Maddy's Dolphin by Imogen Tovey Read Free Book Online Page B

normal kid for a change and she liked it.
    â€˜You must get your dad to take you around the ruins of Ancient Corinth before you go, Lucy. He can’t work for the entire holiday, can he?’
    â€˜No, he is planning to have a couple of days off at the end.’
    It was another lovely hot day; the sun was out, Maddy and CJ had had a great swim with Indigo that morning and everything should have been fantastic, but Maddy couldn’t help feeling worried, as if a great heavy weight were on her shoulders. She needed to come up with a plan to help the dolphins. What was the point of having the gift of speaking to dolphins if she could not help them?
    They pulled up on the grassy patch just outside the gates of the castle. It was like being right at the edge of the cliff, looking straight out onto the sea. Maddy had been scared parking here in the past. She remembered the day she had been here once with her Aunt Imogen. She had only been two and it was a very windy day. She was so glad that Imogen was holding on to her tight that day.
    CJ was out of the car straight away and, holding on to his football, started running up the path to the gates and through. ‘CJ, get back here. You need to help carry something.’
    â€˜I’ve got the ball, Mum,’ he shouted back.
    So the others picked up everything else then started up the path themselves, loaded down with what looked like enough stuff for a week, rather than just a day.
    After the walk up the hill to the main gates, the stone path wound up steeply to the interior gate and the ramparts. Of course, not all of it remained, and there were lots of piles of stones among the grassy areas. There were still some turrets, ramparts and towers, with room shapes that could still be used as hiding places. It was set on the hill and the views of the sea below, with Loutraki to the right, and across to the Cape Heraion, were fantastic.
    Ishbel found her favourite spot and laid the blanket down. There was a rock here which looked like it was a purpose-built lounging chair. With the blanket for added cushioning, she could and would lie back and read her book in comfort for hours. CJ was already nowhere to be seen, so as soon as Maddy and Lucy laid down their loads, they ran off to find him.
    They eventually found CJ, hiding. James pointed him out in the end. He had been following them and had made his way up into the castle intending to keep out their way, while keeping an eye on them. When CJ had raced past him and jumped down into a small hole, James thought the girls would take all day to find him if he didn’t point them in the right direction.
    Football was next on the agenda. They had great fun chasing around after the ball, tackling each other and trying to score goals. Maddy and CJ were both very good at football. They had to be, really, because their dad, Jorgos, was football mad. They had been playing since they could run, just a little after they started waterskiing.
    By this time CJ was starving and they raced back to Ishbel, who broke open the picnic. They had Marmite sandwiches, ham sandwiches, crisps, cheese and cream crackers, with biscuits to finish it all off. Lucy had never tried Marmite before. CJ told her that, as a baby, his Aunt Imogen had not been able to eat solid food until they started her off on Marmite, and since then it had been a family favourite. Maddy explained that you couldn’t buy it in Greece, so their nana sent it in the post from England. Lucy decided that she rather liked it too.
    During the picnic, Ishbel brought up in conversation that the President was staying in the same hotel as Lucy and her dad. ‘Have you seen him? They say his daughter is here.’
    â€˜No, I haven’t seen them. There’s lots of security, though.’
    Then they talked about all the dolphins and the sperm whale in the Gulf and about swimming with Indigo and the sperm whale, Lunar, the day before. CJ entertained them with tales of his