Katie and the Snow Babies

by Gillian Shields

  “I was so scared, but I feel better now,” said Caspar. “I loved riding in that boat made of magical ropes! And I’m so glad to see you, Grandpa.”

  The Chief Walrus hugged his baby grandson tenderly. Then he turned to the mermaids.

  “We can never thank you enough, Sisters of the Sea,” he said. “But young Max’s tale shows that what you told us about Mantora’s evil plot to melt the ice is true. I am so sorry that I ever doubted you.” He looked at Poppy with a twinkle in his eye. “As for you, my dear, you are bold indeed,” he said. “Bold enough to speak the truth to the Chief Walrus! I beg your pardon for not believing your wise words.”

  Poppy grinned cheerfully. “That’s all right,” she said.

  “My mother taught me that saying sorry for a mistake is the best wisdom of all, Lord Ulrick,” said Katie in a serious voice.

  The Chief Walrus bowed graciously and continued, “If those ice floes are starting to melt and break up, our lands really must be getting warmer. You must find the second diamond without any further delay, before more damage is done!”

  Chapter Six

  Just as Katie was about to reply, a deep, happy roar rose from the sea and deafened the mermaids. Finn was swimming frantically through the waves toward the snowy shore. He leaped out of the water, scrambled up the ice edge, and threw himself at Max. They tumbled over and over in a wild bear hug.

  “Oh, Max,” he barked joyfully. “I couldn’t find you on the ice, so I was searching in the water. I thought you had drowned, but now I’ve found you again. Your mother will be so happy when I take you home.”

  “And it’s all because of the mermaids.” Max smiled.

  Finn turned to thank them, but first he shook his shaggy coat as usual, to dry his fur. The air was filled with diamond drops of water, like a sudden shower of …

  “Rain!” exclaimed Katie, sitting up on her pearly tail in excitement. “That’s it! I understand now!”

  “What do you mean?” asked Amber.

  “It’s in the clue—‘A diamond falls from the sky.’” She smiled. “The diamonds falling from the sky are raindrops!”

  The mermaids looked at Katie hopefully. She clasped her hands together and turned pleadingly to the Chief Walrus.

  “Ulrick,” she said, “I know the rain doesn’t often fall over these icy lands. But you must tell me if it has rained here lately. Our quest for the second snow diamond might depend on it.”

  Ulrick leaned forward on his strong flippers and gave Katie an astonished look, his mustache twitching in surprise.

  “Why, yes,” he said in a puzzled voice. “Only last night we had a most unexpected shower of rain here at Walrus Point. In fact, it was more than a shower of rain—it was a storm.”

  The mermaids gathered around him on the rough ice, curling their glistening tails underneath them. “Tell us what happened,” they begged.

  “As we were settling to sleep on this icy bluff,” said the Chief Walrus, “some heavy black clouds sprang up in the sky from nowhere. The wind howled around us, sounding like weeping voices. Strange yellow light flooded over the snow, and we were battered with a storm of thick, icy hailstones.”

  “That must have been Mantora’s doing,” exclaimed Amber and Jess together.

  “It certainly didn’t seem natural,” shivered Ulrick. “Even I felt a flicker of fear as the sound of weeping turned into a menacing cackle of laughter. Then the storm stopped as suddenly as it began.”

  “Now you see how powerful Mantora is,” said Poppy. “Only she could have made that storm, with her dark magic.”

  “But why would she do such a thing?” asked Finn in his deep growl.

  “I think I understand,” said Becky quietly. “Hailstones are big lumps of frozen rain …”

  “… and one of Mantora’s enchanted hailstones contained the diamond inside the ice,” finished Katie. “That’s how the snow diamond fell from the sky—inside a frozen raindrop. It fell onto this bluff and is now buried under the snow!”

  Everyone murmured in astonishment.

  “So now we have to find exactly where the diamond fell down and buried itself,” said Amber, gazing around eagerly. “But it could take forever to find it.”

  “No, it won’t,” said a small, snuffly voice. “Is this what you are looking for?” Caspar, the baby walrus, scrabbled in the ice near his grandfather. Then he waddled forward, looking bashful.

  “I found a glittery stone after the horrible storm,” he explained. “It was wrapped up in this red paper. I wanted to keep it, because it was so shiny. So I hid the stone and the paper back in the snow, right here where I always sit next to Grandpa. But you can have it, for saving me and my best friend, Max.”

  He let the diamond fall from his soft flipper on to Katie’s outstretched hand. It flashed in the sun with every color of the rainbow, but at its heart a white flame burned like a living icicle. Next to it was a small, bloodred scroll.

  “Oh, great job, Caspar!” cried the mermaids in delight, petting him gratefully. Max rolled over in a bundle of white fluff to say “Wonderful!” to his blushing friend.

  Katie gave the scroll to Megan for safekeeping while she showed the dazzling jewel to Ulrick, Finn, and Inga.

  “We’ve found the second snow diamond at last,” she said, “thanks to you and the snow babies!”

  “And now those babies must go home after the day’s adventures,” said Finn. “Come on, Max. Your mother will be longing to see you.”

  “Can I play with Caspar tomorrow, Dad?” asked Max hopefully.

  Finn glanced at his old friend. “What does the Chief Walrus say?” he asked with a faint smile.

  “Of course you can, Max,” replied Ulrick heartily. “Tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that …”

  “Hooray!” cried the two young friends. “And hooray for the mermaids!”

  Katie and her friends laughed and cuddled Caspar and Max one last time. Then they said good-bye to Ulrick and Inga, and last of all to Finn.

  “Good-bye, Sisters of the Sea,” he said. “You have done so much for us. The walrus folk and the polar bears will always be grateful. May you meet with good fortune on your quest—for all our sakes.”

  The mermaids watched their friends making their way across the ice to their homes. They had found two precious snow diamonds, but there was still a long and difficult task ahead of them before Ice Kingdom was truly safe.

  “I think it’s time to look at that scroll, Megan,” said Katie, turning to the others. “Let’s see what Mantora has dreamed up for us next.”

  Megan squeezed Katie’s hand quickly. “Whatever it is, we’re ready for it,” she said bravely. “Aren’t we, everyone?”

  Katie, Amber, Jess, Becky, and Poppy nodded their heads firmly. They were all ready to do their best to save their beloved Ice Kingdom. But the next stage of the quest wasn’t going to be easy for the Sisters of the Sea …

  Arctic Mermaid Sisters of the Sea

  Amber has golden curls and a gleaming lilac tail. She looks after her friends and is a good leader.

  Katie enjoys playing her mermaid harp. She has a long braid over her shoulder and a sparkly lemon-colored tail.

  Megan has sweet wavy hair and a spangled pink and white tail. She is never far from her pet fairy shrimp, Sammy.

  Jess is bold and brave, with dark curls and a dazzling turquoise tail. She is friends with Monty, the humpback whale.

  Becky loves the beauty of the sea. Her hair is decorated with flowers, and her tail is a pretty peach color.

  Poppy has coppery curls, a bright blue tail, and loads of confidence, but her impatience can land her in trouble.

  The Mermaid S.O.S. series

  Misty to the Rescue

  Ellie and the Secret Potion

  Sophie Makes a Splash

  Holly Takes a Risk

  Scarlett’s New Friend

  Lucy and the Magic Crystal

  Amber’s First Clue

  Katie and the Snow Babi
es

  Text copyright © 2007 by Gillian Shields

  Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Helen Turner

  All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  First published in Great Britain in 2007 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

  Published in the United States in 2009 by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children’s Books

  Electronic edition published in September 2012

  www.bloomsburykids.com

  For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Bloomsbury BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Shields, Gillian.

  Katie and the snow babies / by Gillian Shields ; illustrated by Helen Turner.

  —1st U.S. ed.

  p. cm. — (Mermaid S.O.S.)

  As they continue their quest to find the snow diamonds, Katie and her mermaid

  friends seek help from the Chief Walrus, but first they must save his young

  grandson, who sneaked away to play with his best friend, a polar bear.

  [1. Mermaids—Fiction. 2. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 3. Polar bear—

  Fiction. 4. Walrus—Fiction. 5. Friendship—Fiction. 6. Ecology—Fiction.]

  I. Turner, Helen, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.S55478Kat 2009 [Fic]—dc22 2008032799

  First U.S. Edition 2009

  ISBN 978-1-61963-008-6 (e-book)