7 Race to the Beach

Chapter 7 Race to the Beach Below, Max, Laila, and the lighthouse keeper nervously waited. "What's going on?" he called up to Sofia. "Did it work?"

Suddenly, bright, blinding light poured through the staircase window. "You did it!" he cried. "Sofia, you did it!" "It's so bright," said Laila, shielding her eyes. "The baby turtles will see it for sure!" Sofia's flushed face appeared on the landing above. "Let's go!" she said. "We have to get back to the beach!" "Steady," the lighthouse keeper reminded her as he reached for her hand.

"Let's get you there in one piece. And let's try to keep the stairway in one piece, too!" He helped her step over the rotted boards. Then they hurried back down toward the door.

At the bottom, the lighthouse keeper paused. "Good luck, kids," he said with a nod. "I really hope this works." "Thanks!" said Max. He started to race out the door, but then he stopped. "And thanks for helping us." "I'll come back to tell you how it all turns out," Laila promised the old man. The man's eyes crinkled into a smile. "If it works, I'll make sure the light is on every night through turtle- hatching season." "Thank you!" said Sofia, grinning. With one last round of goodbyes, they left the lighthouse keeper in the doorway. Max thought the man was standing a little taller as the light from his lighthouse led them safely back down the rocky trail to their boat.

As Wind Rider crossed the waves toward the turtle nest, bright lights and party music poured from the doors of the Aloha Inn. "Will the lighthouse be bright enough?" Laila asked as she glanced over her shoulder. "It has to be!" said Sofia. With a jolt, Wind Rider dropped anchor. Max hoped they wouldn't have to swim too far to get to shore. But this time, the boat had anchored beside a long pier that led to the sandy beach. "C'mon!" he called to the others. Together, they stepped down onto the pier and

raced toward the mesh fence surrounding the turtle nest. Sofia got there first, just as a tiny gray head popped out of the sand. "It's happening!" she whispered. The baby turtle squirmed side to side, as if waking from a long nap. The sand churned beneath it, and soon other turtles began to push and pull their way out, too. They climbed over one another, heading every which way. "What do we do?" he asked Laila, who stood on the other side of the nest.