Deep trouble

DEEP TROUBLE

Chapter One

Molly could feel her legs tingle, and then that strange melting sensation came over them, as if they were dissolving. And now she could feel cool water against her skin as she fell deeper and deeper, her eyes still closed…

She slowed to a halt and opened her eyes. She was a mermaid again – yes, there was her beautiful tail sparkling behind her! – and she was down in the ocean once more, wearing a bikini top and her conch necklace. But something felt wrong.

She jumped in alarm as a loud rumbling noise started up and the ground shuddered below her. The seabed was shaking! She stared around, noticing that the water was completely empty of sea creatures. Where had they all gone? What was happening?

The ground became still after a few seconds and the rumbling died away. Thank goodness! Molly’s pulse slowed as she gazed about tentatively. She was in very deep water, she could tell – it felt much cooler and seemed darker and gloomier than the other parts of the ocean she’d explored. She tipped her head back and stared above her – then felt dizzy as she realized just how far up the surface was. Not that she needed air to breathe now, of course. As a mermaid she could breathe underwater, but all the same, it was rather unnerving to think just how deep the water was – and how she was all the way down at the bottom of it.

It was a relief to hear a friendly voice calling her name at that moment. “Molly! Molly! I’m over here!”

Molly turned gratefully to see another mermaid swimming towards her. “Pearl!” she said, recognizing her at once. Pearl was one of the five other Shell-Keeper mermaids and looked after the deepest parts of the ocean with the help of her magical conch piece. Pearl had long brown hair which she wore in bunches tied with green ribbons, big brown eyes and a shy smile. “I’m so glad to see you,” Molly said as Pearl drew closer. “I heard this rumbling – and the ground seemed to be shaking and…”

Pearl nodded, not smiling any more. “It’s one of the volcanoes,” she said. “My piece of the conch can usually keep them from erupting too often, but since it’s been missing, the volcanoes are beyond my control. So many eruptions mean areas of water have become very sooty, and many fish have died.” She sighed miserably. “I just wish I could find my conch piece!”

Molly was just about to reply to Pearl when she saw a bright light approaching through the gloomy water...followed by one of the most peculiar-looking creatures she’d ever seen. It was a round, brown fish, a little smaller than a netball, with staring eyes, a huge mouth, and scarily sharp lower teeth. The strangest thing of all was that the creature had a spike sticking straight out of its head with a glowing light on the end.

Molly stifled a scream and grabbed her friend’s hand. “Pearl,” she said, her voice trembling. “What’s that?”