Eight
A new day saw the reappearance of the orb, still a way off in the distance, its brilliant light once again slanting toward them through the rippling water, its brightness highlighting the presence of a billion microscopic life forms.
Goldhunter was convinced that today would be the day he’d resume his race. The day he took Gloria and Lewis to the finish line. But when he woke, all his muscles ached like they had never ached before.
After they’d all eaten a light breakfast, Goldhunter took a deep breath. ‘I’ll stay behind,’ he said, his voice cracking. ‘I don’t mind missing out on the gold. I don’t deserve any,’ he added.
‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself,’ said Turtle. ‘That’s my job.’
‘We’re all in this together,’ Gloria told Goldhunter. ‘And we’re all going to get our fair share of the gold,’ she said.
Goldhunter looked at her and smiled and whispered ‘thank you’.
They all hopped aboard Turtle who, after an enormous yawn, swam toward the light.
‘Why don’t we swim up to the surface today?’ he suggested.
The other three looked at him like he was mad.
‘We’re only going up there when we’re right below the orb,’ said Gloria. ‘Do you know how dangerous it is up there? They have things called men up there who will take you away and eat you.’
‘I’ve seen men,’ said Turtle. ‘And some of them aren’t so bad. And let me tell you, they certainly won’t want to be eating the likes of you and me for their takeaways. They’ve got bigger fish to fry.’
Gloria was a little offended that men might not find her good enough to eat. ‘Even so,’ she said, ‘I’m not taking the risk.’
Turtle didn’t bring up the subject again, though as he swam he very gradually took them closer and closer to the surface.
It wasn’t long before they reached the underwater mountain he’d been aiming for. He slowed down and drifted about. Before long, the sweet odour of the one he longed for drifted in on the current. Turtle paused to breathe it in.
‘Why have we stopped?’ Gloria asked.
‘I’m just stopping,’ said Turtle, as usual telling people what he was going to do after he’d done it.
He looked up the mountain to the dark entrance to a cave and waited. Then through a slender gap in the rocks she appeared. Turtle was captivated by her as he always was, watching her as she glided through the water, her golden hair trailing behind her like streamers. Gloria, Goldhunter and Lewis watched her in amazement too as she swam around them, so gracefully she hardly made a current, her brilliant blue eyes looking at each of them in turn, before she settled on a rock next to where Turtle was resting.
‘Hello again,’ she said, her voice low and breathy.
Turtle was so amazed that she had spoken to him and that she remembered him that he forgot to speak back.
‘Where are you all off to then?’ she asked, seeing the seahorse and the goldfish on Turtle’s back.
‘We’re off to get some gold,’ said Lewis, whom the mermaid hadn’t noticed. Gloria slapped the barnacle for again revealing their plans.
‘Gold?’ the mermaid asked.
‘It’s a long story, that you probably don’t have the time for,’ said Gloria, ‘except to say that somebody stole my gold and I’m off to get it back.’
‘Who would want to steal your gold?’ the mermaid asked.
‘The orb in the sky,’ said Lewis.
‘That’s interesting,’ said the mermaid, toying with her golden locks. ‘I could do with my hair being a bit more golden, but I never knew an orb could do that. Maybe I could have some of that gold for my hair?’
‘Sure, sure,’ said Goldhunter, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the beauty since he’d first laid them on her.
They all looked to Gloria, hopefully.
‘I suppose so,’ said Gloria.
‘That’s settled then,’ said Goldhunter.
They all waited for the mermaid to offer to give them a lift on her tail fin, as Turtle and the seahorse had done, but no such offer came. Instead, the mermaid swam on ahead of the group, taking them over the top of the underwater mountain, then down into the ocean’s depths on the other side. Turtle followed, with Goldhunter, Gloria and Lewis all riding on his back.
Nine
The mermaid didn’t seem in much of a rush, which suited Turtle who never seemed in any kind of a rush. She was certainly an elegant swimmer, her arms gliding through the water, her hair trailing in beautiful waves. So captivated were they all by her beauty, they didn’t notice that after having dived so deep, the mermaid was now taking them ever so gradually closer and closer to the surface.
As she relaxed on Turtle’s back, Gloria sensed they were getting closer than ever to the orb and knew that meant she was further from home than ever.
Just as she was drifting off into a sleep that was full of Millie calling out for her as she searched for her in their hide out, she was startled by someone shouting, ‘ON GUARD!’
It was quickly followed by, ‘who goes there, friend or foe?’
It was a question no one in the group was in any hurry to answer.
Gloria saw the question had been asked by one of the strangest sea creatures she’d ever seen. Most of its body looked like a fish, but it’s mouth was thin and narrow and almost as long as the rest of it, ending in a sharp point.
Gloria looked around to see if anyone else was ready to answer this strange creature’s question.
There was no sign of the mermaid. Obviously she had swum away at the first sign of trouble, while Turtle sighed and trod water as the swordfish challenged them again.
‘Take up arms,’ he said, poking his pointy bill in Turtle’s direction.
‘I don’t have arms to take up,’ said Turtle sleepily.
The swordfish frowned. ‘Well, er… take up fins then.’
Turtle lazily waved his damaged fin. The swordfish saw it was damaged and sulked. As a gentleman of the ocean, he wasn’t in the business of taking on opponents who couldn’t give him a fair fight.
‘How about you?’ he said. Gloria realised he was talking to her and she quickly shook her head.
‘I’m a girl,’ she said, shivering with fear.
‘I’ve fought girls before,’ he said. ‘Some pretty good ones too.’
Not having seen a swordfish before, Gloria couldn’t get over how strange this creature looked. But she wasn’t about to say anything.
‘Come on then, shall we?’ he asked.
Gloria swam behind Goldhunter who, judging by how much he was shaking, wasn’t much up for a fight either.
‘She doesn’t want to fight you,’ said Lewis.
The swordfish looked around, wondering where this new voice had come from. ‘Who goes there?’ he asked, glancing from side to side then swishing around to see if anyone was lurking behind him.
‘It’s me,’ said Lewis, waving his tentacles.
The swordfish pulled alongside Gloria to take a closer look.
‘I’m stuck to her and we’re searching for gold,’ said Lewis.
Gloria didn’t flick Lewis with her fin this time. She was grateful to him for having taken the attention away from her.
‘Gold?’ he asked.
‘Yes. Someone stole her gold and we’re off to get it back from the great big orb up there.’ Lewis looked up to the surface.
‘Gold, you say,’ said the swordfish, and when he looked up to the surface everyone else quickly moved out of the way of his razor sharp bill.
Everyone could see the swordfish was thinking. Finally he said, ‘I could use some gold. Imagine this bill of mine, shining gold. I’d be the most dashing fish in the seven seas,’ he said waving his bill around flamboyantly, everyone else having to dodge the deadly blade.
‘There’s more than seven seas,’ said Lewis.
The swordfish stopped, his smile disappeared and he glared at Lewis. ‘How do you know there’s more than seven seas?’
Lewis was shocked by how angry he’d made the swordfish.
‘He told me,’ said Lewis, nodding his tentacles in Goldhunter’s direction.
‘What!’ exclaimed Goldhunter.
The swordfish turned his attention to the seahorse. ‘What’s this about there being more than seven seas?’ the swordfish asked him.
‘Don’t ask me,’ replied Goldhunter.
The swordfish shook his head, scraping his sharp bill along Turtle’s shell as he moved to face him.
‘Sorry,’ the swordfish said, seeing Turtle looking worried. ‘Occupational hazard, I’m afraid.’
Turtle looked up and saw the mermaid drifting back toward the group from wherever she’d been hiding.
The swordfish stared at her, amazed by her beauty. ‘It makes getting close to people, to anyone, impossible,’ he said forlornly.
The mermaid said nothing, but knew the eyes of the group were on her. She let her hair float behind her in the water as she dived down.
Gloria watched the swordfish watching the mermaid. ‘You’ve not challenged her to a fight, I notice’ she said.
It was like the swordfish hadn’t heard her.
‘I said…’
‘Yeah, I heard you the first time,’ he said. ‘It wouldn’t be a fair fight. And anyway, I’d never hit a lady.’
Gloria huffed.
As the orb’s bright glow began to dim, the group separated to look for places to settle for some rest, Gloria finding a stone under which her and Lewis could shelter.
Turtle pretended to be asleep, but carefully drifted in the direction of the mermaid, which was exactly where Goldhunter and the swordfish were drifting. It was as though she possessed a magnetic underwater power that they just couldn’t resist.
‘I can’t tell you how happy it would make me to get that gold,’ the mermaid whispered to no one in particular. Goldhunter, Turtle and the swordfish were all near enough to hear, and all three moved closer so they could hear more.
‘Just imagine how beautiful it would make me. My hair would be even more golden. Maybe my scales could be golden too.’
‘But you will leave some gold for the rest of us, won’t you?’ asked Goldhunter, still quite keen on getting his hands on some gold to make a gold cup.
The mermaid glared at him. ‘I’d need it all,’ she said. ‘For it to really work, it would have to be all mine.’
Goldhunter was a little shocked by the tone of her answer and moved away from the mermaid. She noticed this, and softened her voice. ‘But whoever helped me get my hands on it all would be sure to receive a reward,’ she said.
Goldhunter had heard enough and drifted further away, but Turtle and the swordfish moved closer still.
‘What do you say, boys?’ she asked, her eyes narrowing. ‘Will you help me?’
They both nodded eagerly, Turtle having to move out of swordfish’s way when his nodding got too enthusiastic and looked like it could prove dangerous.
Goldhunter swam to the rock under which Gloria and Lewis were sheltering. Both were asleep, Lewis’ snoring louder than ever. Goldhunter thought about waking them and telling them what the mermaid was planning, but they needed to rest. There was trouble ahead and they’d need all their strength.
Ten
Gloria awoke the next morning feeling cooler than normal. Lewis was snoring on her side as usual and she shook herself to wake him up.
‘What, what?’ he said groggily, thinking something must be wrong for someone to be waking him up this early.
Gloria peered out from under the rock, then looked around.
‘I can’t see anyone,’ she said.
‘Who do you want to see?’ Lewis asked.
‘Goldhunter. The Turtle. Maybe even the swordfish and mermaid,’ she replied.
‘Maybe they went to get breakfast,’ said Lewis.
Gloria suddenly had a horrible thought. She shot out from under the stone and looked upwards.
‘Oh no, oh no,’ she despaired. ‘Look, it’s gone.’
Lewis frowned. ‘You asking me to look at something that’s gone? That’s going to be tricky.’
‘The orb, it’s gone. And they’re all gone too. They’ve stolen it. I knew you shouldn’t have told them.’
Lewis looked around, desperate to see someone or a sign of the orb. But there was nothing.
‘I’ve come all this way, and she’s taken it all for herself,’ cried Gloria. ‘I knew she wasn’t to be trusted.’
‘We don’t know for sure it’s her,’ Lewis said, trying to keep things calm, not wanting Gloria to make waves this early in the day.
‘Of course it’s her. Who else would it be?’
Lewis didn’t have any answers.
‘What do we do now?’ she asked. ‘Can you remember which direction the orb was in?’
‘Errr, up wasn’t it?’
Gloria groaned and frantically swam in rapid circles while she decided what to do.
As she looked one way, Lewis looked the other, and saw what looked like a mountain range covered in snow moving towards them.
‘That’s strange,’ he thought.
Then another row of snow-covered mountains came into view, this time they were upside down.
‘That’s even more strange,’ thought Lewis.
Then he saw two black eyes and realised he wasn’t looking at mountains at all. He was looking at a shark’s razor sharp teeth, charging toward them.
Lewis tried to warn Gloria. ‘Sh, sh…’
‘Shhhh, I’m thinking,’ said Gloria, still looking in a different direction. ‘We came in from that way yesterday and I’m pretty sure…’
‘Sh, sh…’ said Lewis, his voice trembling.
‘Sure, that’s right,’ said Gloria.
‘Sh…sh…SHARK!’ Lewis yelled.
He strained and stretched and pulled himself off Gloria’s side for the first time in two days.
Gloria watched Lewis falling, then turned around and saw the shark. Too scared to scream, she too let herself drop. The shark opened his fearsome mouth and snapped his jaws closed, narrowly missing Gloria. In a daze, she scrambled into the centre of a brilliant white coral just in time to see the shark diving down to where Lewis was falling, his mouth wide open.
‘Nooooo,’ Gloria screamed
The shark snapped shut his fearsome jaws. He hadn’t expected a big meal, but had expected to experience some taste from the miniscule barnacle who was to form part of his breakfast. But nothing. He looked around to make sure he hadn’t missed his target.
Gloria daren’t breathe, let alone move in the coral, sensing the shark’s enormous snout sniffing around overhead.
Maybe the tiny fish had gone straight down, the shark thought. Straight down without giving him a chance to taste it. He hoped it wouldn’t give him indigestion later.
The shark soon got bored of searching for Gloria and swam off in search of a bigger, more satisfying breakfast.
‘Lewis?’ Gloria whispered as loudly as she dare.
No answer.
‘Goldhunter?’
No answer.
‘Millie?’
Still no answer.
Gloria shivered in the coral, all alone and miles from home with the golden orb gone, stolen by the greedy mermaid.
After a while, she peeked out from the coral. Satisfied the shark wasn’t about, she darted out and up, wondering which way to go, where to look for Lewis first.
‘Gloria, Gloria.’
She swung around to see the breathless Goldhunter speeding towards her.
‘She wants all the gold for herself,’ he spluttered when he’d recovered his breath.
‘The mermaid?’ she asked.
He nodded.
‘I knew it. I knew she couldn’t be trusted. Where is she?’ Gloria asked.
‘They’ve all gone up to the surface about a mile from here.’
‘Have they got the orb?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know. But I think they’re close
. Come on. There’s no time to lose.’
‘I can’t. Not yet,’ said Gloria.
She swung around to show Goldhunter her side.
‘Lewis? Where is he?’ the seahorse gasped. ‘What happened?’
Gloria shook her head, struggling to find the words. ‘A shark came. I think it might have…’ She couldn’t bring herself to say what she was about to.
‘No, not Lewis,’ said Goldhunter, biting his lip to stop himself from crying as he looked around for any sign of the barnacle.
They both searched high and low for Lewis, but mainly low, as that’s where Gloria had last seen him. But there was no sign of him anywhere. No sign of any creatures large or small. This was shark territory after all.
‘Come on,’ said Goldhunter, eventually. ‘We must go.’
Regretfully, Gloria climbed onto the seahorse’s back and after one last look around, Goldhunter galloped off to find the mermaid.