Dolphins at Daybreak by Mary Pope Osborne Page B

Morgan?” Jack said.
    Before Morgan could answer, the tree house started to spin.
    Jack squeezed his eyes shut.
    The tree house spun faster and faster.
    Then everything was still.
    Absolutely still.
    Jack opened his eyes.
    Morgan le Fay was gone.
    Only the ancient scroll and the ocean book were left in her place.

A breeze blew through the window. Sea gulls cried. Waves lapped the shore.
    Annie picked up the riddle scroll. She unrolled it. Together she and Jack read the riddle:
    Rough and gray as rock,
I’m plain as plain can be.
But hidden deep inside
There’s great beauty in me.
What am I?
    â€œLet’s go find the answer,” said Annie.
    She and Jack looked out the window. The tree house wasn’t in a tree. It was on the ground.

    â€œWhy is the ground pink?” said Jack.
    â€œI don’t know,” said Annie. “But I’m going out there.”
    â€œI’m going to do a little research first,” said Jack.
    Annie climbed out of the tree house.
    Jack picked up the ocean book and flipped through it.
    He found a picture of a pink island surrounded by water. He read:
    This is a coral reef. Corals are tiny sea animals. After they die, their skeletons remain. Over time, the reef builds up from stacks of coral skeletons.
    â€œOh, man, tiny skeletons,” said Jack. He pulled out his notebook and wrote:

    â€œJack! Jack! Come look at
this
,” cried Annie.
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œI don’t know. But you’ll love it!” she said.
    Jack threw his notebook and the ocean book into his pack. He climbed out the window.
    â€œIs it the answer to the riddle?” he called.
    â€œI don’t think so. It doesn’t look very plain,” said Annie.
    She was standing at the edge of the water. Beside her was a strange-looking machine.
    Jack hurried over the bumpy coral to get a better look.
    The machine was half on the reef and half in the clear blue water. It looked like a huge white bubble with a big window.
    â€œIs it a special kind of boat?” asked Annie.
    Jack found a picture of the machine in the ocean book. He read:
    Scientists who study the ocean are called oceanographers. Sometimes they travel in small diving vessels called submersibles, or “mini-subs,” to study the ocean floor.
    â€œIt’s a mini-sub,” said Jack. He pulled out his notebook.
    â€œLet’s get inside it,” said Annie.
    â€œNo!” said Jack. Actually, he did want to see what the sub looked like inside. But he shook his head. “We can’t. It’s not ours.”
    â€œJust a teeny peek,” said Annie. “It mighthelp us figure out the riddle.”
    Jack sighed. “Okay. But we have to be careful. Don’t touch anything,” he said.
    â€œDon’t worry,” said Annie.
    â€œAnd take off your shoes so they won’t get wet,” said Jack.
    He and Annie slipped off their shoes and socks and threw them toward the tree house.
    Then they stepped carefully over the sharp coral.
    Annie turned the handle on the hatch of the mini-sub. It opened.
    She and Jack climbed inside. The hatch slammed shut.
    The mini-sub was tiny. Two seats faced the big window. In front of the seats was a computer built into a control panel.
    Annie sat down.

    Jack opened the ocean book and read more on the mini-sub page:
    Mini-subs have strong hulls to keep air in and protect those aboard from water pressure. Computers are used to guide the mini-sub through the ocean.
    â€œOops,” said Annie.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Jack looked up.
    Annie was waving her hands in front of the computer. Now the screen showed a map.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” said Jack.
    â€œI just pressed a few keys—” said Annie.
    â€œWhat? I said not to touch anything!” said Jack.
    An air blower came on. The mini-sub jerked backward.
    â€œGet out!” said Jack.
    He and Annie scrambled for the hatch. Jack grabbed the handle.
    But they