“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.
Chapter Four
“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.”
“Oh no!” said the mermaids. “How awful.”
“Lori cried and cried,” Scout continued, “and I rushed her back to our home beyond the rocks. My poor wife was so frightened when she saw our baby with that great big cut.”
“Is Lori all right?” asked Ellie and Lucy anxiously.
“Hopefully the good salt water in the sea will soon heal the cut,” replied Scout. “And my wife has wrapped Lori’s flipper in a nice piece of kelp for a bandage. But we’re still left with all this dangerous litter on our beach—and I can guess who did this!”
“So can we,” said Scarlett grimly. “Mantora! She has been following us ever since we set off on our journey for Queen Neptuna, trying to cause trouble for us and our friends.”
“But how could Mantora scatter this trash across the beach?” Holly frowned. “She has a tail like us; she can’t just walk across the sand—or fly!”
“No, but her black Storm Gulls can,” said Scout. “I think there was a whole gang of them here just before dawn, screeching and yammering away. And every single one of them carried a piece of garbage in his beak and let it fall here—here on this beach where Lori and her friends love to play.”
“That settles it,” said Scarlett. “We’ve got to clean up this beach so it’s safe again for Lori and the other baby seals.” Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were pink. She looked like her bossy old self again, determined to get her own way. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
“It seems like a good idea, Scarlett,” hesitated Sophie, “but let’s not rush into anything. Of course we feel sorry for Lori. But don’t forget that we’re supposed to be hiding here and staying out of trouble. If we get held up again, we might not get home with the crystals before sunset tomorrow.”
“Then everything would be so much worse for Lori and all the sea creatures,” said Misty. “Imagine what Mantora would do if she manages to overthrow Queen Neptuna and set up her horrible Storm Kingdom.”
“But don’t you see?” demanded Scarlett impatiently. “This dirty, dangerous beach is part of Storm Kingdom—right in front of our eyes! It’s exactly how Mantora wants it.”
Scarlett’s friends shivered, as though a cloud had covered the afternoon sun. The littered beach did look sad and ugly. They knew that Mantora would be happy if it stayed like that.
“I think Mantora knew we would swim past Sandy Bay Island,” Scarlett went on, “and she did this to show us her power.”
“And to slow us down on our journey,” added Ellie, looking around unhappily. “Oh, what should we do?”
“If we really want to fight Mantora, we’ve got to clean up this beach,” declared Scarlett, with a stubborn expression on her face.
The other mermaids glanced at each other uncertainly. It was impossible to say no to Scarlett when she was in this bossy mood.
“But, Scarlett, how could we get across the beach to pick up the litter?” asked Sophie.
“We’ll just have to find some other creatures to help us,” replied Scarlett. “I’m sure it won’t be too hard.”
“Well, all right then,” said Holly slowly. “We all want to help clean the beach. But we must be careful and keep our crystals safe. We don’t want anything to delay our journey home tonight.”
Scout looked very pleased. “I’ll go and tell Lori,” he said. “She’ll be so happy.” The father seal dived clumsily from the rocks and then streamed away under the water.
Scarlett quickly started to tell the other mermaids her ideas for cleaning the beach.
“We can’t take the trash away anywhere,” she said, “so the best thing to do is to bury it.”
“How will we do that?” asked Sophie.
“It’s simple,” explained Scarlett. “We’ll swim over from these rocks and sit at the water’s edge. The tide is low at the moment, so we’ll scoop out some holes in the damp sand with the scallop shells in our S.O.S. Kits. The holes will be our garbage pits. We’ll fill them up with the litter and cover it carefully with pebbles. When the tide comes in later, everything will be completely hidden.”
“So who should we ask to help us, Scarlett?” wondered Ellie. “We can’t walk over the beach to pick things up.”
“We have friends with beaks and wings, though,” replied Scarlett determinedly. “You can ask the seabirds to help.”
Soon the mermaids were sitting on their curling tails by the edge of the shore. Ellie made the special bird call that the great albatross had taught her, while Scarlett decided where to dig the holes in the sand. In a few moments, some seabirds with long legs and beaks gathered by the water’s edge. They were waders, and they had heard Ellie’s call.
“We will help you,” said the waders, in their quick, chirruping voices.
“Excellent,” said Scarlett. “Show them what to do, Ellie, and I’ll get some more help. Didn’t Scout say that there were lots of crabs on this beach? Their scurrying legs and snapping pincers will be just right for picking up litter.”
She shook her long hair back from her face and cupped her hands around her mouth.
“All crabs must report for duty NOW, in the name of Queen Neptuna,” she called. “I’ve got a job for you!”
Chapter Five
A group of curious young pebble crabs lined up in a row in front of Scarlett. They had pinky-orange shells and large front claws.
“Okay,” she said briskly, “you crabs are going to help us. We’ve got to get this beach cleaned up so that Lori and the other baby seals can play here safely.”
“Why should we do all the work?” asked one of them, stepping forward boldly. “It’s not our problem!”
“It will be your problem if I tell Queen Neptuna that you refused to help us,” said Scarlett angrily. “What’s your name?”
“I’m not telling you, bossy boots,” said the fearless crab.
“Ooh, Buster,” giggled the other pebble crabs, “you’ll make her so mad!”
“So it’s Buster, is it?” said Scarlett, her cheeks burning with annoyance. “Well, Buster, you and your friends had better get to work if you don’t want to be reported to Her Majesty when we get back to Coral Kingdom.”
Sophie and the other mermaids glanced at each other nervously. Scarlett was being so bossy—and just when she had been learning to be more patient and gentle. The young friends didn’t think this was the right way to persuade the crabs to help. But Scarlett was so eager to clear up the
beach that she wasn’t in the mood to listen to their advice.
Buster just muttered sulkily and fell back into line. He didn’t dare argue with Scarlett—nobody did!
Soon the pebble crabs were scurrying over the beach. They collected scraps of newspaper and bottle tops in their agile pincers and put them in big heaps at the water’s edge. Ellie asked the waders to pick up the larger pieces of garbage in their strong beaks, as they stepped over the sand on their elegant legs.
The mermaids took off their delicate shell bracelets, so that they wouldn’t get dirty, and put them carefully on top of a big, half-buried rock. It stuck out at the edge of the shore where the friends were sitting. Then they scooped out deep, damp holes in the sand. Scarlett began to fill the holes with the trash collected by the crabs and seabirds.
After everyone had worked hard for a long time, Scarlett looked around. The beach was starting to look much better. Curling fronds of fresh green seaweed emerged from underneath the tattered old newspapers. Tin cans and broken bottles no longer hid the pearly shells that lay on the glittering white sand. The mermaids and their helpers were doing a good job. But the crabs were slowing down.
“Can’t we rest?” groaned Buster. “My pincers are nearly falling off from carting all that stuff over here.”
“Don’t be silly,” said Scarlett. “Carrying a few bits and pieces won’t hurt you. Look at these big holes we had to dig. That really did make our arms ache.”
Some of the other pebble crabs also muttered about wanting to rest. They took a break from work and started to play a game with the mermaids’ colorful bracelets, throwing them high in the air and seizing them with their hooked claws.
“Stop messing around with our stuff,” called Scarlett indignantly. “Put them down and get back to your jobs!”
Sophie was beginning to wonder if she should ask Scarlett not to be so bossy. But before she could say anything, Scarlett was busy giving out more instructions.
“We need to fill up all the holes,” she said eagerly, “before the tide comes in. Come on, everyone! Think how excited Lori will be when she sees the beach clean and the sand glistening again.”
Scarlett was trying so hard to please the injured baby seal that she didn’t notice that the crabs were not pleased at all! They grumbled under their breath as they dragged the last few bits of litter over to the mermaids. Then everything was covered over with pebbles.
“There!” said Scarlett at last. “Now the holes are full and the evening tide is coming in to hide them. No one would ever know that there had ever been any trash here at all.”
The mermaids looked around the newly cleaned beach with satisfaction.
“Thank you for your help, my seabird friends,” called Ellie. The waders folded up their long legs as they flew away, chirruping in farewell.
“I’m going to tell Scout that he can bring Lori to see what we’ve done,” said Scarlett excitedly. “I can’t wait to meet her!”
She was about to slip into the water to find the seals when Sophie said, “… Er … don’t you think you should say ‘thank you’ to the crabs, Scarlett?”
“What do you mean?” asked Scarlett, over her shoulder. “Oh … um … yes. Thanks!”
Then she dived into the sea, her red tail reflecting the rosy evening sun.
“The nerve!” said Buster. “Come on, friends, let’s get home while she’s gone. Otherwise, she’ll have us working all night long.”
“Thank you for helping,” the mermaids chorused. Buster and his gang scuttled into the waves on their sharp claws, leaving a long trail behind them in the glistening sand. The crabs were eager to get back to their underwater homes for a well-earned rest.
“Oh dear,” said Misty, “I know Scarlett has done a great job getting everyone to clean up the beach, but …”
“… but Sisters of the Sea have to learn to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and work as a team,” finished Holly.
“Well, I think we’re all learning a lot on our journey,” said Sophie. “I’m sure Scarlett will soon learn that lesson too. Here she comes.”
“And look,” cried Lucy, “that must be Lori!”
Scarlett sat at the edge of the shore and proudly showed the beach to her new friend Lori, the little seal pup with the bandaged flipper. The rocks and seaweeds and shells gleamed brightly in the sunset’s warm glow. Lori waddled carefully onto the pure, silvery sand, followed closely by Scout.
“Isn’t it great, Dad?” said Lori excitedly. “I can come and play here with my friends tomorrow. Scarlett has done all this for us. She’s my new best friend!”
“That’s wonderful,” beamed Scout. “But now it’s time for baby seals to go to sleep.”
“And it’s time for us to be on our way to Coral Kingdom,” said Holly.
“Yes, the humans will be going to sleep, too,” said Ellie. “It should be safe now for us to swim past their harbors and homes.”
“Is everyone ready?” asked Misty, as Scarlett cuddled Lori good-bye, and the mermaids gathered their bracelets from where they had left them on the big rock.
“Just a minute,” said Scarlett, “I need to collect my things.”
She searched by the rock for a few moments then turned to her friends with wide, worried eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Sophie asked.
“Oh, Sophie,” wailed Scarlett. “I can’t find my crystal!”
Chapter Six
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 jo
ke 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!”