There were a few strands of seaweed caught on the log. As Mother and Cora watched, a leaf got tangled in that seaweed and then a twig.

Cora figured there wasn’t all that much happening in the lagoon. This log might be the most exciting thing around. Dolphins’ senses were different. Perhaps Mother was entertaining herself, watching the turbulent water flow around the log.

* * *

The next morning, up to her waist in the lagoon, Cora held out a fish and said—Talk.

She waited a moment for any reply sound from the dolphins and then said—Talk.

She waited again and then said—Talk.

When one of the dolphins happened to make a noise right after she spoke, she threw the fish to that dolphin immediately. The other dolphins turned to watch that one swallow the fish in a single bite. This was the second day and they were hungry.

She said—Talk.

—Talk.

They studied her, trying to understand why she wasn’t feeding them.

She imagined it from their side. They’d never been trained before, didn’t understand the concept of a reward, that her gift could be contingent on an action. Perhaps they were wondering why she would keep them hungry, why she kept repeating the same sound.

After this second day she noticed a slight divot, an indent in the fat, behind Bernie’s blowhole. She didn’t remember seeing the divot before. He had been eating less than the others for weeks. She didn’t know if the indent could be from him losing weight or if it was from age. She didn’t know what was too skinny for a dolphin. She still didn’t feed him. To survive they needed to learn this. This could stop the operations for two months. Those months would give her time to figure out how to stop the operations for longer.

* * *

Mother was still fascinated with the log that bobbed against the metal gate of the exit stream. She plucked a piece of seaweed from the lagoon floor and released it near the log, watching it twirl through the water to become snagged on one of the branches.

Mother brought another piece of seaweed over and released it, watching. She repeated the action with a twig and then a leaf and then some more seaweed. She repeated this again and again, watching what happened each time. More and more debris stuck against the log.

Cora watched her, no idea of what she was doing or why.

* * *

When the men were inside during lunch, she stepped into the house. With all three of them there, she figured it was safe. Still talking, they turned to watch her walk to the bookshelves. She scanned the shelves for a book to borrow. She knew these books contained the words and concepts she needed to know in order to work with the men. These books would help her understand the men and help the men hear her.

Her eyes landed on the book with Blum’s name on the spine, the one with the cover showing a gorilla with its brain hanging in the air over its head. The title was Biological Computers. She pulled the book out and held it up for Blum, so he could approve her borrowing it. He nodded, a flicker of satisfaction on his face.