porthole to let in more air.
The fish tank might not even be the worst of it, I figured. I know Dr. D.
cares about the mermaid. I know he’d never hurt her.
But what will happen to her when the zoo people take her away? Who will look
out for her?
Sure, they’re building a fancy fake lagoon. But it won’t be the same as the
real lagoon. And there will be people around, staring at her all the time.
They’ll probably expect her to perform tricks or something; maybe jump through
hoops like a trained seal.
They’ll probably put her in TV commercials, too. And TV shows and movies.
She’ll be a prisoner. A lonely prisoner for the rest of her life.
This is all my fault. How could I let this happen?
I have to do something, I decided. I can’t let them take her.
Just then I thought I heard something—a low hum. I lay very still and
listened. At first I thought it was the mermaid. But I quickly realized it was a
motor.
I heard it chugging softly, from a distance. But slowly the sound moved
closer.
A boat.
I sat up and peered out of the porthole. A large boat pulled quietly up
beside the Cassandra.
Who was it? The zoo people?
In the middle of the night?
No. It wasn’t the same boat. This boat was much bigger.
As I peered out the small porthole, I saw two dark figures quietly slip on board the Cassandra. Then two more.
My heart began to race. Who are these people? I wondered. What are
they doing?
What should I do?
Should I sneak up and spy on them? What if they see me?
Then I heard more strange noises.
A thud. A muffled cry of pain.
It came from the deck.
The deck. Where the mermaid was trapped helplessly in her tank.
Oh, no! I thought, feeling a chill of panic. They’re hurting the mermaid!
19
I charged up to the deck. Sheena ran right behind me.
Stumbling over a tow rope, I grabbed the rail to steady myself. Then I darted
blindly to the fish tank.
The mermaid huddled at the bottom of the tank, her arms wrapped protectively
around herself.
I saw four men standing tensely near the tank. All four were dressed in
black. They had black masks pulled over their faces.
One of the men held a small club in his hand.
And a body lay sprawled on the deck, face down.
Dr. D.!
Sheena screamed and ran to our uncle. She knelt beside him. “They hit him on
the head!” she cried. “They knocked him out!”
I gasped. “Who are you?” I demanded. “What are you doing on our boat?”
The four men ignored me.
Two of them unfolded a heavy rope net and spread it over the fish tank. Then they let it fall into the tank, draping it
over the mermaid.
“Stop it!” I yelled. “What are you doing?”
“Be quiet, kid,” the man with the club muttered. He raised the club
menacingly.
I watched helplessly as they tightened the net around the mermaid.
They were kidnapping her!
“Eeeee! EEEEEeeee!” she squealed in terror and started to thrash her arms,
struggling to free herself from the heavy net.
“Stop it! Leave her alone!” I cried.
One of the men gave a low laugh. The other three still ignored me.
Sheena was bent over Dr. D., frantically trying to wake him up. I ran to the
hatch and shouted down into the cabin, “Alexander! Alexander! Help!”
Alexander was big and strong—maybe strong enough to stop these men.
I ran back to the tank. The mermaid was trapped in the net. All four men
worked to lift her out of the tank. She squirmed and fought with all her
strength.
“EEEEEE!” she screamed. The high-pitched squeal hurt my ears.
“Can’t you get her to shut up?” one of the men cried angrily.
“Just load her on board,” the one with the club replied sharply.
“Stop!” I yelled. “You can’t do that!”
Then I totally lost it.
Without thinking, I dove toward the four of them. I don’t know what I planned
to do. I just knew I had to stop them.
One of them pushed me away easily with one hand. “Stay away—or you’ll get
hurt,” he muttered.
“Let her
The fish tank might not even be the worst of it, I figured. I know Dr. D.
cares about the mermaid. I know he’d never hurt her.
But what will happen to her when the zoo people take her away? Who will look
out for her?
Sure, they’re building a fancy fake lagoon. But it won’t be the same as the
real lagoon. And there will be people around, staring at her all the time.
They’ll probably expect her to perform tricks or something; maybe jump through
hoops like a trained seal.
They’ll probably put her in TV commercials, too. And TV shows and movies.
She’ll be a prisoner. A lonely prisoner for the rest of her life.
This is all my fault. How could I let this happen?
I have to do something, I decided. I can’t let them take her.
Just then I thought I heard something—a low hum. I lay very still and
listened. At first I thought it was the mermaid. But I quickly realized it was a
motor.
I heard it chugging softly, from a distance. But slowly the sound moved
closer.
A boat.
I sat up and peered out of the porthole. A large boat pulled quietly up
beside the Cassandra.
Who was it? The zoo people?
In the middle of the night?
No. It wasn’t the same boat. This boat was much bigger.
As I peered out the small porthole, I saw two dark figures quietly slip on board the Cassandra. Then two more.
My heart began to race. Who are these people? I wondered. What are
they doing?
What should I do?
Should I sneak up and spy on them? What if they see me?
Then I heard more strange noises.
A thud. A muffled cry of pain.
It came from the deck.
The deck. Where the mermaid was trapped helplessly in her tank.
Oh, no! I thought, feeling a chill of panic. They’re hurting the mermaid!
19
I charged up to the deck. Sheena ran right behind me.
Stumbling over a tow rope, I grabbed the rail to steady myself. Then I darted
blindly to the fish tank.
The mermaid huddled at the bottom of the tank, her arms wrapped protectively
around herself.
I saw four men standing tensely near the tank. All four were dressed in
black. They had black masks pulled over their faces.
One of the men held a small club in his hand.
And a body lay sprawled on the deck, face down.
Dr. D.!
Sheena screamed and ran to our uncle. She knelt beside him. “They hit him on
the head!” she cried. “They knocked him out!”
I gasped. “Who are you?” I demanded. “What are you doing on our boat?”
The four men ignored me.
Two of them unfolded a heavy rope net and spread it over the fish tank. Then they let it fall into the tank, draping it
over the mermaid.
“Stop it!” I yelled. “What are you doing?”
“Be quiet, kid,” the man with the club muttered. He raised the club
menacingly.
I watched helplessly as they tightened the net around the mermaid.
They were kidnapping her!
“Eeeee! EEEEEeeee!” she squealed in terror and started to thrash her arms,
struggling to free herself from the heavy net.
“Stop it! Leave her alone!” I cried.
One of the men gave a low laugh. The other three still ignored me.
Sheena was bent over Dr. D., frantically trying to wake him up. I ran to the
hatch and shouted down into the cabin, “Alexander! Alexander! Help!”
Alexander was big and strong—maybe strong enough to stop these men.
I ran back to the tank. The mermaid was trapped in the net. All four men
worked to lift her out of the tank. She squirmed and fought with all her
strength.
“EEEEEE!” she screamed. The high-pitched squeal hurt my ears.
“Can’t you get her to shut up?” one of the men cried angrily.
“Just load her on board,” the one with the club replied sharply.
“Stop!” I yelled. “You can’t do that!”
Then I totally lost it.
Without thinking, I dove toward the four of them. I don’t know what I planned
to do. I just knew I had to stop them.
One of them pushed me away easily with one hand. “Stay away—or you’ll get
hurt,” he muttered.
“Let her
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