The four kids hid behind the sand dune to watch the party for a moment. “Do you see anything?” Jayne whispered to Monique.“No, nothing yet,” Monique answered. “What’re we looking for, anyway?” Javier asked.“Shhh. Keep it down,” the girls all said to Javier.“I can’t win. You’re all ganging up on me now,” he said, but quieter. “Why are we hiding?”“We don’t want these people to make us go away before we have a chance to see if the sea turtle nest is here or not and if it’s been covered up,” Jayne answered him. “Now start looking.”“I still don’t know what I’m looking for,” the boy grumbled.“Turtle crawls are patterns in the sand where the turtle crawled up the beach. You’ll see the marks from her flippers where she pulled herself across the sand,” Monique said, mimicking the motion with her arms. “With all the people on the beach, most of the crawl has probably been messed up, though.”The four children scanned the beach. The families had spread out blankets and chairs on the beach and adults talked while the kids built sandcastles or played in the surf. Jayne, Monique, and Javier watched the beach and the water. Marie stared at the sand dunes.“Was this big group here when you guys came to rescue the turtle?” Jayne asked.“I don’t think they were all here, but some of them were. Some people were bringing out chairs, I guess. They stopped to watch what we were doing,” Monique answered.“If these people were around and the nest is here, they probably would’ve scared away the birds and the raccoons. That’s good, right?” Marie said, thinking out loud more than talking to anyone. “If she didn’t get the nest covered up all the way, the eggs may still be there.”“Monique, you never said what the actual nest would look like,” Marie continued. “Where would it be?”“Oh, the nest would probably be at the bottom of the dunes. You would see a place with messed up sand where the turtle dug the hole and then filled it back in. They throw sand all over the place when they dig,” she answered, enjoying the fact that her father had taught her about turtles and she could help out.“Do you think that’s it?” Marie asked, pointing at a spot near the bottom of a dune, right beside a beach blanket and a family. It was obvious that sand had been thrown around, but there wasn’t a hole in the dune. Whatever had dug up the sand had filled the hole back in.“Oh no, that’s probably it,” Jayne said. “What’ll we do?”“Will the dogs eat the turtle eggs?” Javier asked.“I don’t know,” Monique answered. “I don’t think so.”As they talked, one of the dogs — a toy poodle — began to dig, using both front paws to throw sand everywhere. Suddenly, the four kids saw what looked like a white ping-pong ball roll across the beach. Marie was the first to move, the other three close behind her.“Stop! Stop! You’ve got to stop!” Marie shouted as she ran. “The dog’s digging up a turtle nest. Please make it stop.”SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT1. Why were the kids hiding behind the sand dune?2. Do you think these grown-ups will listen to the kids if they explain what is going on?3. How will the kids be able to recognise the actual nest?4. Did the dog help or hurt the hunt for the turtle nest?5. Predict what you think will happen in the next chapter. What would you like to see happen?NEXT WEEK: Protect the eggs