caught her eye. She looked away too quickly and I knew that something wasn’t right.
    The schooner pulled away from the harbor and I quickly forgot all about her. Holding onto the rail, I stood beside my best friend and watched the houses grow smaller. The ocean became more restless the farther out we went and the schooner bobbed up and down in rhythm. Rays of light bounced off the metal equipment as the sun beamed across the deck.
    Some of my classmates had never seen the ocean in such a way. Many had never even been on a boat. I thought that was odd, considering they lived on an island surrounded by water.
    “ Okay class,” Mrs. Higginson called. “Move a bit closer to Professor Richardson.”
    “ Does anyone know what this is?” my father asked.
    He held up a small black object. It had a long cord that was attached to a forbidding piece of equipment with various colored knobs.
    “ A microphone,” Adam answered promptly.
    My father nodded. “But this is a special microphone. It’s designed to go underwater, to pick up sounds that sea creatures make.”
    “ Can we hear them?” Goldie asked.
    “ Once we’re out far enough you can listen with a pair of headphones. That’s what I do when I don’t want any distractions. Or I can turn up the volume and we can all listen at the same time.” He pointed to a large black knob.
    He spent the next half-hour answering numerous questions, especially from the boys in my class. Adam appeared very interested in my father’s work. He was glued to his side for the entire day. I think that was one of the happiest days for my father. His work captured all of our hearts that afternoon, and he handled a barrage of questions and kept all of us kids in line. I was so proud to be his daughter.
    When Skip shut off the engines, all we heard was the sound of waves rippling against the boat. Before us, the ocean was endless, and its beauty and power captured us.
    “ The water is calmer out here,” my father said. “In a few minutes we’ll drop the microphone overboard.”
    “ What sounds can you hear with it?” Mrs. Higginson asked, propping up her sunglasses with a chubby finger.
    “ You can hear almost any sea creature with this. Especially ones that use echolocation, such as whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions and many species of fish.”
    He reached over the side, unhooked the microphone and tossed it out into the ocean. Then he cranked up the volume and motioned us to wait.
    Minutes went by. Nothing. Not a sound.
    Then we heard a soft chirping noise.
    “ What’s that?” Adam asked.
    “ Fish,” my father said, smiling. “Halibut.”
    While we listened and waited, I stared out over the sea. Foamy waves dotted the horizon and pieces of deadwood floated around us.
    I sighed impatiently. “I want to see killer whales.”
    Goldie nodded, her eyes searching the surface of the water. I knew that she was looking for telltale evidence of a whale pod. Or maybe her brother.
    “ I don’t see anything,” she said, disappointed.
    My father sat next to the equipment, made some adjustments and listened with the headphones. Minutes later, he grinned, yanked off the headphones and handed them to the nearest child―Adam Reid, of course.
    Adam’s eyes lit up and I wondered what