over the side and how Frank hadn’t even managed to catch one fish. “Not one! But after spewing up all over Frank’s feet I got used to the waves tossing me about. Then I learnt how to use the rudder. It’s real easy. Oh man! Frank didn’t even know how to hook bait on. You should have seen him. What a loser. He started singing some old-fashioned fishing song. Talk about tuneless?” Tarkin laughed and said he had sailor’s legs, just like his dad, but he didn’t tell Magnus Fin the real reason for his boat trip.
Magnus Fin felt sorry for Frank. Tarkin was his best friend, there was no doubt about that, but Fin always felt awkward when he started on about Frank.
By this time they had reached the beach. They scuffed up sand and examined the tideline. The tides around full moon always seemed stronger. Full moon, so Fin told Tarkin, was usually when he found his best treasures.
“Look!” Fin yelled, falling to his knees. “A car number plate!”
“Wow! No way – it’s from a Ferrari!”
That was another good omen. Now Tarkin neededto find something too. There were lots of shells, and a few seagull feathers, lots of driftwood, and three plastic bottles, but nothing you could seriously call treasure. Tarkin looked glum. Maybe there was to be no good omen for him … Maybe he’d sink the boat …
“Shuna! Run, hide!”
Tarkin and Magnus Fin looked up. A gull screeched above them, but the sound they’d both heard hadn’t been a gull. The boys scrambled to their feet and peered along the beach towards the flat rocks near the cave.
In the distance a girl with very long hair stumbled over the rocks, fell, got up and stumbled again. Fin and Tarkin stared at each other.
“Who’s that?” asked Tarkin. Fin shrugged. The girl hadn’t seen them. And the way she kept falling looked as though she was in some kind of trouble.
“Come on!” Fin started to run. “Let’s see what’s wrong.”
The two boys tore across the beach, up onto the sandy track and along to where the flat rocks lay like shelves between the land and the sea. They both knew the dead seals were on these rocks. As they came closer they slowed down. The girl had vanished.
The boys scanned the rocks and beach around them. Fin’s heart gave a jolt. Another dead seal lay washed up on the ledge. It was like a cemetery for seals. He shivered. Again he heard the voice call, “Shuna – run! Let him go! Quick! We can’t stay here.” Fin knew that voice. It was coming from behind a rock.
Meanwhile Tarkin was walking towards the dead seals. He had seen something Fin hadn’t. Pressed against the body of the fourth seal, almost hidden behind itsgreat round body, lay the girl. Her face was buried deep into the belly of the seal, and she was weeping.
Fin watched, astounded, as Tarkin knelt down beside the girl to comfort her. But when he reached out to gently touch her she screamed and jumped to her feet.
“Miranda!” she yelped. “Help me! It’s a human. Oh help!”
In that moment Miranda, her long white hair trailing to her waist, a tangle of dulse for a skirt and a necklace of shells jangling with every step, came out from her hiding place. Seeing his grandmother, Fin ran towards her, but she cried out in distress and quickly stepped back, shaking her head and lifting a hand to ward him off.
“Stop! It has come to me, Fin. Don’t approach. The sickness has come to me. Stay back!”
Fin stopped dead in his tracks. Tarkin gazed in amazement. The two long-haired women, dressed in seaweed and shells, seemed to him magical, wonderful creatures. Only once had Tarkin seen such a miraculous sight: the mermaid he’d seen in a freezing lake on a fishing trip with his dad, long ago. Now he blinked, and blinked again, mesmerised.
While Tarkin stared at Shuna, Fin stared at his grandmother. Her snow-white hair covered her face. In one hand she held something – a scallop shell filled with deep-green shreds of seaweed. At her feet lay a pile of
Magnus Fin felt sorry for Frank. Tarkin was his best friend, there was no doubt about that, but Fin always felt awkward when he started on about Frank.
By this time they had reached the beach. They scuffed up sand and examined the tideline. The tides around full moon always seemed stronger. Full moon, so Fin told Tarkin, was usually when he found his best treasures.
“Look!” Fin yelled, falling to his knees. “A car number plate!”
“Wow! No way – it’s from a Ferrari!”
That was another good omen. Now Tarkin neededto find something too. There were lots of shells, and a few seagull feathers, lots of driftwood, and three plastic bottles, but nothing you could seriously call treasure. Tarkin looked glum. Maybe there was to be no good omen for him … Maybe he’d sink the boat …
“Shuna! Run, hide!”
Tarkin and Magnus Fin looked up. A gull screeched above them, but the sound they’d both heard hadn’t been a gull. The boys scrambled to their feet and peered along the beach towards the flat rocks near the cave.
In the distance a girl with very long hair stumbled over the rocks, fell, got up and stumbled again. Fin and Tarkin stared at each other.
“Who’s that?” asked Tarkin. Fin shrugged. The girl hadn’t seen them. And the way she kept falling looked as though she was in some kind of trouble.
“Come on!” Fin started to run. “Let’s see what’s wrong.”
The two boys tore across the beach, up onto the sandy track and along to where the flat rocks lay like shelves between the land and the sea. They both knew the dead seals were on these rocks. As they came closer they slowed down. The girl had vanished.
The boys scanned the rocks and beach around them. Fin’s heart gave a jolt. Another dead seal lay washed up on the ledge. It was like a cemetery for seals. He shivered. Again he heard the voice call, “Shuna – run! Let him go! Quick! We can’t stay here.” Fin knew that voice. It was coming from behind a rock.
Meanwhile Tarkin was walking towards the dead seals. He had seen something Fin hadn’t. Pressed against the body of the fourth seal, almost hidden behind itsgreat round body, lay the girl. Her face was buried deep into the belly of the seal, and she was weeping.
Fin watched, astounded, as Tarkin knelt down beside the girl to comfort her. But when he reached out to gently touch her she screamed and jumped to her feet.
“Miranda!” she yelped. “Help me! It’s a human. Oh help!”
In that moment Miranda, her long white hair trailing to her waist, a tangle of dulse for a skirt and a necklace of shells jangling with every step, came out from her hiding place. Seeing his grandmother, Fin ran towards her, but she cried out in distress and quickly stepped back, shaking her head and lifting a hand to ward him off.
“Stop! It has come to me, Fin. Don’t approach. The sickness has come to me. Stay back!”
Fin stopped dead in his tracks. Tarkin gazed in amazement. The two long-haired women, dressed in seaweed and shells, seemed to him magical, wonderful creatures. Only once had Tarkin seen such a miraculous sight: the mermaid he’d seen in a freezing lake on a fishing trip with his dad, long ago. Now he blinked, and blinked again, mesmerised.
While Tarkin stared at Shuna, Fin stared at his grandmother. Her snow-white hair covered her face. In one hand she held something – a scallop shell filled with deep-green shreds of seaweed. At her feet lay a pile of
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