Excerpt from MERMAID WISHES
by Carol Barton
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“Do you think it’s the monster?” asked Maddie in a small voice.
“That’s what I was thinking,” admitted Sebastian, “but I didn’t like to say.”
“Nothing human could make a noise like that,” squawked Zak.
“That’s why I didn’t like to say,” said Sebastian.
“What should we do?” whispered Maddie.
“We have to go on,” said Sebastian. “Our mission is to retrieve the mermaid’s comb and we can’t do that until we find it. We know the monster has it in his possession. So let’s think about this logically. Where do you think would be the obvious place for him to keep a comb?”
“On his dressing table?” said Maddie.
“Good thinking,” said Sebastian. “So in that case what we have to do is to find the monster’s bedroom.”
“Oh boy!” Zak put his head under his wing.
Together they moved on, this time into soaring rooms flanked by marble pillars of black, green and gold.
On and on they swam, through one room after another and, every so often, the sound of that deafening roar thundered through the marble halls and the friends would stop and clutch each other in terror until its echo died away.
“It’s getting closer,” said Maddie fearfully. “I’m sure it is. That last roar sounded much louder than the others.”
Still fearfully, but bravely, the friends swam on. Just when Maddie was beginning to think that this place would go on for ever, they swam into yet another room, but this one was different from the others in that at one end there was a huge platform.
In the centre was a stone pallet with a scrolled pillow of marble, whilst around the platform were enormous scallop shells open to reveal hundreds of pearls and other precious trinkets.
“Look at the size of that bed,” said Zak with a muffled squawk. “I guess this must be a king-sized monster we are after.”
Maddie gulped and stared at the pallet with wide eyes, but Sebastian seemed far more interested in the shells.
“I think,” he said excitedly, “that those are what we need to be searching for Seraphina’s comb . . . And I think we need to be quick . . .” he trailed off as another deafening roar filled the chamber and surrounding halls.
“That one was definitely closer . . .” Maddie gulped. “Much closer . . . I think . . . I think he’s coming this way.”
“We must hide,” ordered Sebastian. “Come on, quickly, both of you.” He struck out, and leading the way, swam across the platform and behind one of the huge shells.
“No one can see us here,” he said softly. “But we should be able to watch and see what happens.”
As the sound of yet another roar filled the air the friends huddled together, arms and wings around each other.
A moment later Sebastian cautiously lifted his head. “It’s coming,” he whispered. Then he gasped. “Oh my goodness! I’ve never seen anything like that in my life!”
He tightened his grip on the other two, and Maddie, who by this time was shaking in terror, squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
Roar after roar filled the air as the monster came through the hall between the marble pillars and approached his sleeping chamber.
“I think I would rather have st-stayed and p-played hide and seek with the barracudas,” stuttered Zak. Then even he fell silent as Sebastian prodded him.
Only when the mighty roars ceased at last did Maddie allow herself to peep through her fingers and around the edge of the scallop shell. And when she did she could hardly believe what she saw.
From Mermaid Wishes. Text copyright © 1999 by Carol Barton. All rights reserved.
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