Looks like the moon is sitting right on my biscuit.”
She bit into her caramel wafer then sighed again. “You know we’ve got this new boy in the school?” she went on, cupping her hands around her teacup. “Comes from America. Tarkin he’s called. How’s that for a name? Remember I told you about him? Earrings and all that. Well, he said he saw a mermaid. Really. Thing is, he told it as though it was true. Had the whole class so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Made me all shivery. I didn’t know what to say.”
“That’s not like you, Carol.”
“I know. He’s a strange one. First that Magnus Fin. I mean, he’s strange enough – always picking bones and stuff off the beach and standing on his own at breaktimes, not to mention his eyes. Now I’ve got an American called Tarkin to cope with who, I kid you not, wears two earrings, a necklace, believes in mermaids and has become a great pal of our Magnus Fin. Other boys their age talk about football and Nintendos. Not them, they talk about mermaids. They’re just not normal somehow.”
“Better than them all looking the same, thinking the same, doing exactly the same thing. I like Tarkin. Never met him of course, but from what you’ve told me, Carol, I like him. Magnus Fin’s not bad either.” Johnny bit off another corner of his biscuit and ate it, making little satisfying noises as he did so.
“Um … Johnny?” his wife said.
“Aye, Carol. Fire away. What is it?”
“See when you’re out in the boat. You know … did you, I mean, have you … um, did you ever see a mermaid?” Carol McLeod sat up straight. The full moon shone on her lap.
“A mermaid? No,” he said, “not yet anyway. But I’ve seen many a selkie. Aye, I’ve seen them. Many times. Oh, Carol, I could tell you some stories.”
Carol didn’t know what to say. She coughed. She spluttered. “Really?”
“I certainly could. I didn’t think you were interested but I’d love to tell you a story from the sea.”
Carol McLeod looked at her husband, then, not quite sure what she was letting herself in for, nodded, sat back and made herself comfortable with the full moon on her lap.
“Well, Carol, once upon a time,” said Johnny, “far out in the cold North Sea, there lived a selkie …”
Chapter Eighteen
Magnus Fin stared at the great rock barring the entrance to Neptune’s cavern. With his torch-light pupils he could make out, through the dark water, massive swaying fronds of seaweed. The cavern seemed to be shaped like a great conch shell. Through the dimness he could see that some of the cavern was made of an orange stone. Miranda told him it was amber. She was swimming away from him but still her thoughts called to him.
“I must leave you here, Fin. We ocean dwellers have tried all we can; it is said only a human who can live under the sea can now open the door to Neptune’s cavern. You know both worlds, Magnus Fin. Your mother was born on the land. You are our only hope. I must return to our valley; it is not safe for me here. Remember the stone around your neck, son of Ragnor. If you come into danger it will give you strength. Goodbye, Magnus Fin.”
By now Magnus had floated up to the great rock, and though his heart was thumping he searched for a hole in the rock, for a place to insert his bone key. He felt for the place, his hand frantically patting the rough surface of the rock door. “I can’t find a keyhole!” he shouted in his thoughts as his grandmother swam away from him.
“It is there,” she called out, “in the middle …” but her thoughts were too faint now to make out any more.
Magnus Fin had never felt so desolate in his whole life. Around him was nothing but hundreds of miles of dark water. For a moment he felt an almighty fear rise up from the soles of his feet as though it would swallow him completely. Magnus grasped his moon-stone and the fear subsided. Still the boy floated alone, treading water under the sea, until the
She bit into her caramel wafer then sighed again. “You know we’ve got this new boy in the school?” she went on, cupping her hands around her teacup. “Comes from America. Tarkin he’s called. How’s that for a name? Remember I told you about him? Earrings and all that. Well, he said he saw a mermaid. Really. Thing is, he told it as though it was true. Had the whole class so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Made me all shivery. I didn’t know what to say.”
“That’s not like you, Carol.”
“I know. He’s a strange one. First that Magnus Fin. I mean, he’s strange enough – always picking bones and stuff off the beach and standing on his own at breaktimes, not to mention his eyes. Now I’ve got an American called Tarkin to cope with who, I kid you not, wears two earrings, a necklace, believes in mermaids and has become a great pal of our Magnus Fin. Other boys their age talk about football and Nintendos. Not them, they talk about mermaids. They’re just not normal somehow.”
“Better than them all looking the same, thinking the same, doing exactly the same thing. I like Tarkin. Never met him of course, but from what you’ve told me, Carol, I like him. Magnus Fin’s not bad either.” Johnny bit off another corner of his biscuit and ate it, making little satisfying noises as he did so.
“Um … Johnny?” his wife said.
“Aye, Carol. Fire away. What is it?”
“See when you’re out in the boat. You know … did you, I mean, have you … um, did you ever see a mermaid?” Carol McLeod sat up straight. The full moon shone on her lap.
“A mermaid? No,” he said, “not yet anyway. But I’ve seen many a selkie. Aye, I’ve seen them. Many times. Oh, Carol, I could tell you some stories.”
Carol didn’t know what to say. She coughed. She spluttered. “Really?”
“I certainly could. I didn’t think you were interested but I’d love to tell you a story from the sea.”
Carol McLeod looked at her husband, then, not quite sure what she was letting herself in for, nodded, sat back and made herself comfortable with the full moon on her lap.
“Well, Carol, once upon a time,” said Johnny, “far out in the cold North Sea, there lived a selkie …”
Chapter Eighteen
Magnus Fin stared at the great rock barring the entrance to Neptune’s cavern. With his torch-light pupils he could make out, through the dark water, massive swaying fronds of seaweed. The cavern seemed to be shaped like a great conch shell. Through the dimness he could see that some of the cavern was made of an orange stone. Miranda told him it was amber. She was swimming away from him but still her thoughts called to him.
“I must leave you here, Fin. We ocean dwellers have tried all we can; it is said only a human who can live under the sea can now open the door to Neptune’s cavern. You know both worlds, Magnus Fin. Your mother was born on the land. You are our only hope. I must return to our valley; it is not safe for me here. Remember the stone around your neck, son of Ragnor. If you come into danger it will give you strength. Goodbye, Magnus Fin.”
By now Magnus had floated up to the great rock, and though his heart was thumping he searched for a hole in the rock, for a place to insert his bone key. He felt for the place, his hand frantically patting the rough surface of the rock door. “I can’t find a keyhole!” he shouted in his thoughts as his grandmother swam away from him.
“It is there,” she called out, “in the middle …” but her thoughts were too faint now to make out any more.
Magnus Fin had never felt so desolate in his whole life. Around him was nothing but hundreds of miles of dark water. For a moment he felt an almighty fear rise up from the soles of his feet as though it would swallow him completely. Magnus grasped his moon-stone and the fear subsided. Still the boy floated alone, treading water under the sea, until the
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