Read Online Zinnia's Zaniness by Lauren Baratz-Logsted - Free Book Online
Authors: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
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spit on us, so we figured they must like us well enough.
"What about me?" Rebecca's head shouted.
"These may not be sharks," Petal said, suddenly sounding worried, "but what's that black thing heading toward us?"
We looked up in time to see the dark fin snaking its way to us.
Now we froze in fear.
All except for Zinnia, that is, who tilted her head to one side, frowning at the approaching fin.
The fin abruptly ceased approaching, turned, and headed out to sea again.
"How odd," Annie said as we all relaxed.
"How lucky," Durinda said.
Zinnia said nothing.
"This is so much fun," Jackie said, petting a dolphin.
"Almost as much fun as getting caught in an avalanche," Georgia admitted.
"I wonder how many dolphins there are here," Marcia said. "Maybe I should count them?"
"I would like to stay and keep doing this," Petal said, "but the water has waterlogged my bathrobe and all the other clothes I've got on, and I do believe I'm about to slip beneath the surface and drown."
It was a testament to how peaceful it was being surrounded by dolphins who were so gentle they were willing to frolic with us that Petal said this in such an even tone of voice. Why, she hardly sounded scared at all. Perhaps she was just joking.
But when we turned to look at her, we could see she was barely keeping her head above the water.
"Petal!" Annie cried. Then she turned to us. "Quick, we have to get Petal out of here!"
Five of us plus the Petes clasped our arms together under Petal to create a stretcher upon which to carry her out.
"It looks like you've got that under control," Zinnia said from her place among the dolphins. "Does anyone mind if I just stay out here for a few more minutes?"
***
A few more minutes later, Zinnia was still in the water while the rest of us had finished dragging the sodden Petal back and had placed her on a spot under our beach umbrellas.
Well, all of us except for one, and by one we don't mean Zinnia...
"How inconsiderate!" Rebecca's head snapped at us. "You all went off to... frolic, and you left me here by myself in the sand. You could have dug me out first."'
"You know you could have used your own superhuman strength to dig yourself out of the sand," Georgia countered.
"Huh," Rebecca said. "I hadn't even thought of that."
"Besides," Jackie said, "it's not like it would have been nice for us to stop to dig you out when we thought Zinnia was about to get eaten by a shark."
"What does nice have to do with anything?" Rebecca said.
"What's this?" Marcia said.
"What's what?" Rebecca said.
"Behind your head," Marcia said. "There's what looks suspiciously like a note here."
"Well, how could I have seen it if it's behind my head?" Rebecca said.
"But didn't you hear anyone come up behind you and leave it there?" Annie said.
We saw the sand around Rebecca ripple and realized she'd just shrugged, exercising her superhuman strength against the weight of the sand. In fact, she'd shrugged so hard, she'd shrugged her shoulders free, and soon she pulled her arms out as well.
"I was too busy watching you all—first running and then freezing and then frolicking and then freezing again and so torth—to notice what was going on behind me," Rebecca said.
"Oh no!" Marcia cried, ignoring Rebecca.
Huh, we thought. "Oh no!" was usually Petal's line.
"Oh no!" Marcia cried again, and now we could see that she'd opened the note and was reading it. She read it to us:
Dear Zinnia,
Still enjoying your power, I see—good show!
"The note leaver is still acting all kerflooey," Marcia said. "We all know that this isn't Zinnia's power, that this thing with the dolphins is just—I don't know— something else, but the note leaver keeps acting like it is her power."
We looked from the note to Zinnia frolicking with the dolphins. We knew Marcia was right. Zinnia couldn't communicate with animals. They just liked her. That's all it was.
"Oh, we can't let Zinnia see this," Marcia said.
"But it was addressed to her," Annie
"What about me?" Rebecca's head shouted.
"These may not be sharks," Petal said, suddenly sounding worried, "but what's that black thing heading toward us?"
We looked up in time to see the dark fin snaking its way to us.
Now we froze in fear.
All except for Zinnia, that is, who tilted her head to one side, frowning at the approaching fin.
The fin abruptly ceased approaching, turned, and headed out to sea again.
"How odd," Annie said as we all relaxed.
"How lucky," Durinda said.
Zinnia said nothing.
"This is so much fun," Jackie said, petting a dolphin.
"Almost as much fun as getting caught in an avalanche," Georgia admitted.
"I wonder how many dolphins there are here," Marcia said. "Maybe I should count them?"
"I would like to stay and keep doing this," Petal said, "but the water has waterlogged my bathrobe and all the other clothes I've got on, and I do believe I'm about to slip beneath the surface and drown."
It was a testament to how peaceful it was being surrounded by dolphins who were so gentle they were willing to frolic with us that Petal said this in such an even tone of voice. Why, she hardly sounded scared at all. Perhaps she was just joking.
But when we turned to look at her, we could see she was barely keeping her head above the water.
"Petal!" Annie cried. Then she turned to us. "Quick, we have to get Petal out of here!"
Five of us plus the Petes clasped our arms together under Petal to create a stretcher upon which to carry her out.
"It looks like you've got that under control," Zinnia said from her place among the dolphins. "Does anyone mind if I just stay out here for a few more minutes?"
***
A few more minutes later, Zinnia was still in the water while the rest of us had finished dragging the sodden Petal back and had placed her on a spot under our beach umbrellas.
Well, all of us except for one, and by one we don't mean Zinnia...
"How inconsiderate!" Rebecca's head snapped at us. "You all went off to... frolic, and you left me here by myself in the sand. You could have dug me out first."'
"You know you could have used your own superhuman strength to dig yourself out of the sand," Georgia countered.
"Huh," Rebecca said. "I hadn't even thought of that."
"Besides," Jackie said, "it's not like it would have been nice for us to stop to dig you out when we thought Zinnia was about to get eaten by a shark."
"What does nice have to do with anything?" Rebecca said.
"What's this?" Marcia said.
"What's what?" Rebecca said.
"Behind your head," Marcia said. "There's what looks suspiciously like a note here."
"Well, how could I have seen it if it's behind my head?" Rebecca said.
"But didn't you hear anyone come up behind you and leave it there?" Annie said.
We saw the sand around Rebecca ripple and realized she'd just shrugged, exercising her superhuman strength against the weight of the sand. In fact, she'd shrugged so hard, she'd shrugged her shoulders free, and soon she pulled her arms out as well.
"I was too busy watching you all—first running and then freezing and then frolicking and then freezing again and so torth—to notice what was going on behind me," Rebecca said.
"Oh no!" Marcia cried, ignoring Rebecca.
Huh, we thought. "Oh no!" was usually Petal's line.
"Oh no!" Marcia cried again, and now we could see that she'd opened the note and was reading it. She read it to us:
Dear Zinnia,
Still enjoying your power, I see—good show!
"The note leaver is still acting all kerflooey," Marcia said. "We all know that this isn't Zinnia's power, that this thing with the dolphins is just—I don't know— something else, but the note leaver keeps acting like it is her power."
We looked from the note to Zinnia frolicking with the dolphins. We knew Marcia was right. Zinnia couldn't communicate with animals. They just liked her. That's all it was.
"Oh, we can't let Zinnia see this," Marcia said.
"But it was addressed to her," Annie
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