# The Sister Colony

One summer, colony elder Willow reveals a decades-old mystery, a sister otter colony that vanished after Codornices Creek was changed forever. Brandt and Carter follow the water to reunite two families and welcome Berkeley's newest Secret Keeper.

Ages 5–7. 8 chapters, about 36 minutes.

## What happens

It is the third summer of Brandt and Carter's promise to visit the otters, and this year Willow shares a story she has not told in a very long time. A cousin colony once lived along Codornices Creek, until the creek was buried under city streets, and nobody has heard from them since. With Maya and Jasper, the boys plan a bike expedition, learn how Berkeley's creeks were piped underground, and ask Dad's permission for a creek-exploring project. Along the way they meet Priya, a neighbor who has mapped every storm drain she can find.

Listeners will enjoy a summer detective story of maps, clues, and careful listening, and learn how a city's hidden waterways connect.

## From Chapter 1

> School had been out for exactly one week, which in Carter's opinion made it officially summer, no matter what the calendar said.
>
> "Remember our promise?" Carter said, hopping over a crack in the sidewalk on the way to the creek. "From the very first summer. We said we'd keep visiting every year."
>
> "I remember," Brandt said. "This is year three."
>
> "Three whole years," Carter said, like it was an enormous number, which to Carter, it basically was.
>
> "You say that every summer," Brandt pointed out.
>
> "It's true every summer," Carter said, with the weary patience of someone explaining something for the hundredth time.
>
> The willow branches by the boulder had grown thicker since last summer, and Brandt had to duck lower than he remembered to slip through into the tunnels. Inside, the air was cool and familiar, smelling faintly of creek water and moss.

## Chapters

1. The Summer Promise
2. Following the Water
3. New Territory
4. Signs of Otters
5. First Contact
6. Reuniting the Family
7. A New Secret Keeper
8. Two Creeks, One Summer