Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret

Chapter 4 What Miri didn't know

Running ahead, Wendy whipped around a post that marked the end of the line. The sign on top wobbled.

NO LOOSE CLOTHING – NO SUNGLASSES – NO HATS – NO JEWELRY

Miri stopped short.

"No jewelry?" she said out loud.

"Yeah," said Wendy as she turned around and walked backwards. "This slide is so totally fast it might rip it right off you!" She turned back around and raced up the first flight of stairs.

"But I'm wearing my necklace," said Miri.

Wendy was already at the first landing. "So," she hollered as she leaned briefly over the rail, "take it off and hide it in your hand."

"But I never take it off."

"Not even when you take a bath?"

Miri wished Wendy hadn't yelled that last question so loud the whole park could hear.

Catherine paused between them.

"It's from her birth mother," she called up to Wendy.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "So let the lifeguard hold it."

Miri fingered the pearl on her necklace. She wasn't sure she even wanted to go down the slide, much less risk losing her necklace.

Wendy hollered down again, "Are you coming or not? Cause I am so not going to miss the coolest slide at the park. Coming, Catherine?"

Catherine looked uncertainly back at Miri.

"That sign is probably exaggerating. So the park won't get sued," she said.

Miri didn't want Catherine to miss out because of her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and started up.

Wendy raced to the top of the tower and Miri tried to catch up. Another landing, another flight of stairs, then another landing, over and over again. As Miri started to round the curve of the last landing, her foot slipped on water on the top step. She went down hard, whacking her shin on the edge as her cheek hit the floor.

An hour later, after an ice pack on her shin and ointment on her face, Miri felt much better. At least there was one up-side to falling down, now she wouldn't have to slide with the sharks. As she and her mom left the first aid station, she stepped up on a curb that circled a bed of yellow pansies.

"Mom," said Miri as she tight-rope walked along the curb. "Why do I get hurt so much?"

"Oh, Guppy, it's just a phase."

"Well, it's an awfully long phase, like my entire life!"

Her mom chuckled. Miri spread out her arms and started kicking her legs straight up in front of her as she walked. She tried to point her toes like her ballet teacher was always telling her to do. As her leg swept up in the air, she studied her foot.

"I wish my feet weren't so big," she said.

"Big feet can be a help sometimes," answered her mom as she followed beside her.

"Like when?"

"Like when you swim."

"Well they certainly don't help me."

Her mom didn't contradict her. Instead she just said, "I'm sorry you didn't get to go on the shark slide with the girls."

"I didn't really want to. Sharks are creepy." She shuddered. "And besides, you aren't allowed to wear jewelry on that slide and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my necklace."