It was a sweltering, summer morning and Delma had just finished her morning laps around the aquamarine lake. Looking forward to a hearty breakfast, the dolphin was surprised to find Dell, the beaver, waiting for her near her home.

“Good morning, Dell,” said Delma. “You’re up early today,” Delma joked good naturedly as Dell’s mother always complained that she had a hard time waking up Dell in the morning.

“It’s Ma,” said Dell. His usually mischievous features were furrowed into a frown. “She has been very sick all last night. Can you please come with me?. I can’t find Dr. Owl.”

Delma swam to the dam where the beavers lived. Even though she was too huge to get inside their home she peered through one of the windows. Bea was struggling to make breakfast in their tiny kitchen.

“Bea,” Delma called out. The beaver looked around and smiled weakly at the dolphin. When she came out of the dam, Delma saw how much weight she had lost. Her eyes were sunken in her face and she looked as if she hadn’t slept in days.

“What happened to you, Bea? Dell came to tells me you haven’t been well,” asked Delma in concern.

“It’s nothing, really,” answered Bea trying to brush Delma’s concerns aside.

“That’s not true,” Dell said. “Ma has been sick over a week now. She refuses to go to a doctor. Yesterday night when she finally agreed to go to a doctor, Dr. Owl was nowhere to be found. A notice outside his clinic says that he’s gone for a vacation. Doctors shouldn’t be allowed to go for a vacation,” spluttered Dell.

“Relax,” said Delma. “Dr. Trish is the dinosaur doctor in Fruit Park. We can take Bea to her.”

“Ma’s in no condition to walk,” argued Dell.

“We can wait till my friend Din Din in comes to visit me this evening. He can carry Bea on his back to Fruit Park,” suggested Delma.

“Evening!” exclaimed Dell. “That will be too late. Please tell me where Fruit Park is and I will request Dr. Trish to come see my Ma.”

Even though Delma had never been to Fruit Park, yet she did her best to direct the anxious beaver.

Dell set off towards Fruit Park. Unacquainted to the terrain, he tried to find his way around the many fruit trees laden with ripe, richly coloured fruits.

Yet, little did Dell know that he was going deeper into the area where the jackals lived — the area of Fruit Park which the jackals had taken over from the dinosaurs. No one was permitted to go into that area. The jackals were always on a look out to capture one of the dinosaurs who might stumble into their vicinity.

Back at the lakeside, Delma was anxiously awaiting Dell’s return. Bea was resting inside her dam home and her other beaver children were taking care of her. When Dell did not return till noon, Delma grew even more restless.

“Dill,” Delma hollered to Dell’s younger brother. “Can you do me a favour? Can you run up to the pond and ask Dazel to come to me urgently.”

Soon, Dazel was at the lake. “What’s the matter, Delma?” asked the duck, concerned. When she heard about Dell’s absence, she volunteered at once to fly to Fruit Park.

“Don’t worry,” comforted Dazel. “I will look for Dell and try to convince Dr. Trish to come and pay Bea a visit.” At Fruit Park, Dazel made her way to the cave which served as Dr. Trish’s clinic. As always there was a long line of patients and the beds in her clinic were filled with the ailing.

The doctor was puzzled to see the duck. When Dazel asked her if Dell had come to see her, she shook her head.

“Will you be able to come see Bea, the beaver?” prodded Dazel;, the doctor shook her head again.

“I have many patients admitted at the moment; I might be able to come see her tonight,” Dr. Trish said in her routine stoic voice.

“Can you prescribe some medicines for her?” Dazel urged her.

“To be honest, I have to examine the patient first. Also, I’ve never treated beavers before,” replied the doctor and then turned back to the patient seated before her.

Frustrated and worried, Dazel walked away from the clinic. She flew quickly to Din Din’s home and her dinosaur friend was surprised to see her in the late afternoon. When Dazel explained Dell’s disappearance, Din Din was alarmed.

“I haven’t seen Dell anywhere in Fruit Park. I really hope he hasn’t stumbled into the jackal’s vicinity of Fruit Park,” Din Din said.

“Let’s go and investigate,” said Dazel, ever ready for an adventure. The two friends set off cautiously towards the end of Fruit Park where the jackals resided.

“They have made such a mess of their area,” confided Din Din in a whisper. “They are filthy creatures. And be careful, they always have jackals lurking at the border to capture one of the dinosaurs.”

“Look!” hissed Dazel, “Aren’t those beaver foot prints?”

Sure enough in the brown fertile mud of Fruit Park, they saw the beaver’s webbed tracks. Dazel and Din Din looked at each other, their heart beats quickening. “Does this mean Dell has been captured by the jackals?” whispered Dazel. Din Din nodded.

“We must go back to tell Delma; she is very worried,” Dazel said.

“I’ll go back and discuss with my family what we can do to rescue Dell,” said Din Din.

Dazel flew back to tell Delma.

“It’s true; Dell has ventured into the jackals territory,” shared Dazel, gasping and out of breath.

Delma splashed her huge tail in alarm. “Oh no! Double trouble! Dell is captured and Bea is so sick. Is Dr. Trish coming?”

“She might come later tonight; she’s very busy,” said Dazel.

“Bea’s constantly asking for Dell,” Delma cried in remorse. “What will we tell her?”

“We mustn’t tell her about Dell’s capture,” Dazel said shaking her feathered head.

“How can we hide his absence from her?” questioned Delma.

“I don’t know; make an excuse. Let’s tell her that Dell is waiting for Dr. Trish at her clinic until she gets free and he will bring her to Bea tonight,” suggested Dazel.

“Yes, but that just gives us till tonight,” insisted Delma. “What then?”

“We’ll see. In the mean time we need to think of a way to rescue Dell,” said Dazel.

(End of part 1)

What must have happened to Dell, the Beaver? Write your predictions to the end of this thrilling story at DLand@KandNs.com

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