Scarlett's New Friend (6 page)

All the mermaids looked in astonishment at Scarlett's shocked, pale face.

“I took off my pouch before we started cleaning up,” she explained miserably. “I put it out of the way on that big rock, because I didn't want to get it dirty when we were digging. But the pouch isn't there anymore.”

“Has it been knocked off into the sea by the waves?” asked Holly.

“No, I'm sure it hasn't,” replied Scarlett. “There's a sharp part on the top of that rock. It sticks up like a branch of coral. I tied my pouch onto it very carefully.”

“So it couldn't have been washed away by accident?” said Ellie.

“Definitely not,” said Scarlett. “Someone must have taken it!”

“But who would have done that?” asked Lucy. “No one has been here except us, and the waders. Oh, and the pebble crabs, of course.”

The other mermaids looked up hesitantly.

“Er … Scarlett,” said Sophie, “you know that we're good friends. So you won't mind me saying that you were a little bit, well, bossy to those young crabs.”

“Was I?” asked Scarlett, with a worried expression. “It's just that the beach was such a mess. Getting it cleaned up as quickly as possible seemed like the most important thing in the world. I suppose I got a little carried away. But I didn't mean to be bossy.” She hid her face unhappily in her long silky curls.

“We know that,” said Sophie kindly. “But I think the crabs were fed up that you didn't say ‘thank you' to them properly. So maybe …”

“… maybe,” Holly worked out, “they took your pouch just to tease you? The crabs were playing with our bracelets earlier, and they knew you'd be angry if they messed around with your things.”

“That naughty Buster has probably just hidden your pouch as a joke,” added Misty.
“He didn't know there was something really important in it.”

“Something really important!” groaned Scarlett. “It's the most important thing in the whole world. We've come so far, but now we won't be able to get all the crystals home in time. And it's because of my stupid bossiness.” She started to cry. Misty quickly explained to the seals about the crystals.

“Don't cry,” said Lori, nuzzling Scarlett. “I cried when I hurt my flipper, but it's getting better now. And we'll make you better!”

“I know you want to help, Lori,” sniffed Scarlett. “But I don't see how you can.”

“Didn't I tell you that Lori always plays with those crabs?” said Scout. “We know them well, and taking your pouch for a silly joke is just the kind of trick they
would play. We'll help you get it back from them.”

“Would you really?” asked Scarlett, wiping her tears away. “I don't deserve it.”

“Of course you do,” smiled Scout. “You made a big effort to clean the beach, even if you did make a mistake. It's not making the same one twice that's important!”

“I will never, never be bossy again,” vowed Scarlett. Then she smiled weakly. “At least, I'll try not to be.”

“Here's my
plan,” said Scout. “The sun has set, so all the crabs will be asleep now, tucked away under the rocks on the seabed. But as soon as the dawn wakes them, Lori will ask them very nicely to give your pouch back. I'm sure that tricky little Buster is at the bottom of this.”

The mermaids thanked the seals and watched them splash away to their home. Then they tried to settle down for the night, hidden behind the rocks on the shore.

As the faraway stars flickered in the darkening sky, the young friends felt very worried. They hoped that Scout was right, but even if they did get the crystal back at dawn the next day, would there be enough time to reach Coral Kingdom before sunset? And would it be dangerous to swim past
Sandy Bay Island in the early morning? There seemed to be so many problems …

At last, they fell into an uneasy sleep. Only Scarlett was still awake, staring up at the ghostly moon. She went over everything in her mind, again and again, wishing she could unsay all her thoughtless words. She would never forgive herself if their whole mission failed because of her. After a long time, Scarlett dozed fretfully. In her dreams, it seemed that Queen Neptuna's clear voice was calling to her from a long way off: “I trust you with this task, my dear young Sisters of the Sea!”

Scarlett woke up suddenly, as though she had been summoned by a distant bell. It was the strange, silent moment before the dawn. Somehow, she would prove that the Queen had been right to trust her!

Without disturbing the others, Scarlett slipped into the cool, gleaming waves. Then, with a flick of her shimmering tail, she swam down to the seabed where Buster and his friends would just be waking up. She glided around the bottom of the shadowy rocks, past the waving sea anemones. Soon, she saw a group of little crabs starting to stir on the pale, sandy floor.

“Excuse me, please,” she said politely. “I just came to say thank you for helping to clean the beach yesterday. And another thing …” She took a deep breath and added, “I'm very, very sorry I was so bossy. I know that it was wrong.”

The crabs all looked up at her in surprise.

“Wait until Buster hears this,” they squeaked. Just then, a little pair of eyes peeped out from a crack in the rock, followed by some scuttling claws. It was Buster himself.

“I've done something wrong too,” he said firmly. He dived back into the dark crack and then came out again, dragging Scarlett's missing red pouch behind him. “I was angry, so I took your pouch to tease you. But I know you just wanted to make the beach nice. Here you are.”

He handed over the pouch. Scarlett quickly opened it with a beating heart. The irreplaceable crystal glittered safely inside, like an underwater star! She took it out and held it thankfully.

“So next time you want help cleaning up a beach, you only have to say ‘please,'” said Buster with a mischievous grin. “After all, friends are there to help.”

“I will,” laughed Scarlett. “And we really are friends now—promise?”

“We promise,” cried the pebble crabs, waving their curving claws, as Scarlett sped up through the clear morning sea. She swam joyfully back to the rocks, where the other mermaids were starting to open their eyes and stretch their arms.

“I've got my crystal,” Scarlett cried, holding it up for them to see its sparkling rays. “We can begin our journey home.”

“That was fast,” said Scout, who had just arrived at the rocks with Lori.

“It was easy in the end,” smiled Scarlett. “Saying ‘please' and ‘thank you'—and ‘sorry'—isn't so hard when you're with friends.”

Scarlett turned to the baby seal. “We'll always be friends too,” she said. Then she gently touched Lori's injured flipper with the gleaming crystal. Lori shook off the kelp bandage and looked in amazement at where the cut had been.