"Why not?" asked Misty.
"Because of Scarlett," Lucy replied.
Misty looked at the others with a horrified expression. They had been so worried about Mantora that they hadn't noticed Scarlett wasn't there.
"Oh, how awful," Misty exclaimed. "We must find her right away!"
Chapter Three
Misty and her friends quickly made the Mermaid Call together. But there was no reply.
"That's odd," said Misty. "Scarlett would call back if she could hear us."
"Perhaps she's still in the Crystal Cave," suggested Holly. "She might have escaped Mantora's storm."
"No, I don't think so, Holly," Misty replied. "I heard Scarlett cry out when the storm began. She must be here too."
"But why isn't she answering?" puzzled Ellie.
"And where is she?" added Sophie.
The mermaids swam slowly through the grove of seaweed, searching for their friend.
"Does anyone know what these huge plants are?" asked Misty, as she struggled though a thick, tangled patch.
"It looks like kelp," said Holly, examining it closely with a knowledgeable air. "I've read about this in Queen Neptuna's Sea Scrolls. And my mom sometimes uses it in her healing potions."
Holly's mom was a healer back home in Coral Kingdom. Holly was very smart and loved to help her mom as she went about her important work.
"Then maybe we're in the Giant Kelp Forest," suggested Lucy. "My grandma told me about the Kelp Forests. She visited them when she was a young mermaid, just like us."
"I think you're right," agreed Holly. "That's what it must be."
"So who lives here?" asked Sophie. "I hope we'll meet some dolphins!"
Sophie's special friends were the dolphins and whales and the great swimmers of the seas.
"I don't know about dolphins," smiled Holly, "but the Forest is home to many sea creatures. I saw some sea dragons and starfish when I was looking for the rest of you."
"And I saw all sorts of urchins and crabs and octopuses," added Ellie.
"There might even be sea horses in a place like this," said Lucy, with starry eyes.
"We need to find Scarlett before we can enjoy meeting the other creatures," said
"Poor Scarlett! I wonder where she can be," said Ellie. "And how can we find her?"
"It's so dark and tangled here," replied Holly thoughtfully, "that I think we must be in the deep heart of the Forest. Scarlett can't be near because she didn't answer our Call. Why don't we swim toward the edge of the Forest? It will be lighter there and easier to look for Scarlett."
Misty and the others agreed that this was a good plan. The mermaids glided through the thick, treelike stems. As they weaved their way through the dense seaweed, the paths began to get wider and it started to get lighter. They felt relieved. Now they were sure they were getting closer to the edge of the Forest.
"Let's make the Mermaid Call again," said Sophie. This time they made the notes last longer, like sweet, clear bells. And after a while there was a very faint reply.
"Scarlett!" said Ellie. "Thank goodness."
"I think she's over there," cried Misty, pointing at a particularly thick clump of kelp.
They found Scarlett looking very angry. Her long hair had attached itself to the branching fronds, and she was completely stuck!
"What are you all staring at?" she snapped. "Get me out of here!"
Misty and Sophie quickly took hold of Scarlett's hands and tried to pull her free.
"OOWW! Not like thatl" Scarlett yelped. "You're pulling my hair out!"
"Sorry, Scarlett," they said. "But how can we get you free? Your hair is tied to the kelp."
"Maybe I can help," said Lucy shyly, as she rippled her emerald green tail and swam over to Scarlett. "I've got a comb in my S.O.S, Kit." She opened the shiny green pouch that was tied around her waist on a little belt. Each mermaid's S.O.S. Kit contained lots of special things. They never knew what they might need to help a sea creature in an emergency.
Lucy gently moved her crystal to one side and took out her Mermaid Comb. It was carved from mother-of-pearl and set with pretty green stones.
"My grandma gave this to me," she said. "She told me it's a magic comb that never hurts. /f? I'll try to be gentle."
Lucy started to comb Scarlett's silky hair, carefully untangling each strand from the seaweed. As she worked, Lucy began to sing. The others swam in a circle around Scarlett in a graceful Mermaid Dance. They all took turns combing her hair, singing together, like a chorus of sweet seabirds:
Oh mermaid, dear mermaid,
You're combing your hair,
Your tail is like pearl
And your face is so fair!
Oh mermaid, dear mermaid,
Sing your song to me,
And your hair will flow free
Like the beautiful Sea!
At last, the job was done.
"I hope I didn't hurt you, Scarlett," said Lucy.
"You all nearly pulled me apart," grumbled Scarlett. She took a little mirror from her pouch and fussed over her hair.
"That's not very grateful, Scarlett," said Sophie sharply.
"Well, let's not fight," interrupted Misty. "Queen Neptuna wouldn't want us to do that! Remember that we need to work as a team."
Sophie and Scarlett murmured "Sorry" to each other, and Misty breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's swim straight to the surface," she said. "Then we can think about how to get the crystals home safely. We all know that some of the Merfolk thought we were too young for this task. We have to prove to them that Queen Neptuna was right to trust us."
"I really don't think you'll be able to do that, Misty," Scarlett said, in a rather snooty voice. All the other mermaids stared at her.
"What do you mean?" asked Ellie.
"Look!" Scarlett said, pointing dramatically. "Misty has lost her pouch with her crystal in it!"
Everyone gasped. Misty quickly looked down to where her pink pouch had been tied around her waist by a little sparkly belt. But the belt and the pouch were gone!
Chapter Four
"But . . . but . . . ," stammered Misty, looking around wildly at her friends' puzzled faces. "I had my pouch with me in the Crystal Cave. I remember putting my crystal into it. I don't understand." Misty felt so embarrassed. How could she have been so careless?
"Perhaps it fell off when we were helping Scarlett?" suggested Holly.
The mermaids started to search the grove of seaweed where Scarlett had been stuck. But suddenly Misty gasped. "Oh dear!" Her pretty face went very white.
"What is it, Misty?" asked Ellie. "Have you thought of something?"
"Yes," said Misty, in a very small voice. "Something that I was going to do, but didn't."
"What do you mean, Misty?" said Sophie. "You're not making sense!"
"Well," Misty continued, "when I was getting ready to go to the Crystal Cave, I tied my pouch onto its belt around my waist. Then I noticed that the fastener on the belt was loose. I told myself that I should fix it right away. But first I wanted to say good-bye to my little sister, Dusty. And then, I'm so sorry, but I forgot to fix it." Misty's cheeks blushed bright pink.
"Tut, tut," said Scarlett. "That was a big mistake, Misty! Very careless."
"I know," said Misty miserably. "And the belt must have come undone when I crashed into the sea again, after the storm. So . . ."
"So your crystal was in your pouch, your pouch was on the belt, and the belt has fallen into the sea!" Scarlett said. "Well, you've really let us down, Misty. What will Queen Neptuna say?"
Tears of shame filled Misty's eyes.
"Scarlett!" said Ellie reproachfully. "Misty is very sorry. She made a mistake, but it can't be helped. It's no use rubbing it in."
"But she'll never find her crystal again," said Scarlett angrily. "It's lost in the Giant Kelp Forest! We'll never get the six new crystals home in time now. The old crystals will fade, our Merfolk power will die, and Mantora will destroy our h
ome!"
Misty stopped crying and looked up. "Oh no, she won't," she said, in a determined voice. "I promised Queen Neptuna that I would bring my crystal home safely. And I will, if it's the last thing I do!"
"We'll help you, Misty," said Ellie eagerly. "We're a team, after all, like you said."
"Do you really mean it?" asked Misty.
"Of course we will," said the others. But Scarlett still looked annoyed.
"The first thing we need is a plan," said Holly. "Misty, can you remember anything about where you landed after the storm?"
"Urn, er, I saw lots of starfish," Misty said hopefully. Holly shook her head.
"That's no good," she replied. "There are hundreds of starfish all over the Forest. Can't you remember anything else?"
Misty thought hard. So much seemed to have happened to her in the last two days! She desperately tried to remember what had happened when she'd arrived in the Kelp Forest. Then something flashed into her mind.
"Oh, of course! A grumpy crab pinched my tail," she exclaimed. "He was called . . . oh, what was it? 'Cay' something . . ."
"Caleb?" suggested Ellie helpfully.
"No, wait, I know," said Misty. "Cato! His name was Cato!"
"Then we've got to find this Cato right away," said Holly. "He's the only way we can track down the spot where the crystal might be."
Misty and her friends turned back the way they had come through the waving underwater thickets. They called Cato's name as they swam along.
"He was a bit deaf," said Misty. "We'd better shout loudly."
The mermaids' voices rang through the tall avenues of seaweed. Tiny purple fish peeped at them as they glided past. But no one answered their cries.
"Oh, this is hopeless," said Scarlett.
"We can't give up yet," said Sophie. "Let's try just one more time. One, two, three—CAAAYY-TOW!"
Suddenly, a giant cuttlefish poked out from behind a big piece of kelp. He waved his yellow tentacles at them.
"All right, all right!" he said. "I heard you the first time. And the second and third . . . " He sounded angry, but his big eyes looked kind. "What's the matter, mermaids?"
"We have a terrible problem . . . ," began Misty, swimming to the front of the group and facing the cuttlefish bravely.
"Well, there's a solution for every problem, that's my motto," replied the cuttlefish.
"Not for this problem," said Misty sadly. "Unless you know someone called Cato?"
"Know him?" he said. "Old Cato's been my special friend since we were hatched. We used to play hide-and-seek as youngsters in the Forest. But that was a long time ago! Now we're both sleepy old fellows."
"That's how it all started," said Misty. "He was asleep, and I sat on him."
"Sat on him!" exclaimed the cuttlefish. "That's no way to say hello to an old crab like Cato."
"I didn't mean to," said Misty. "It's just that there was a terrible storm . . ."
"Storm? What storm? There hasn't been any storm down here in the Forest as far as I know." The old cuttlefish looked very puzzled.
"It wasn't a storm from Mother Nature," Misty explained. "It was Mantora blowing us far away from our home in Coral Kingdom."
"Mantora? Not that wicked old creature up to her tricks again. Well, well," said the cuttlefish, eyeing the friends carefully, "this is a strange tale. Mermaids, all the way from Coral Kingdom, unnatural storms, and now Mantora. I think you had better tell me everything that has happened from the beginning. And by the way," he said with a smile, "you can call me Felix."
Chapter Five
Misty poured out the whole story to the kind old cuttlefish. As she spoke, she swam restlessly backward and forward, to help her think better.
"So do you see, Mr. Felix," she pleaded, "that I desperately need to find your friend Cato? I must ask him if he has seen my pouch with the crystal in it."
"Well, there's only one thing to do," said Felix, as he slowly unfurled his tentacles to push himself through the water. "We must pay a visit to Cato."
The young mermaids followed him eagerly, weaving in and out through the Forest and rippling their glistening tails. Felix puffed clumsily ahead of them. The comical cuttlefish seemed to know all the shortcuts in the mysterious seaweed groves, and the mermaids started to feel a bit more hopeful. Soon, Felix nudged aside some thick strands of purple kelp. There, resting in the water, was the king crab who had pinched Misty's tail.
"Wake up, Cato, old friend," said Felix. He gently tapped the sleeping crab with his tentacles. The crab opened one eye.
"Oh, dear Mr. Cato," said Misty breathlessly, "I really am so sorry that I woke you up by sitting on your shell. Please forgive me."
Cato peered at Felix and then at Misty. He seemed very confused and drowsy.
"You see, Mr. Cato," Misty explained, "I'm in terrible trouble. I made a big mistake and lost my little pink pouch. That might not sound very important, but inside the pouch was a magic crystal. And Queen Neptuna needs the crystal to fight Mantora and protect the sea creatures."
"Protect the sea creatures, eh?" Cato muttered, stretching himself and waking up from his nap. "That sounds like a better idea than landing on someone's shell."
"I've got to rescue that pink pouch," said Misty. "I need to know whether you saw it when I bumped into you. Did you notice it floating away after I left?"
"What's that?" said Cato. "An ink couch?" He really was a bit deaf.
"No," shouted the mermaids. "A PINK POUCH!"
"No need to shout," he huffed. "Can hear perfectly well, don't you know. As a matter of fact, I did see one. Silly sort of thing, I thought. Couldn't eat it, so I gave it to some giddy little sea horses. Have a nice day!"
Felix waved the mermaids away from the tired old crab. The purple kelp closed around Cato, and he fell back into a deep sleep.
"Now all we've got to do," exclaimed Misty, "is find those sea horses."
Felix led the way toward the edge of the Forest. The kelp began to thin out. Gleaming blue and yellow fish looked up from nibbling the seaweed, wondering what six young mermaids were doing there. The sunlight shone down from the Overwater world. And at last, Misty and her friends saw the sea horses. They had curly tails and arching necks and the sweetest faces.
"Aren't they beautiful?" breathed Lucy.
"And look," said Misty excitedly, pointing at a father sea horse and his young family. "They're playing with my pouch!"
The bigger sea horses were holding the ends of Misty's belt and pulling the baby along. He was sitting in the pouch as if it were a carriage, and squealing with excitement.
"He's so adorable," said Ellie.
"Oh dear," said Misty, in a worried voice. "I wonder if the sea horses will be upset about giving it back? And I do hope that the crystal hasn't fallen out to the bottom of the sea. That would be awful."
There was only one way to find out . . .
Chapter Six
Felix told the mermaids to wait quietly while he talked to the father sea horse. Then he beckoned Misty and her friends over to be introduced.
"This is Dash the sea horse," said Felix, "and this is his family. I have explained why this pouch is so important to you, and to all of us sea creatures. Of course they will give it back to you."
Misty took the pouch gratefully and plunged her hand in it. The crystal was nestling safely at the bottom, and so was the golden key from the Crystal Cave. What a relief! Misty tied the broken ends of the belt firmly around her waist. She was never going to make the mistake of losing her crystal again.
"Thank you so much," she said to Dash. "How can I ever repay you?"
"It is an honor," he replied, "to help the mermaids who protect our seas."
But Misty noticed that the baby sea horse looked very sad. He didn't understand why he couldn't play with the pouch anymore.
"The poor little thing," Misty whispered to the others. "We must do something for him."
The mermaids went into a little huddle. Then they all smiled a
t the baby sea horse and said, "Please accept these small gifts in return for Misty's pouch and crystal." They had all taken a trinket from their S.O.S. Kits. There was a rattle made of bright red shells and a piece of polished mother-of-pearl. Best of all, Misty gave him a twisty shell that blew a sweet note like a mermaid's song.
The baby, whose name was Squeak, tossed his little head and rushed around in a circle.
"Tank 'oo!" he squeaked happily.
The mermaids laughed. But just then, they heard an ugly, throbbing noise coming from the surface of the sea.
"The Cutter Boat!" cried the sea horses. "Everyone, hide!"
They all dived down in a panic and hid under the rocks on the seabed.
"Follow me, mermaids," shouted Felix. "Quickly!"
Soon Felix and the mermaids were hiding as well. The noise grew louder.
"What's happening?" asked Misty.
"Well, mermaids," sighed Felix, "we have some problems of our own here in the Forest. My friend Cato is too old and sleepy to notice, but things are changing around here. You see, the humans have started to cut down the Kelp Forest."
"Cut it down!" cried Misty. "That's so terrible."
"But what about all you creatures who live here?" asked Ellie. "What will happen to you if the Forest is destroyed?"
"We will have nowhere to live," replied Felix sadly. "Oh, I don't mind the humans taking some of the kelp. They use it for food and all sorts of things. And there's plenty for everyone, if we're all sensible. But Mantora always stirs up trouble."
"Mantora?" chorused the mermaids. "What has she got to do with this?"
"Mantora uses her mermaid magic in bad ways," explained Felix. "She wants to make everything as ugly as her own dark heart, because it makes her feel more powerful. She likes to play tricks on the humans so that they don't really think about what they do. They don't mean to be bad, but they become careless and thoughtless. So they come and chop down great chunks of the Forest, but don't give it a chance to grow back before they come back for more. And that leaves us with a problem—we're in danger of losing our homes!"