The Sea Turtle RescueBy Eric DouglasPassing beach houses on stilts, small shops, and restaurants, Jayne and Marie rode their bikes along the beach road, exploring their new home. They’d just moved in a week before and were still getting settled.Their new home was the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Their dad, Nathan, was the new director of an ocean research centre located in Nags Head. Their mom, Ann, was a veterinarian. She took care of cats and dogs and worked closely with the girls’ father caring for injured ocean animals. The Outer Banks are barrier islands; big sand bars that move slowly, pushed by wind and waves. There are very few large hotels. It kept things small and simple.“I think I’m going to like it here,” Jayne said as they turned down the short road to the research centre. Their home was next door.“Me, too. I love living right on the beach. I want to walk out there every day,” Marie replied. “The sand dunes are beautiful.”Their parents’ jobs had always kept them near the ocean, but this was the first time the girls had actually lived where they could look out over the water. Both of them knew how to swim and snorkel and they were very excited about learning to scuba dive when they got a little older. They could even surf some, although Marie was more interested in it than Jayne was.Both girls loved the ocean, like their parents, but they loved it in different ways. Jayne carried a camera out on the beach and photographed the things she saw. She would often come home and paint pictures, using the photos as a guide. Marie loved animals of all kinds, but she especially loved to watch fish and swim with dolphins, something she had enjoyed a couple times with her father.“Hi girls, did you have a nice ride?” their dad asked, waving the girls over as he stepped outside the centre.“Hi Dad,” the girls answered together. They did that a lot. “This place is so cool,” Jayne continued. “We met a couple of kids today. Monique is my age and in my class. Her Dad runs the surf shop down the beach road.”“And I met Javier,” Marie jumped in. “He will be in my class when school starts.”“That’s great girls. I knew you would make friends quickly,” Dad said. “I want you two to be happy and like it here. I think we’ll be here for a long time.”Jayne was ten and would be in fourth grade in the autumn. Marie was nine and would be in third grade. They were a little nervous about starting at the new school, so they were happy they’d already made new friends. Nags Head had loads of history and even more to do. Just up the main road from the girls’ new home, the Wright Brothers flew the first airplane in Kitty Hawk. There were shipwrecks off the coast. People would even fly hang gliders off the tall sand dunes in the middle of the island. Others came to fish or fly kites. It was a summertime vacation spot but only a small number of people lived there year round. The research centre would not close for the winter so the girls were staying, too.“Hold on a second, girls. My phone is ringing,” their father said. He pulled the buzzing phone off of his belt and listened for a moment. “Okay. Okay. All right. I’ll let her know.” He hung up and turned to the kids. “Girls, can you go get your Mom for me? She’s over at the house. Ask her to come over here, please.”“Sure, Dad. What’s up?” Marie asked.“Tell her some boaters found a sea turtle that’s been injured. She’s going to need to get to work,” he said.SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT1. Why do you think Jayne and Marie are confident they will like their new home in Nags Head?2. Using the information in the chapter, explain what a barrier island looks like.3. Compare and contrast Jayne and Marie. Would you choose these girls as friends?4. How is Nags Head, North Carolina similar to Bermuda? How is it different?5. What could injure a sea turtle? After making a list, put each idea into one these categories: natural threats or human created threatsNEXT WEEK: Mom goes to work!