Alix loves her boat days with Grandpa. They cross the bay. Wind whips her hair. Water sprays her face. She hopes they’ll catch a fish. She hopes they’ll see a manatee.
Grandpa slows the boat. No manatees yet.
Grandpa turns off the engine. He gives Alix a fishing pole. He baits the hook. She drops it in.
Alix sees oyster shells on the muddy bottom. She sees baby fish in the turtle grass. Sea birds bob on the cool, green water.
But still no manatees.
The boat drifts over grassy, shallow water. Alix and Grandpa fish. Grandpa catches a snook.
Suddenly three gray humps bump up from the water. Manatees!
Two manatees roll and splash in the water right beside the boat. A third lies in the mangroves. He has deep cuts on its back.
“What happened?”
“A boat probably hit him,” Grandpa says. “Someone didn’t look out for manatees.”
He calls on the radio for help. “Animal doctors are coming,” he tells Alix. “They will take the manatee to a safe place. He will get better.”
They wait. A fish tugs Alix’s line. She reels in, but it gets away. All the time she’s watching and thinking about the manatee.
At last she sees the rescue boat. It coasts beside them. The crew lifts the hurt manatee onboard.
Alix waves goodbye.
As Grandpa’s boat chugs slowly back into the bay, another boat speeds past.
“Slow down,” Alix calls. “Look out for manatees!”
