But I didn’t fall. The strong hands didn’t let go. I felt myself pulled back into the boat—as a dark shadow swept overhead. “Huh?” I blinked several times. Was it a shadow—or my eyes? I heard a deafening noise. A clattering. A beating sound. I turned to Dr. D. He and the others all had their eyes on the sky. A helicopter? I thought. Is it a helicopter? Someone to rescue us? No. That clapping, pounding sound couldn’t be a helicopter’s roar. Another shadow swooped over the boat. And then an ugly cry ripped through the air. RRRAAAAAK! RRAAAAAAK! “Oh, no!” Dr. D. cried. “Here they come!” I shielded my eyes with one hand. And I saw them. Swooping low. Two enormous birds. Seagulls. Seagulls as big as my golden Lab back home! RRRAAAAAK! RRAAAAAK! Their sharp cries were so shrill, they hurt my ears. “Here come two more victims of your great experiments, Ritter,” my uncle shouted over the pounding of their wings. “They must have eaten the plankton too!” Dr. Ritter exclaimed.
