The Pod Short Story by Maureen Crane Wartak BACKGROUND Maureen Crane Wartski was born in Ashiya, Japan, in 1940 Her European and Asian heritage and her deep connection with nature have strongly influenced her writing in addition, Wartski is an accomplished artist. Like her writing, her watercolors often portray the natural world Here she writes about dolphins, which, like whales, travel together in groups called SETTING A PURPOSE Pay close attention to how the plot unfolds and how a main character responds or changes as the plot moves toward a resolution. How soon into the story can you begin to identify the conflict? S 4 2 Couldn't Pete talk about anything but fish? Jesse Waring tried to block his cousin's voice but there was no escape. "Dolphins aren't fish, they're mammals," Pete was lecturing. "They look big and tough, but they can get stressed or scared, like the stranded dolphin we rescued...." "Jesse?" His mother was standing beside him, her eyes full of concern. His parents were always worrying about him these days, Jesse thought, irritably, and the other relatives were just as bad. Poor Jesse, it's a shame about the accident. He used to be a great athlete.... Even when they didn't talk to him, he could feel their pitying thoughts. "Can you go to the store for me?" his mother was saying, "We've run out of milk. That is," she added quickly, "if you're not too tired.... 36: 18 19 10 11 12 13 9 1. And I want to make sure to visit the Cape Cod Stranding Network." Pete was droning on. "They have a hotline, and they do great work Yada, yada, yada "Sure Mom," Jess said. Anything to get away from Pete's lectures and all those pitying eyes. He snatched up car keys from the table in the entryway, grabbing his windbreaker as he limped out the door. Once outside, he wished held brought his parka---the wind had an icy sting-but he wasn't going back into the house. Held always enjoyed the annual Waring family reunion, when cousins, uncles and aunts from all over the country got together and rented a house on New England's Cape Cod, but this March was different. It was the first time the clan had gathered since the accident. Jesse didn't want to think about how a man driving a pickup had jumped a red light, slamming into his car and fracturing his legs. Until then Jesse had been the star of the school soccer team, certain of an athletic scholarship. "Not anymore," he muttered, then frowned as he realized he'd passed the store. Well, OK, there was a convenience store about 30 miles away, and the drive would give him some needed alone time. At first, the silence was great. But as Jesse drove on the road that wound beside the ocean, he kept thinking how his future had been smashed along with his legs. Pep talks that people gave him made it worse. He was a cripple, and he knew it. These days Jesse always felt as if there was a tight, hard knot in his chest. 14 On impulse, he turned the wheel, pulling into an empty parking lot that faced the water. He got out and limped down some stairs. Except for screeching seagulls and a few scattered rocks, the beach was deserted. 15 16 17 Suddenly, Jesse tensed. That rock... did it move? He took a step closer and saw that it was no rock. The dolphin wasn't very big, not even four feet long. When Jesse hobbled over, the big fish... mammal, according to Pete... rolled an eye at him. How long had it been there? It was breathing, but its sides were heaving painfully. vital Fragments of Pete's endless monologue came back to him. His cousin had said that a dolphin's rib structure wasn't built to protect it on land. The body weight of this creature was slowly compressing its organs, , and if it didn't get back into the water soon, it could die. It was going to low tide and the waves seemed far away. The best thing to do was to call Pete, who would know what to do. Jesse reached for his cell phone. It wasn't there. He'd left it in the pocket of his parka! He could drive home and get Pete, but that would mean leaving the dolphin. Would it be alive when he got back? He knew nothing about this creature except that it was helpless. The dolphin's eyes rolled again, and Jesse felt a sudden jolt of empathy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Com