Scarlett's New Friend (3 page)

So Holly, Lucy, Misty, Ellie, and Sophie quickly pulled themselves over the side of
the faded green boat. Then John hid them under a piece of old sailcloth.

“You'll be safe there,” he said. “And it won't take us long to reach Cauldron Cliff.”

The mermaids lay quietly as John steered the little boat over the choppy waves. This surely had to be the strangest part of their adventures so far!

“Here we are,” said John. “This is Cauldron Cliff.”

Scarlett and her friends peered over the sailcloth that was covering them. They saw a tall, scooped-out cliff, towering above a lonely beach. The cliff really did look a bit like a hollow witch's cauldron. The jagged rocks gleamed purplish-brown, and the pale sand glistened in the midday
sunshine. No one was there except for a few seabirds.

“This will be a marvelous hiding place,” said Scarlett.

“Thank you, John,” said Lucy shyly. “I never believed a human could be so kind.”

“And I never believed there were folks like you,” he replied. “I can't wait to tell them at home.”

“That's the problem,” Ellie sighed. “If you told other humans, they might want to capture us. We do like you, John. And we are grateful for your help, but …”

“But what?” he asked, with a look of surprise on his face.

“But we can't allow you to remember meeting us,” said Scarlett, in a determined voice. “Good-bye, John.”

One by one, the mermaids dived into the waves from the boat. They formed a circle around it and began to sing:

You didn't see a mermaid fair
,

You didn't catch her by the hair
,

You didn't hear our mermaid song
,

You'll forget us, before too long
.

Go to sleep and drift away
,

Forget what you have seen today
.

You won't remember seeing me
,

And there are no mermaids in the sea!

As they sang, they held up their crystals in front of them. Rays of light flashed out—copper, silver, and gold—which dazzled John's sight. Soon his eyes began to close and his head nodded onto his chest. He was instantly in a deep sleep.

The mermaids tucked the magic crystals away, and Scarlett silently beckoned the others to swim after her through the turquoise water. They hid carefully behind some low, wet rocks that stretched from the little beach into the sea.

“Lucy, your hair is blowing around in the breeze,” whispered Scarlett. “John might see it when he wakes up.”

Lucy quickly smoothed down her red curls. The mermaids held hands and held their breath. It was vital to keep out of sight, but they needed to wake John from his enchanted sleep. Softly, like silver chimes on the wind, they called out, “Awake and forget!”

John opened his eyes with a shudder. He looked around, startled and blinking in the sun. The mermaids heard him mutter, “Have I been asleep and drifting in the boat? I've never done that before.”

He moved the boat away from the cliff and faced the open sea, but then he quickly looked back over his shoulder. The
friends froze behind the rocks as the honest fisherman stared with a puzzled expression toward their hiding place. John seemed to be trying to remember something. He suddenly called out, “Who's there?”

But Cauldron Cliff just echoed his question back to him, “Who's there, who's there, who's there … ?” With a last shrug, John turned away. He and his boat were soon out of sight. The mermaids relaxed and breathed again. They slowly swished their gleaming tails and bobbed up and down in the waves that lapped against the rocks. “As soon as the humans have gone to sleep,” said Scarlett, “we must set off on the last stage of our journey with the crystals. But we'll have to wait here for a while. We can't risk being caught again.”

“John was nice, though,” said Lucy. “Maybe there are more humans like that.”

“I doubt it, Lucy,” replied Scarlett. “Don't forget how easily Mantora tricks them into doing what she wants.”

“Like cutting down the Kelp Forest,” said Misty.

“And spilling oil in the sea,” said Ellie.

“And catching dolphins in their fishing nets,” said Sophie.

“And letting chemicals leak onto the reef,” said Holly.

“And dropping LITTER on the beaches!”
exclaimed Scarlett suddenly. “Have you seen all that trash over there?”

The mermaids swam a little way from the rocks and looked at the lonely beach at the foot of Cauldron Cliff. They gasped with shock. Piles of old newspapers, rusty tin cans, and broken bottles were scattered everywhere.

“How did this happen?” wondered Ellie.

“Oh, I can explain it,” said a snuffly sort of voice behind them. Scarlett and her friends whipped around in the water to see who was there. A sleek, friendly seal was perched on the slippery rocks, looking down at them with big, sad eyes.

“I heard you talking about Mantora,” he said gloomily. “You're right. That wicked old creature does use the humans to do her dirty work. But this time she has done the damage all by herself.”

“What happened?” said Scarlett urgently. “Has Mantora really been here?”

The seal sighed and his whiskers drooped mournfully. “It's a long story,” he replied. “But I will tell you, if you wish.”

“Yes, please,” said the mermaids. “Tell us all about it.”

So he settled himself more comfortably on the rocks in the sunshine, looked solemnly at the mermaids, and began.

“My name is Scout,” said the seal. “This spring tide my wife and I had a baby seal. Our Lori is the sweetest little pup on the whole island, if I do say so myself. She has huge dark eyes, plump fur, and soft, smooth flippers.”

“She sounds gorgeous,” said Scarlett delightedly. “I wish I could see her!”

“Maybe you will,” said Scout. “Now,
what Lori likes best,” he continued, “is to come with me to this beach. She looks for bright ribbons of purple seaweed and pure white shells with the other baby seals. And she plays with the mischievous crabs that scamper around these rocks.”

“So why do you seem so sad, Scout?” asked Sophie. “This sounds like a happy story.”

“I'm coming to the sad part,” said Scout darkly. “Early this morning I brought Lori here to play as usual. But as you can see, someone has dumped piles of garbage onto the sand. And Lori cut her flipper on a big tin can with a jagged edge.”