Stop. Breathe. This is happening. Enjoy it, ok? I clicked back, attempting to share my happy calm.
Gram and Stoney, Blake’s grandfather, looked at those of us here for the first time with tremendous pride. Two sets of twins—me and Mica, and Andrew and Darwen—and one mismatched pair, Blake stood by Shayla because neither of their twins were there. Around us stood a combination of our relatives, the combined generations of The Guard who’d participated in training us for this competition since we were born.
“Welcome to First Night,” said Stoney in his rumbly voice that was so much like Blake’s. “If this is your first time here, please close your eyes. Listen, smell, taste, touch—feel the power of Pinhold. Do not rely simply on what your eyes can see. As potential members of The Guard, you must learn to read all the signs around you.”
Following orders, I concentrated on the shadows and flashes behind my eyelids. The pounding waves, jumping fish and crackling fire reverberated in different parts of my ear. Briny saltwater and honeysuckle hit my nose on a sudden wind that shivered with expectation.
“Tonight, you make the promise of those who’ve come before you—to protect the ocean from land, nature from man. On this First Night, we rededicate ourselves to an ancient covenant that is symbolized by this pin that represents the balance in our world. You may now open your eyes.”
As head lifeguard, Stoney had top authority on our Island. The Guard ran the town council, beach patrol and police force, so basically everything. A flash of silver showed through his long fingers that I recognized from years of stories about our Island’s name.As the drums began to pound, Stoney placed the pin on a central stone in front of him. Like all the rocks here, it had magnetic properties. The pin needed to stand at a right angle to the ocean, representing the pivotal balance between ocean and land, animal and man. When it did, our Island, our people and the ocean stayed healthy. When it tilted, disease and disaster soon would come.
We held our collective breath as Stoney blocked our view of the truth. He finally stepped away and smiled at our circle. Then he released his hand gently, and the pin stayed upright.
A celebratory cheer went up all around us, and the music started again. A combination of beats, claps, clicks, and hums that I’d heard since in the cradle but never in a ceremony like this. Rhythm and music were a big part of Pinhold life. Visitors joined our weekly drum circles on the beach, and stayed to listen to the wave organ built into the cliffs that played a series of gong sounds at every high tide. The patterns we played now I knew in my bones, but they’d never come together this way. Tonight they stirred that feeling of connection and continuity that had always eluded me before.
To the untrained ear, the clicks and whistles probably sounded like nothing more than rhythmic nonsense played along with the beat. But really, they were imitations of the sounds made by the dolphins that lived in our bay—we were inviting the dolphins to join us and witness our commitment to protect their home.
“We call you to pledge yourself as the guardians of the sea. Witnessed by the sacred swirl, do you pledge to protect the ocean from land and the animals from man?” Stoney asked. His voice pulsed in time with the pounding drumbeats.
“Yes,” said six voices in unison, including mine.
“Now it is time to answer in the language of the ancients.” Stony instructed, keeping his voice low. “When I touch you, repeat after me.”
Stony started with Mica. The strange sounds seemed to roll from his tongue with ease. Almost instantly, I could hear the dolphins chattering in the distance. My heart jumped, because the legends said we needed them to witness our pledge, but they didn’t always come around for every ritual anymore.
As each of my friends took the vow, the dolphins’ chatter seemed to fade away sounded softer, as if they headed in the wrong direction. The tension in the crowd was palpable. When Blake spoke, the chatter got louder again, but not closer. And then my turn came.
I inhaled deeply and it felt like I could almost see the location of the dolphins out at sea. They could hear us, but they hadn’t come to watch. For maximum success, we wanted them to come and join our swim back to the Island.
They moved lazily in the water, playing amongst themselves. I wondered how on earth I’d reach them with my voice which was always low and scratchy. Speaking loudly never worked well for me. Then I heard their noises change as they went under the surface to play and swim, even further away from us.