The seals slip into the water and swim off in the direction of Seal Rock.
Soon they disappear among the whitecaps. They've gone home.
Suzanne and I walk back to Mother and Dad sitting on the beach. They were watching, too. Dad talks to us about seals and other animals of the land, the sky, and the sea, and how they and we all fit together on Planet Earth.
We start back to camp. By this time the sun is starting down. It's late
afternoon. There is still light when we arrive at our campsite. Dad lights
the campfire and Mother makes supper.
After we've eaten, and clear away the leftovers, we sit around the fire.
Dad tells more stories about sailing and long hikes. Then we sing
songs.
***
We stood, stretched, and walked toward the dunes.
'Any more stories?' I asked.
'Oh, yes,' Suzanne replied. 'The best is yet to come. Telling our adventures is such fun we're going to make it last for a few more days.'
'Tomorrow?'
'Tomorrow.'
Noises in the Night
The next morning we're back under the palms. Suzanne takes up the story.
This is about what happened late the same night we hiked to Point Nemo. As with the other nights, we get into our pjs, brush our teeth and wash our faces. We hug and kiss Mother and Dad and I pick up our flashlight. The tent doesn't have electric lights, so we have an electric lantern that we hang from a hook in one of the wooden rods that hold up the tent.