11 THE FLIGHT

CHAPTER 11 THE FLIGHT Roz stood on the sea cliffs with Brightbill and Glimmer on her shoulders. They were staring down at the poison tide. The way it gently shimmered in the water was strangely beautiful. It was hard to believe it could be so dangerous, and yet its destructive power was plain to see. The coast was edged with dead plants, and the rocks were scattered with dead fish. Glimmer turned to Roz and said, "What do you think is causing the poison tide?" The robot searched her computer brain for explanations and said, "The poison tide might be similar to red tides, the harmful blooms of algae that can occur in the ocean. Or it might be ash that has erupted from an underwater volcano. Or it might be a toxic substance that has spilled from a tanker ship. Or it might be something else entirely. It would be helpful to study the poison tide up close. I can climb down to the rocks and examine the shallows, but I will need someone to watch for waves." Brightbill fluttered his wings and squawked, "Ma,

don't go anywhere near the poison tide! We can't risk your safety. You're too important to the island." In the distance, another flock of birds was flying south over the ocean. And this gave Glimmer an idea. "Plenty of other birds are safely flying above the ocean," she said. "Brightbill and I could fly above the poison tide and see where it leads." "That's a good idea," said Brightbill. "We might learn something useful." The idea made Roz nervous, but she knew the geese would look out for each other. Once they were all in agreement, Brightbill and Glimmer took flight. They soared high above the poison tide and disappeared into the northern sky. Four days later, on a drizzly afternoon, Brightbill and Glimmer returned and found Roz in her home. They sat together, and the geese explained what they'd seen. "Luckily, the poison tide hasn't spread everywhere," said Brightbill. "It's more like a huge river flowing through the ocean, twisting and turning and spreading wider as it goes. We followed it north, around islands

and along coastlines and back out to open ocean. At times, the flow sank deep into the water and then surfaced again, somewhere else. Eventually, the flow completely vanished down into the depths, so we headed home." "On our way back, we flew with birds who were leaving the north," said Glimmer. "Nobody knows what's causing the poison tide, but everybody knows about the Ancient Shark. Some say she's as big as a whale. Others say she's older than the sea. It sounded like the shark was nothing more than a legend, but the birds insisted that she's real and that she's the only one who can help. They don't know how to find the Ancient Shark. All they know is that she lives somewhere in the far north."