square hole had been carved out of the earth. Crisscrossing the bare earth was a maze of pipes and cables.
A row of boulders lined one wall of the hole. A green backhoe stood off to one side, like a sleeping dinosaur.
Two men stood together talking. One wore jeans and a T-shirt, with a red bandanna tied around his black hair. The other man was older with gray hair. He wore white pants and a blue shirt.
The man in the red bandanna waved at Sammi.
“That’s Riko. He’s the job foreman,”Sammi said, with a wave back.
“What is this place, anyway?” Ruth Rose asked.
Sammi spread his arms. “It’s going to be an aquarium!” he said. He pointed to the empty space behind the hole. “Up there will be a school for kids who want to learn about the ocean.”
Sammi grinned at his guests. “Pretty soon, this will be filled with ocean water and plants and fish!” he said.
“What’s that for?” Josh asked. He pointed to a long, wide pipe, half in the water and half out. A machine was attached to the end that was on dry land.
“A motor will pump ocean water up through that pipe,” Sammi explained. “Other pipes will take the water out again, so it’s always clean.”
Dink pictured the finished aquarium with fish and other sea creaturesswimming among those boulders.
Josh whistled. “And your dad is paying for all this!” he said.
Sammi pointed to a stone building next door. A small brass sign said NERE BANK.
“My grandfather left my father a lot of gold bars,” Sammi said quietly. “They’re in the bank, and that’s what my father is using to pay for the aquarium.”
“That’s great,” Dink said. “So when will the aquarium and school open?”
Sammi shrugged. “My dad says in a few months,” he said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Riko.”
The kids followed Sammi down a sloping bank into the bottom of the pit.
Riko shook hands with all four kids. He greeted Sammi in Costran, a language Dink had never heard before.
“These are my American friends,Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose,” Sammi said.
“Hello, and welcome,” Riko said in perfect English. His eyes sparkled like black marbles and his teeth gleamed.
Riko turned to the gray-haired man. “This is Dr. Leopold Skor,” he said. “He’s giving me some great ideas for the project.”
Dr. Skor bowed. “I am a marine biologist,” he told the kids. “I am doing research nearby, and I heard about King Farhad’s wonderful aquarium.”
“Would you like to meet the king?” Sammi asked.
“You
know
him?” Dr. Skor asked, looking surprised.
“He’s my father!” Sammi answered.
Suddenly they heard the sound of distant chimes.
“Come on!” Sammi said to his friends. “That’s Fin ringing the dinner bell!”
The kids spent the next couple of days exploring Nere.
Sammi showed the kids a small park where parrots lived in the trees. He took them to a glass-blowing factory, where they watched a man blow red molten glass into delicate animals. They stopped at a food stall and ate hot meat sandwiches and drank lemon-flavored drinks.
Once or twice, Dink noticed the man he’d seen peeking out of his bedroom in the castle. Dink asked Sammi about theman, but Sammi just shrugged.
“He must be a friend of my father” was all Sammi would say.
On the third day of their visit, the kids were relaxing on a small beach. They sat in the sand and took off their sandals. The sun, puffy clouds, and boats made a beautiful picture.
Out in the harbor, the yellow yacht sat peacefully in the turquoise water. Every now and then, men wearing scuba gear would either jump off theboat or climb aboard. They carried mesh bags and wore long black flippers on their feet.
The kids recognized Dr. Skor as he walked about on the deck.
“Maybe they’re looking at the fish,” Josh suggested.
“Dr. Skor told my father he’s studying coral,” Sammi said. “But there’s a lot more coral outside the harbor,” he said.
“His boat looks so cool. I wish
A row of boulders lined one wall of the hole. A green backhoe stood off to one side, like a sleeping dinosaur.
Two men stood together talking. One wore jeans and a T-shirt, with a red bandanna tied around his black hair. The other man was older with gray hair. He wore white pants and a blue shirt.
The man in the red bandanna waved at Sammi.
“That’s Riko. He’s the job foreman,”Sammi said, with a wave back.
“What is this place, anyway?” Ruth Rose asked.
Sammi spread his arms. “It’s going to be an aquarium!” he said. He pointed to the empty space behind the hole. “Up there will be a school for kids who want to learn about the ocean.”
Sammi grinned at his guests. “Pretty soon, this will be filled with ocean water and plants and fish!” he said.
“What’s that for?” Josh asked. He pointed to a long, wide pipe, half in the water and half out. A machine was attached to the end that was on dry land.
“A motor will pump ocean water up through that pipe,” Sammi explained. “Other pipes will take the water out again, so it’s always clean.”
Dink pictured the finished aquarium with fish and other sea creaturesswimming among those boulders.
Josh whistled. “And your dad is paying for all this!” he said.
Sammi pointed to a stone building next door. A small brass sign said NERE BANK.
“My grandfather left my father a lot of gold bars,” Sammi said quietly. “They’re in the bank, and that’s what my father is using to pay for the aquarium.”
“That’s great,” Dink said. “So when will the aquarium and school open?”
Sammi shrugged. “My dad says in a few months,” he said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Riko.”
The kids followed Sammi down a sloping bank into the bottom of the pit.
Riko shook hands with all four kids. He greeted Sammi in Costran, a language Dink had never heard before.
“These are my American friends,Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose,” Sammi said.
“Hello, and welcome,” Riko said in perfect English. His eyes sparkled like black marbles and his teeth gleamed.
Riko turned to the gray-haired man. “This is Dr. Leopold Skor,” he said. “He’s giving me some great ideas for the project.”
Dr. Skor bowed. “I am a marine biologist,” he told the kids. “I am doing research nearby, and I heard about King Farhad’s wonderful aquarium.”
“Would you like to meet the king?” Sammi asked.
“You
know
him?” Dr. Skor asked, looking surprised.
“He’s my father!” Sammi answered.
Suddenly they heard the sound of distant chimes.
“Come on!” Sammi said to his friends. “That’s Fin ringing the dinner bell!”
The kids spent the next couple of days exploring Nere.
Sammi showed the kids a small park where parrots lived in the trees. He took them to a glass-blowing factory, where they watched a man blow red molten glass into delicate animals. They stopped at a food stall and ate hot meat sandwiches and drank lemon-flavored drinks.
Once or twice, Dink noticed the man he’d seen peeking out of his bedroom in the castle. Dink asked Sammi about theman, but Sammi just shrugged.
“He must be a friend of my father” was all Sammi would say.
On the third day of their visit, the kids were relaxing on a small beach. They sat in the sand and took off their sandals. The sun, puffy clouds, and boats made a beautiful picture.
Out in the harbor, the yellow yacht sat peacefully in the turquoise water. Every now and then, men wearing scuba gear would either jump off theboat or climb aboard. They carried mesh bags and wore long black flippers on their feet.
The kids recognized Dr. Skor as he walked about on the deck.
“Maybe they’re looking at the fish,” Josh suggested.
“Dr. Skor told my father he’s studying coral,” Sammi said. “But there’s a lot more coral outside the harbor,” he said.
“His boat looks so cool. I wish
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