The storm ended just as quickly as it began—almost as if it had never happened.
The next day was sunny, beautiful, and calm once again.
The boat, however, did not survive the wind and rain.
When Tommy opened his eyes, he found himself still holding onto the mast.
There were pieces of wood everywhere.
Tommy even saw the boat's wheel floating by.
But there were no signs of Dr. Dolittle, Charles, or Polynesia.
He was all alone.
"I will not cry,"
Tommy said as he wiped away his tears.
"They are alive, I know it!"
Tommy tried to think of happy thoughts.
"Someone will find me.
I will be together with my friends again," he said aloud.
At that moment, Tommy looked into the water and screamed.
There were two scary sharks swimming around him.
"Go away, please," he whispered.
One shark poked his head out of the water.
"He doesn't look too good," he said to his friend.
The other came out of the water and looked at Tommy.
"Not much meat on him, is there?"
"Did you find anything else around?
Something tastier?" the first shark licked its lips.
"Nope. This small human is the only thing I can see," the second one said.
Tommy wished he could speak their language.
He decided to use what he had already learned.
"Oink, quack, hee-haw, woof-woof," he said.
The sharks looked confused.
"What's he doing?" one asked.
"Don't ask me," said the other.
"I can never understand these humans."
"Shall we eat him or not?"
But before they could decide, a long, horrible screeching sound was heard.
Tommy and the sharks looked up.
"Polynesia!" cried Tommy joyfully.
She swooped down and started to bite the sharks' noses.
"Shame on you!
Trying to eat a helpless boy!" she scolded them.
"That hurts!" "Aw!" the sharks cried and dived back into the water.
Tommy was so happy to see his friend.
He could not stop crying.
"Now, now, Tommy," said the parrot, comforting him.
"What about the doctor? Charles?" Tommy sobbed.
"We're all safe."
Polynesia explained everything that had happened.
"The doctor and Charles are on land, waiting for you.
So we should go to them as soon as possible."
"But how?" asked Tommy.
"I don't have anything to row with."
"We don't need oars," she replied.
"Our friends will help us."
Tommy suddenly felt the mast gliding along in the water.
"Hold on tight," Polynesia called out.
Tommy turned around to see two beautiful dolphins.
They were using their long noses to push the mast forward.
Tommy wanted to reach out and touch their smooth, shiny skin.
"Everything okay?" Polynesia called out to the dolphins.
"It certainly is!
He's light as a feather!" one replied.
"Not like Dr. Dolittle and that other man," called out the other.
"Now that was heavy!"
The dolphins laughed out cheerfully.
"Yes, Dr. Dolittle told me he'd put on some weight," laughed Tommy.
Polynesia stared at Tommy.
The dolphins stopped pushing and poked their heads out of the water.
Tommy did not know why everyone was looking at him.
"Did I say something wrong?" he asked shyly.
"Tommy," Polynesia said finally,
"just now, you understood our language and spoke it."
"What?" Tommy shook his head in confusion.
He thought about what had just happened.
Yes, he clearly understood what the dolphins said.
"Oh, my!" he exclaimed.
"I can speak! I can speak!"
Soon, Tommy saw the island ahead.
Dr. Dolittle and Charles were waving their hands excitedly.
Tommy did not know what made him happier:
seeing his friends again or finally being able to speak animal language.
He decided that both things made him equally happy.