still need two hours to get back to the beach.
“Go away!” Nelly yells from inside. “Didn’t I tell you to stop bothering me?”
The door swings open and the sea witch has a scowl on her face. But suddenly her expression changes. Softens. She blinks. And then blinks again. She’s looking above my head and I turn to see that she’s staring at the king.
And he’s staring at her.
“What do you want?” she asks.
The king blushes.
“Nelly,” I say, “the king is here to offer you jewelry. If you’ll save his daughter.”
“Right!” the king says, snapping out of his trance. “May we come in?”
Nelly tears her eyes away from the king and checks out our whole group. “All of you?”
“Yes,” I say. I put my hands on my hips and clench them into fists, hoping I look defiant.
“I guess.” Nelly sweeps her arm to the side in an exaggerated gesture of welcome, and all eight of us float-march in.
“I haven’t seen you in years,” the king says.
“No, you haven’t,” Nelly says, tight-lipped.
“How do you know each other?” I ask.
“We went to elementary school together,” the king says.
“We certainly did,” Nelly says, crossing her arms and slapping her tail against the ground. “How could I forget? You used to call me a horrible name.”
The king’s eyes widen in surprise. “What are you talking about? I called you Jelly Nelly!”
She scowls. “Exactly. Jelly Nelly. Because I reminded you of a jellyfish.”
“So why is that horrible?” the king asks, his forehead wrinkling.
“Because jellyfish are annoying and poisonous,” Nelly spits out.
I’d have to agree. Jellyfish are kind of the mosquitoes of the sea.
The king shakes his head. “Jellyfish are smart. And beautiful. And fascinating.”
“They are not,” Nelly says, but her voice wavers.
“They are so,” he says. “I called you Jelly Nelly because I had a crush on you.”
Nelly blushes. “You did?”
“You did?” we all echo.
Now it’s the king’s turn to blush.
Nelly makes a strange sound. Was it a giggle? She clears her throat. “Oh. I just assumed …” Her voice trails off. “I had no idea.” She wraps a strand of her dark hair around her finger. She giggles again. Is Nelly flirting? Does the sea witch like the king?
“Well, now you know,” he says. He’s all flushed. “It’s nice to see you again.” Oh. My. Goodness. Does he still like the witch?
But then he shakes his head. “No. It’s not nice. You have to help my daughter.”
Nelly crosses her arms. “I don’t have to do anything.”
He straightens up, flirting forgotten. “We have jewels to offer you. In exchange for you changing the spell you put on Lana. Girls, show her what you have. Nelly, take whatever you want. But please, spare my daughter.”
The oldest steps up and opens her hand to reveal a sparkling ring. “I have a diamond engagement ring.”
The second oldest opens her hand next. “I have emerald earrings.”
The third shows us a chunky bracelet. “It’s fourteen-carat gold.”
The fourth has two hoop earrings dangling on her thumb. “They’re platinum.”
Sasha, the youngest, steps up and points to her neck. “I’m wearing a mother-of-pearl necklace. I guess you can have it.”
Hold on a minute. “That’s my necklace!” I exclaim.
Sasha shrugs. “Don’t you want to help Lana?”
I sigh. “You can have it,” I tell Nelly.
Nelly eyes the goods. “Hmm,” she says. “They’re pretty, but I already have my own jewelry.” She wiggles her fingers in frontof us, and we see that they are glittering with jewels. “Do you have anything else?”
“Um …” We look at each other. We are empty-handed. We are out of stuff.
“You can have my Kadima paddles,” Jonah offers.
“What’s Kadima?” Nelly asks, intrigued.
“It’s a game,” Jonah says. “You and another person hit a ball back and forth. It’s very fun.”
Nelly’s face clouds over. “I don’t want a game,” she
“Go away!” Nelly yells from inside. “Didn’t I tell you to stop bothering me?”
The door swings open and the sea witch has a scowl on her face. But suddenly her expression changes. Softens. She blinks. And then blinks again. She’s looking above my head and I turn to see that she’s staring at the king.
And he’s staring at her.
“What do you want?” she asks.
The king blushes.
“Nelly,” I say, “the king is here to offer you jewelry. If you’ll save his daughter.”
“Right!” the king says, snapping out of his trance. “May we come in?”
Nelly tears her eyes away from the king and checks out our whole group. “All of you?”
“Yes,” I say. I put my hands on my hips and clench them into fists, hoping I look defiant.
“I guess.” Nelly sweeps her arm to the side in an exaggerated gesture of welcome, and all eight of us float-march in.
“I haven’t seen you in years,” the king says.
“No, you haven’t,” Nelly says, tight-lipped.
“How do you know each other?” I ask.
“We went to elementary school together,” the king says.
“We certainly did,” Nelly says, crossing her arms and slapping her tail against the ground. “How could I forget? You used to call me a horrible name.”
The king’s eyes widen in surprise. “What are you talking about? I called you Jelly Nelly!”
She scowls. “Exactly. Jelly Nelly. Because I reminded you of a jellyfish.”
“So why is that horrible?” the king asks, his forehead wrinkling.
“Because jellyfish are annoying and poisonous,” Nelly spits out.
I’d have to agree. Jellyfish are kind of the mosquitoes of the sea.
The king shakes his head. “Jellyfish are smart. And beautiful. And fascinating.”
“They are not,” Nelly says, but her voice wavers.
“They are so,” he says. “I called you Jelly Nelly because I had a crush on you.”
Nelly blushes. “You did?”
“You did?” we all echo.
Now it’s the king’s turn to blush.
Nelly makes a strange sound. Was it a giggle? She clears her throat. “Oh. I just assumed …” Her voice trails off. “I had no idea.” She wraps a strand of her dark hair around her finger. She giggles again. Is Nelly flirting? Does the sea witch like the king?
“Well, now you know,” he says. He’s all flushed. “It’s nice to see you again.” Oh. My. Goodness. Does he still like the witch?
But then he shakes his head. “No. It’s not nice. You have to help my daughter.”
Nelly crosses her arms. “I don’t have to do anything.”
He straightens up, flirting forgotten. “We have jewels to offer you. In exchange for you changing the spell you put on Lana. Girls, show her what you have. Nelly, take whatever you want. But please, spare my daughter.”
The oldest steps up and opens her hand to reveal a sparkling ring. “I have a diamond engagement ring.”
The second oldest opens her hand next. “I have emerald earrings.”
The third shows us a chunky bracelet. “It’s fourteen-carat gold.”
The fourth has two hoop earrings dangling on her thumb. “They’re platinum.”
Sasha, the youngest, steps up and points to her neck. “I’m wearing a mother-of-pearl necklace. I guess you can have it.”
Hold on a minute. “That’s my necklace!” I exclaim.
Sasha shrugs. “Don’t you want to help Lana?”
I sigh. “You can have it,” I tell Nelly.
Nelly eyes the goods. “Hmm,” she says. “They’re pretty, but I already have my own jewelry.” She wiggles her fingers in frontof us, and we see that they are glittering with jewels. “Do you have anything else?”
“Um …” We look at each other. We are empty-handed. We are out of stuff.
“You can have my Kadima paddles,” Jonah offers.
“What’s Kadima?” Nelly asks, intrigued.
“It’s a game,” Jonah says. “You and another person hit a ball back and forth. It’s very fun.”
Nelly’s face clouds over. “I don’t want a game,” she
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