Stingray City. Ellen Prager

the intake pipes for the water that circulated through the aquarium’s exhibits.

      “Hope there’s no rockfish on this next job,” Hugh said, rubbing his head as they walked. “Besides, my fingers are already all pruney.”

      Pete chuckled. “Sorry about that. But since you’re here for just a short time, we need to take advantage of your unusual skills.”

      “Cleaning windows?” Tristan asked sarcastically.

      They arrived at the sea otter exhibit. It was the most popular spot in the entire place, nearly always jam-packed with people. Young and old alike plastered their faces up against the viewing window or stood five people deep just to get a glimpse of the furry creatures.

      Tristan moved closer to the dimly lit exhibit. In the water were three otters floating on their backs. Each was about three feet long, with thick chocolate-brown fur; small, dark button eyes; tiny ears; and a furry face with long whiskers and a flat, brown nose. They reminded Tristan of cuddly, buoyant teddy bears.

      The sea otter tank was roughly semicircular in shape and fifteen feet deep, with a rocky back and bottom. There was also a platform at the back of the tank. Tristan moved closer to the dimly lit tank. Two otters appeared to be asleep with their front paws curled up on their chests. The other otter was grooming, using its paws to fluff up the fur on its face. Tristan had learned from the trainers that otters must continually groom their fur to keep it clean and full of air. Without the blubber of seals or whales, otters rely on a layer of air in their thick fur pelts to keep warm. Grooming is essential to their survival in the cold ocean—as is eating. To stay warm, sea otters consume huge amounts of food relative to their body size. One trainer told Tristan it was like him having to eat one hundred quarter-pounders a day. Tristan loved a good burger or two, but one hundred a day? That might be enough to make him swear off beef forever.

      One of the sleeping sea otters woke up and began paddling around the tank on its back. Kicking with one foot, it zoomed about incredibly fast. The otter bumped into the wall and then crashed into another otter, waking it up. All three began doing rolling somersaults and pedaling around on their backs.

      “They are too cute!” squealed Sam.

      Even Rosina was taken with the otters. “Just adorable.”

      The boys rolled their eyes as if the otters were nothing special, though silently, Tristan agreed with the girls.

      The senior trainer came out from a door next to the exhibit. “Ready to use those special powers I’ve heard about?”

      The teens nodded tentatively.

      “We’ve got a problem with one of the otters. See the smallest one in there? She’s the one with the cream-colored fur on her face. For some reason, that little otter likes to swallow air bubbles and, well, it gives her gas.”

      Ryder laughed. “You mean she’s got the farts?” The other teens snickered.

      “I know it seems funny,” said the trainer. “But it’s not healthy, and she’s having a hard time diving for food and getting rocks to smash open sea urchins. The purple sea urchins are her favorite.”

      “Uh, what do you want us to do?” Hugh asked.

      “Talk to her. Explain the problem. Tell her to stop swallowing bubbles. And we need her to take this.” The trainer showed them a small medicine box labeled Instant Gas Relief.

      More giggling ensued.

      “None of us have ever talked to an otter before,” Tristan said, trying to keep a straight face. “Not sure if we can.”

      “Well, could you at least try?” the trainer asked. “Just go in there and see what happens.”

      “Hope it doesn’t smell like sea urchin farts in there,” Ryder laughed.

      After several more fart jokes and a few fake burps from Ryder, the trainer decided he was not well suited for the job. The otters could be quite sensitive. It was a small enclosure, so only two of the teens could go in. Tristan and Sam were quick to volunteer.

      The two teens put on wetsuit overalls and entered the enclosure. Immediately, the curious otters turned to check out the strangers. The trainer had also given the teens a bin of enrichment feeding toys: rubber balls and cylinders filled with the otters’ favorite foods (mashed-up shrimp, crab, and sea urchin). As soon as Tristan and Sam pulled out the box of toys, the otters jumped around like kids at Christmas waiting to unwrap presents. They did somersaults, dove down, and climbed over one another, all the while repeatedly popping up to stare expectantly at the pair of newcomers.

      Sam and Tristan sat down on the back platform with their legs dangling in the water. They threw a few of the treat-filled toys into the water, and the otters quickly grabbed them. Tristan then offered the smallest otter a big purple sea urchin. The otter approached him tentatively. Tristan tried to communicate with it, thinking, How about a nice, yummy sea urchin? No response. He then tossed the sea urchin into the water. The live purple pincushion sank rapidly to the bottom. The small otter dove for it. But, about halfway down, the otter stopped abruptly. Seconds later, it bobbed buoyantly back to the surface. Another of the otters then easily dove down to snag the tasty treat. As it submerged, air bubbles released from the otter’s fur rose to the surface. The small otter swam into the cloud of bubbles, opened its mouth, and swallowed.

      “No wonder she’s got gas,” Tristan said, trying not to laugh.

      “C’mon, you’ve got to stop doing that,” Sam told the otter. Seconds later, Sam got an odd look on her face similar to when she first learned she could echolocate.

      “What’s wrong?” Tristan asked.

      “I think I can speak otter after all,” Sam told him. “The otter says she likes playing with the bubbles and the way they feel in her mouth.”

      “Yeah, well, explain to her why she’s got to stop swallowing them,” Tristan suggested.

      Since they didn’t need to talk out loud when communicating with sea creatures, Sam was quiet, but Tristan could tell she was concentrating.

      “Where’s that gas relief stuff the trainer gave us?” Sam asked.

      Tristan handed her a ball filled with crab mush. “There’s a pill stuck inside.”

      Sam tossed the crab ball to the small otter. It deftly caught the ball and quickly scarfed down the “pill à la crab.” A few minutes later, a swell of bubbles erupted around the small otter. Sam and Tristan high-fived and tried not to laugh but couldn’t help themselves.

      “Thar she blows,” Tristan said, and they laughed some more.

      Looking on from outside the exhibit, Ryder, Hugh, and even Rosina were laughing. The trainer just smiled and gave them the thumbs-up.

      Sam and Tristan hung out with the otters for a bit longer and then exited the exhibit. It was getting late, and they wanted to get some sleep before returning to begin their shift as regular volunteers in the morning.

      Walking back to Pete’s house, Tristan turned to their host. “Hey, tomorrow night’s that big, fancy party at the aquarium. Right?”

      “Yes.”

      “Guess we won’t be going for a swim in any of the exhibits then,” Hugh noted.

      “Definitely not,” Pete said, smiling.

       3

       RESCUED

      AT THE AQUARIUM THE NEXT NIGHT, THE PRIVATE cocktail party was in full swing. Waiters in neatly creased black pants and starched white shirts roamed about, carrying platters of fancy finger food. Light jazz played over the intercom while the guests