Island of the Blue Dolphins

Karana doesn’t enter the cave or take the necklace. She sleeps at the headland and, at dawn, hides on a ledge in the ravine where she can see the cave. As the sun gets higher, Karana studies the necklace. She wants to count the stones and see if there are enough to make two loops around her neck. Finally, when the sun is high, Tutok emerges from the brush, singing. She stops when she sees the necklace, looks around, and then turns to leave.

Karana leaps up and calls for Tutok. Tutok turns around and watches Karana loop the beads three times around her neck. Tutok says her word for “pretty,” and then Karana gives Tutok her word. The girls laugh. They exchange words for the necklace, the spring, a gull, Rontu, and the sun. They spend hours laughing, and then Tutok gets up and waves. Karana introduces herself as Won-a-pa-lei, keeping her secret name a secret. Once Tutok is gone, Karana brings her baskets back to the cave.

Tutok visits again the next day, and the girls spend the day sitting in the sun, trading words and laughing. At the end of the third day, Karana shares her secret name with Tutok. That night, she starts to make a gift for Tutok to thank her for the necklace. Since Tutok’s ears aren’t pierced, Karana makes her a circlet for her hair with abalone and olivella shells. It takes five days and, when it’s complete, Karana ties it around Tutok’s head. Tutok loves the circlet.

Tutok visits the cave often—until one day, she doesn’t come. At dusk, Karana becomes afraid that the men will come for her, so she sleeps on the ledge. Tutok doesn’t return the next day, either, so Karana wonders if the Aleuts have left. She creeps to the headland to look and sees that the men are loading the ship. They’ll probably leave the next morning. Karana returns to her cave and, since it’s cold and she’s not afraid of the Aleuts now, she builds a big fire and cooks enough supper for her, Rontu, and Tutok. She knows Tutok won’t come, but she saves food for her anyway.

Karana goes to the headland the following morning. It’s no longer windy, but it’s foggy. When the fog finally burns off, the red Aleut ship is gone. At first, Karana is thrilled to be able to move back to her house. But then she thinks of laughing in the sun with Tutok. Rontu is chasing gulls and barking at them, pelicans are chattering, and a sea elephant is bellowing. But the island seems quiet as Karana thinks of Tutok.