Chapter 8.
Down on the beach Ariel and Melody are heading towards the palace. Ariel stops and sits leant up against a big rock. “Mom are you coming or what?” Melody turns round. Ariel looks at her. “Yeah, you go on I’ll catch up.”
“Ok then.” Melody carries on up the beach. Ariel leans back and closes he eyes. “Finally we can live a normal life.” Then someone grabs her, they gag her and ties her hands together. Then someone else stands in front of her. The two people, who tied Ariel up, pull her to her feet. “It’s a shame really, you have such a pretty face.” Coral steps closer to Ariel and slaps her across the face. Ariel glairs at her. “Take her to the top of the cliff and throw her off.” Coral points to the top of the cliff. The two men drag Ariel to the top of the cliff and drop her off the top.
Mean while Melody bursts through the bedroom door. “Dad, are you ok now?” Eric turns round. “For heaven’s sake Melody keep it down. Where’s your mother?”
“Oh she’s outside. She said she was ok.” Eric stands up. “Dad what are you doing?” “I’m going to see if she is ok.” Melody blocks his path.
“You aren’t going anywhere mister!” She pushes him back onto the bed.
“Melody let me go now!” He shouts at her.
“No!” She starts to tickle him.
“Right you’ve asked for it!” Eric tickles her back and they role about laughing.
“Dad?”
“Yes Melody.” He looks at her and smiles.
“I think we’re a bit too old to do that now. I’m going to see if mom’s alright.” She gets up and then helps Eric to his feet. “I’m coming too.”
“No, you stay here and I’ll shout you if something is wrong.” Melody runs out of the room before Eric can say anything else. “Oh that girl.” He chuckles to himself.
On the beach Melody runs up to the rocks. “Mother, mom! Are you down here?” She sighs. “Now where’d she go?” She climbs on to the rock and looks around. She spots some people at the top of the cliff. “I wonder?” She jumps down off the rock and runs along the beach. Totally forgetting about Eric, Melody runs up the slope to the top of the cliff. Half way up she meets two men. “Excuse me but you haven’t seen a woman with red hair anywhere have you?” Melody asks them.
“Yes we have, hey aren’t you the daughter of Eric?”
“Yes I am could you show me where you saw her?” The two men smile at each other. “Of course we can.” They take Melody to the top of the cliff and show her where they had seen Ariel last. “Well we don’t understand she was right here.”
“Are you sure?” Melody steps closer to the edge, a big mistake! One of the men pushes her. Melody grabs the grassy ledge. Then the same man leans down and grabs her arm. “What are you doing?” Melody shouts at him. He holds her away from the cliff. “Showing you where your mother is.” He lets go and Melody plummets down towards the water. She takes a deep breath and hits the water. Melody fight to the surface. “That oh...” She shouts up the cliff. “Thanks for the help!” Melody takes another breath and submerges again. She starts to look for Ariel. Then she spots her. Melody swims down to her. She tries to pull her back to the surface but she can’t. Melody swims back up to the surface for air, and then submerges again. She tries to break the chain around her mother’s ankles. It doesn’t work and then she remembers something her mother had taught her to do. She gets a hair grip and picks the lock. The lock opens and Melody pulls Ariel to the surface. She starts to swim towards the beach.
When they get there she unties Ariel’s hands and lies on her back next to her mother. Melody closes her eyes and falls asleep. She is woken a few minutes later by Ariel. “Mel, Melody are you awake?”
“Well I am now. Are you ok mom?” Ariel smiles at her. They hug for ages and then Eric comes out. “Are you two ok?” He kneels down. “Why are you two both soaking wet?”
“Well we both fell asleep and...” Ariel stands up. Eric and Melody look at her and then follow her gaze. They see something white bobbing about in the waves. “Scuttle?” Ariel runs into the sea. She picks Scuttle up and Carries him back to shore. Ariel puts him on the sand and takes the note from around his neck. ‘This is only the first next will be someone closer. Give yourself up Ariel you can’t win!’ It is signed by Coral.
Down in Atlantica Flounder has gone missing again. “Hey Ray- Ray.” Sebastian shouts after him as he swims past the palace. “What is it dude?”
“Have you seen Flounder anywhere?”
“No sorry Sebastian, haven’t seen him for ages why?”
“Oh he’s gone missing again.”
“Hey, Sebastian isn’t that red?” They both look up to see Ariel swimming towards them. She tells him to go to the surface. “Sebastian, it’s Scuttle, well he’s dead. Coral killed him and she says she’s going to kill someone closer to me next.”
“Oh no that’s not good at all.”
“Why, Sebastian what has happened and where’s? Oh, so that’s who she meant” she bites her lip. “Sebastian we have to do something!”
“I know Ariel.”
“Hay red, why would she want to kill Flounder anyway?”
“Well Ray-Ray he is like the little brother I never had, so well I have to protect him and I’m afraid to say that Coral knows that I will do anything for him.”
“Oh, ok fair deal.”
“Ariel I have an idea.” Sebastian jumps onto her shoulder and whispers his plan into her ear.
On the island Coral is shouting. “You nit wits, you imbeciles, you, you, you fools, why did you throw her into the water?”
“We thought she would drown miss. I’m sorry it was his idea anyway.”
“No it wasn’t it was your idea.” The two men start to fight. Coral slaps them both. “I don’t care who started it or whose idea it was. Just get back over there and kill them all!” She pushes them into the boat and the two men start to row. “And don’t fail!” She turns to Flounder, who she has trapped in a glass tank. “Well my friend you have until sunset and then you will be floating at the top of your tank!” She starts to laugh at her own joke. “You make me sick.” A voice comes from behind her. She turns around to see Ariel. “Why Ariel what a pleasant surprise.”
“Let him go!” Ariel glairs at Coral.
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll kill you where you stand.”
“For some reason Ariel I don’t think you have the gut.”
“Ariel don’t do it forget about me!” Flounder shouts, she looks at him and winks.
“Oh quiet you!”
“Well Coral let’s make this a little bit more interesting.” She throws Coral a dagger and gets another one out for herself. “Well, well Ariel who would have thought?” Coral runs at Ariel and they start to fight.
Back at the castle Eric and Melody are waiting for Ariel. “Is she back yet dad?”
“No sorry Mel!” Eric shouts back up the stairs.
“Ok, what the hell is she doing?”
“Melody, language please!”
“Sorry dad I’m just annoyed.”
“That’s ok honey.” Eric goes up the stairs. Melody is sat leant up against the pillar at the top of the stairs. “Your mother used to come and sit here. She said it was fun to listen to the whole castle working away.” He sits down next to Melody. Eric looks at her, Melody starts to cry. “What’s the matter?”
“Dad I think mom is in danger. I can feel it in my stomach.” Eric hugs Melody and kisses her head. “She’ll be ok, you know your mother better than me and Flounder put together. She’ll be fine so don’t worry ok.”
“Ok, dad?” Melody looks at him.
“Mmm...” Eric looks back at her.
“I need to show you something.” Melody stands up. “Follow me.” Eric gets up too and follows her. “This way.”
“Where are we going?” Melody leads him to a room, she opens the door. “Melody what is all this?”
“It’s my collection.” Melody
sits at the desk and Eric looks around him. The walls are covered with shells and other bits and bobs from the sea. “Now dad can you remember this?” She holds out her locket.
“Yes, but what has this got to do with anything?”
“Wait a minute, you don’t know what this is though?”
“No.”
“Well this is my grandfather’s, it contains him and my grandmother.”
“Ok and what does this have to do with your mother?”
“Will you please let me finish. Well this was witness to Marina trying to kill Sebastian.”
“Oh I get it now, you think that Coral wants Sebastian like her sister.”
“No, I thought this might help you understand mom better.”
“Oh, alright.” Eric walks out of the room. “I’m going to look for your mother. You stay here in case she comes back while I’m gone.” Eric goes downstairs and out of the front door just as the two men are walking up the beach. “Can I help you?” Eric asks them. They grab him and drag him off. They take Eric to the island.
When they get there Coral has Ariel pinned to the floor with the knife at her throat. “Eric, what are you doing here?” Ariel looks at him and pushes Coral away. “Just a minute.”
“Ariel, are you ok?”
“Yeah, one minute.” She pushes Coral into a tree. She knees Coral and then Coral fights back. Lashing at her with the knife, Coral then turns on Eric, who is being held back by the two men. Ariel runs up behind her and grabs her around the neck. “This is between me and you Coral.” Coral brings the knife up and cuts Ariel’s arm. Ariel lets go of her and grabs her arm. “No, Ariel I told you not to bother!” Flounder shouts. Ariel stands up. “Let them go now Coral!” Ariel glairs at Coral again. Coral laughs. “Do you really think I’m going to let them go?”
“Well if you don’t I’ll kill you right here, right now.”
“Bring it on!” Ariel runs at Coral but Coral moves out of the way. Ariel runs head first into the tank holding Flounder. It smashes and Flounder is washed into the sea. He swims off towards Atlantica. Ariel stands up and stabs Coral in the leg.
Back at the castle Melody is waiting by the door. “Where are they?” She stands up and walks out of the door. Carlota follows her. “Melody, where is your mother and father?”
“I don’t know that’s where I’m going.”
“Be careful.” Melody runs off down the beach. She jumps into the sea and swims all the way to the island. When she gets there, Eric is tied to a tree and Coral and Ariel are still fighting. Melody swims up to the shore and grabs a rock. She goes up behind Coral and hits her on the head. She falls to the floor. “Thanks for that Mel.” Ariel steps over Coral and unties Eric. Coral stands up and goes to stab Ariel. “Ariel, look out!” She turns around and stabs Coral in the chest. Coral falls to the floor and Ariel just stands there with the knife in her hand.
They go back to the castle and Flounder comes to the beach. “Ariel, are you ok?”
“Yeah, are you alright?”
“Yep.”
“Ariel we better be going.” Eric looks at her and puts his arm around Melody.
“Alright.” She turns to Flounder. “See you later.” She kisses him and stands up. Eric, Melody and Ariel go inside.
The end.
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