The Bottle at Gray Rock

Nolan and Maya work on a small boat called Tidy. It is a clean-up boat for the ocean. It has a flat white deck. It also has a long net arm. Its power comes from the sun.

Today they sail to Gray Rock. It is a tiny island two hours from the port. Wind and water bring trash there. Nobody lives on Gray Rock, so the trash stays.

"Are you ready?" asks Maya. She is sixteen and she is the captain.

"Yes," says Nolan. He is fourteen. This is his first long trip. His bag has sandwiches, water, and a coat.

The morning is bright. The sea is flat and blue. Tidy moves slowly and quietly. A screen on the deck shows the way. Nolan does not need to steer. He only watches the water.

After one hour, they see white birds. After two hours, they see a gray rock. It is alone in the sea. It looks like a sleeping animal.

Maya stops the boat near the beach. They put on gloves. They put the net arm in the water. It lifts a bag, a rope, and an old cup.

"Look," says Nolan. "A shoe!"

"Just one?" asks Maya.

"Just one," he says. "Where is the other?"

They laugh. They work for an hour. Nolan sings a little song, and Maya sings with him. The pile on the deck gets big. There are bottles, cups, bags, and one long, blue net. The sun gets hot. Nolan eats his sandwich on the side of the boat.

Then he sees something shine in the sand. He jumps down from the boat. He walks to it. It is a glass bottle. It is old and green. Inside, there is a small piece of paper.

"Maya!" he calls. "Come here!"

Maya comes quickly. She looks at the bottle in his hand.

"A message?" she says.

"I think so."

Nolan pulls at the top, but it is stuck. Maya takes the bottle. She hits it softly on a rock. The top comes off. She takes out the paper. It is yellow and soft.

"It is a letter," she says. "Listen. 'Hello! My name is Ada. I am eight years old. I live in a house next to the sea. If you find this bottle, please write to me.'"

Nolan reads the paper over her shoulder. At the bottom, there is a small drawing. It shows a house and a big yellow sun. Under it is a street name and a number.

"It is from a different country," says Maya. "Look at the date. It is eleven years old."

"Ada is nineteen now," says Nolan.

"Maybe she is a captain too."

They sit on the beach. The sea makes a soft noise. The boat waits behind them. A white bird walks past and looks at their sandwiches.

"What do we do?" Nolan asks.

"We write to her," says Maya. She takes a pen out of her pocket. "Do you have more paper?"

Nolan opens his bag. He takes out a clean sandwich bag. He turns it over. "Here," he says. "What do we write?"

"Hello," says Maya. "We found your bottle."