by R. L. Stine
Two of the men climbed back aboard the Cassandra and grabbed Dr. D. Sheena ran at them, flailing at them with her puny little fists.
Of course that didn’t do any good. The third masked man grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back.
“Kick him, Sheena!” I yelled through the glass.
She tried to kick the man who held her, but he just tightened his grip. She couldn’t move.
“Let them go!” I screamed desperately.
“What should we do with them?” asked one of the men.
“Whatever you do, do it quickly,” said Alexander. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
The man who held Sheena glanced in at me. I was frantically treading water, trying to stay above the surface.
“They might call the island police or the Coast Guard,” he said, frowning. “We’d better kill them.”
“Throw them all in the tank!” suggested one of his partners.
22
“Alexander!” Dr. D shouted. “I know you’re not a cruel man. Don’t let them do this.”
Alexander avoided my uncle’s hard stare. “Sorry, Dr. D,” he muttered. “I can’t stop them. If I try to, they’ll kill me, too.”
Without another word, he lowered himself onto the other boat.
What a creep, I thought angrily.
Two of the masked men lifted Dr. D up high and dropped him into the tank. He landed beside me with a splash.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He rubbed the back of his head and nodded.
Sheena was next. They tossed her in easily. She flew through the air, flailing her arms and legs. Then she plopped into the water.
The men replaced the screen lid. They clamped it shut.
I stared out at them, realizing in horror that we had no way to escape.
The water in the tank was about six feet deep. We all kicked and paddled, trying to stay above the surface. There was barely enough room for the three of us.
“All right,” said one of the men. “Let’s go.”
“Wait!” Dr. D shouted. “You can’t just leave us here!”
The three men exchanged glances. “You’re right. We can’t,” said one.
They stepped toward us.
So they aren’t heartless monsters after all, I thought. They weren’t going to leave us.
But what were they going to do?
The first man signaled the other two. They raised their hands to one side of the tank.
“One, two, three —” the first man called out.
On three, they pushed the tank over the side of the deck.
We were thrown together. Then our bodies slammed against the side of the tank as it dropped into the ocean.
Ocean water seeped into the tank.
“The tank — it’s sinking!” cried Dr. D.
We watched the kidnappers’ boat as it roared away. Our tank rocked in its wake. Then it started to sink.
“We’re going under!” Sheena screamed. “We’re going to drown!”
23
All three of us desperately pushed against the screen. I beat my fists against it. Dr. D tried to get his shoulder against it.
But the tank tilted in the water, and we were all tossed back.
The screen was made of heavy steel mesh and clamped onto the top of the tank. We couldn’t reach the clamps from inside, so we had to try to break through it.
We pushed with all our strength. It wouldn’t budge.
The tank slowly sank deeper below the surface of the dark, rolling water. The moon disappeared behind a blanket of clouds, leaving us in total darkness.
We had only a minute or two before the tank dropped completely below the surface.
Sheena started to cry. “I’m so afraid!” she shrieked. “I’m so afraid!”
Dr. D pounded his fists against the glass tank wall, trying to break through.
I ran my hands all along the top of the tank, looking for a weak spot in the screen.
Then I hit something.
A tiny latch.
“Look!” I cried, pointing to the latch.
I fumbled with it, trying to open it. “It’s stuck!”
“Let me try.” Dr. D tore at the latch with his fingers. “It’s jammed shut,” he said.
Sheena took a red barrette from her hair. “Maybe we can loosen it with this,” she said.
Dr. D took the barrette and scraped hard around the latch.
“It’s working!” he said.
Maybe there’s hope, I thought. Maybe we’ll get out of here!
Dr. D stopped scraping and tugged at the latch.
It moved!
It opened!
“We’re free!” cried Sheena.
We all pushed at the screen. We pushed again.
“Come on, kids, push harder,” urged Dr. D.
We pushed again. The screen didn’t move. The latch hadn’t opened it after all. Two other latches held the screen in place.
Two latches we couldn’t reach.
We all grew silent. The only sounds now were Sheena’s soft, frightened sobs and the steady wash of the waves.
The water had risen nearly to the top of the tank. Soon it would come rushing in on us.
Suddenly, the ocean darkened. The waters grew choppy, and the tank rocked a little faster.
“What’s that noise?” Sheena asked.
I listened.
Through the churning of the water, I heard a strange sound. It was very faint, as if coming from far away.
A shrill, high-pitched whistle.
“It sounds like a siren,” Dr. D murmured. “Lots of sirens.”
The eerie wails rose and fell over the water.
Louder. Closer.
The sound — as shrill as the screech of metal — surrounded us.
Suddenly, dark, shadowy forms swirled around the tank.
We pressed our faces to the glass.
“That sound. I’ve never heard anything like it. What can it be?” asked Dr. D.
“It — it’s coming from all around!” I stammered.
The dark water tossed, churned by the shadowy forms. I peered through the foam, straining to see.
Suddenly, out of the murky water, a face appeared. It pressed itself against the glass, right in front of my face!
I gasped and pulled back.
Then I saw more faces. We were surrounded by small, girlish faces. Their wide eyes peered in at us menacingly.
“Mermaids!” I shrieked.
“Dozens of them!” Dr. D murmured in hushed amazement.
They churned the water with their long tails.
Their hair, dark tangles in the black water, floated around their faces. The tank rocked harder and harder.
“What do they want?” cried Sheena, her voice shrill and trembling.
“They look angry,” Dr. D whispered.
I stared out at the mermaids, swirling around us like ghosts. They reached out their hands and began clutching at the tank. They smacked their tails on the water. The dark waters tossed and churned.
Suddenly, I knew. I knew what they wanted.
“Revenge,” I murmured. “They’ve come for revenge. We took their friend. And now they’re going to pay us back.”
24
Shadowy hands pressed against the glass.
“They’re pulling us under!” Dr. D cried.
I gasped in terror, staring out at the hands, black outlines against the glass.
Then, suddenly, the tank began to rise. Up out of the water, higher and higher.
“Huh? What’s happening?” asked Sheena.
“They — they’re pushing us back up!” I cried happily.
“The mermaids aren’t taking revenge — they’re saving us!” Dr. D exclaimed.
The tank brushed up against the Cassandra. I could see the mermaids’ tiny hands working above us.
The clamps popped open. The screen was pulled off.
With a happy groan, Dr. D boosted Sheena up. She scram
bled on board the boat.
Then I climbed aboard, and we both helped pull Dr. D out of the tank.
We were drenched, shivering from the cold. But we were safe.
The mermaids swarmed around the boat, their pale eyes peering up at us.
“Thank you,” Dr. D called down to them. “Thank you for saving our lives.”
I realized this was the second time a mermaid had saved my life. I owed them more than ever now.
“We’ve got to get the kidnapped mermaid back,” I said. “Who knows what Alexander and those creeps will do to her!”
“Yeah,” cried Sheena. “Look what they tried to do to us!”
“I wish we could rescue her,” Dr. D murmured, shaking his head. “But I don’t see how we can. How will we find the kidnappers’ boat in the dark? They’re long gone by now.”
But I knew there had to be a way. I leaned over the rail, peering down at the mermaids floating beside us, chattering and cooing in the moonlight.
“Help us!” I pleaded with them. “We want to find your friend. Please — can you take us to her?”
I held my breath and waited. Would the mermaids understand me? Would they be able to help us — somehow?
The mermaids chattered and whistled to one another. Then one of them — a dark-haired mermaid with an extra-long tail — moved to the head of the group.
She began whistling and clicking to the other mermaids. She seemed to be giving orders.
The three of us stared in amazement as the mermaids began to form a long line, one mermaid after the other, stretching far out to sea.
“Do you think they’re going to lead us to the kidnappers?” I asked.
“Maybe,” Dr. D replied thoughtfully. “But how will the mermaids find the boat?” He rubbed his chin. “I know. I’ll bet they’ll use their sonar. I wish I had time to really listen to those sounds they’re making —”
“Look, Dr. D!” Sheena interrupted. “The mermaids are swimming away!”
We watched the dark figures slide away through the rolling black waters.
“Quick!” I cried. “We’ve got to follow them.”
“Too dangerous,” Dr. D replied, sighing. “We can’t fight Alexander and four big masked men by ourselves!”
He paced back and forth on the narrow deck. “We should call the island police,” he said finally. “But what would we say? That we’re chasing after a kidnapped mermaid? No one would believe us.”
“Dr. D, we have to follow them. Please!” I pleaded. “The mermaids are swimming out of sight!”
He stared at me for a long moment. “Okay. Let’s get going,” he said finally.
I hurried to the stern to untie the dinghy. Dr. D dropped it into the water and jumped in. Sheena and I followed. Dr. D started the motor — and we raced after the shimmering line of mermaids.
The mermaids glided so quickly through the rolling waters, it was hard for the small boat to keep up with them.
About fifteen or twenty minutes later, we found ourselves in a small deserted cove. The moon drifted out of the clouds. It cast pale light on a dark boat anchored near the shore.
Dr. D cut the motor so the kidnappers wouldn’t hear us approaching.
“They must be asleep,” he whispered.
“How can Alexander sleep after what he did to us?” said Sheena. “He left us to drown!”
“Money can make people do terrible things,” Dr. D replied sadly. “But it’s good they think we’re dead. They won’t be expecting us.”
“But where’s the mermaid?” I whispered, staring at the dark boat, bobbing gently under the misty moonlight.
We drifted silently toward the darkened boat.
Well, we’ve found the kidnappers, I thought, holding on to the side of the dinghy as we drew near.
There’s just one problem.
What do we do next?
25
The air became very still. The kidnappers’ boat sat gently on the calm, glassy waters of the cove.
“What happened to all the mermaids?” Sheena whispered.
I shrugged. There was no sign of them. I imagined them swimming way down below the surface, hiding.
Suddenly, at the side of the kidnappers’ boat, I saw ripples in the water.
Slowly, silently, our dinghy glided toward the boat. I stared at the ripples, trying to see what was making them. Then I saw a flash of blond hair in the moonlight.
“The mermaid!” I whispered. “There she is!”
She was floating in the water, tied to the back of the kidnappers’ boat.
“They must not have a tank to keep her in,” Dr. D whispered excitedly. “Lucky for us.”
Suddenly, we saw other figures rippling the water. Mermaids arched up, circling the captured mermaid. I saw tail fins raised like giant fans. I saw hands reach around the mermaid, hands tugging at the rope that held her.
The waters tossed quietly as the figures worked.
“The mermaids are setting her free,” I whispered.
“What are we going to do?” Sheena asked.
“We’ll just make sure she gets away safely,” Dr. D replied. “Then we’ll slip away. The kidnappers will never know we were here.”
We watched the mermaids struggle with the rope as our dinghy washed up against the kidnappers’ boat.
“Come on, mermaids!” Sheena urged under her breath. “Hurry!”
“Maybe they need some help,” I said.
Dr. D began to steer toward the mermaids.
I gasped as a light flared on the kidnappers’ boat. A match set flame to a torch.
An angry voice boomed, “What do you think you’re doing?”
26
I ducked away as the flaming torch was thrust in my face.
Behind the torch, I could see the kidnapper glaring down at me. He had quickly pulled on his black mask. It covered only the top of his face.
I heard a clambering sound, cries of surprise. Alexander and the other three kidnappers appeared on the deck.
“How did you get here?” demanded the man with the torch. “Why aren’t you dead?”
“We’ve come for the mermaid,” Dr. D called up to him. “You can’t keep her here!”
The torch swung past my head. I stood up in the dinghy and took a swipe at it, trying to knock it into the water.
“Billy, no!” cried Dr. D.
The kidnapper pulled the torch away. I fell forward in the dinghy, toppling over on Sheena.
“Give us back the mermaid!” Dr. D demanded.
“Finders, keepers,” the kidnapper muttered. “You’ve made a long trip for nothing. And now look — your boat is on fire.”
He lowered the torch to the dinghy and set it aflame.
27
The flames flared up, bright orange and yellow against the blue-black sky. They spread quickly across the front of the dinghy.
Sheena uttered a terrified scream and tried to back away from the flames.
In a panic, she started to leap into the water — but Dr. D pulled her back. “Don’t leave the boat! You’ll drown!”
The fire crackled. The bright flames shot higher.
Dr. D grabbed a yellow life jacket from the bottom of the dinghy and started frantically beating out the fire.
“Billy — get a life jacket!” he yelled. “Sheena — find the bucket. Throw water on the flames — hurry!”
I found a life jacket and beat at the flames. Sheena dumped seawater on them as fast as she could.
Over the crackling flames, I heard Alexander shout, “Get the mermaid aboard. Let’s get out of here!”
“Dr. D!” I cried. “They’re getting away!”
Then I heard the kidnappers yelling. “The mermaid! Where’s the mermaid?”
I turned to the side of the boat. The mermaid was gone. Her friends had freed her.
One of the kidnappers reached down from his boat and grabbed me. “What did you do with the mermaid?” he demanded.
“Let him go!” shouted Dr. D
.
I tried to squirm away from the kidnapper. He held me tight. Then I saw another kidnapper swing a club at Dr. D’s head.
Dr. D dodged the club. The kidnapper tried to hit him in the stomach. Dr. D dodged again.
I kicked and squirmed. Sheena tugged at the kidnapper’s hands, trying to help me escape.
The third kidnapper picked her up by the wrists and threw her to the floor of the dinghy.
“Let go of the kids!” pleaded Dr. D. “Alexander! Help us!”
Alexander didn’t move from his spot on the deck. He stood with his brawny arms crossed in front of him, calmly watching the fight.
The flames had nearly been quenched, but they suddenly flared up again.
“Sheena — the fire!” I cried. “Put out the fire!”
She grabbed the bucket and poured seawater everywhere.
One of the kidnappers kicked the bucket from her hands. It landed in the water with a splash.
Sheena picked up a life jacket and beat the last of the flames out.
“Drop down into their boat and toss them in the water!” I heard a kidnapper shout up above.
A man started to lower himself into our dinghy. But suddenly he lurched forward, his arms flailing. He let out a cry of surprise as his boat began to rock violently to the left. It looked as if it had been slammed by a huge wave.
The kidnappers cried out as their boat began to rock back and forth. Slowly at first. Then violently. Gripping the sides of the dinghy, I watched them clinging to the rail, screaming in confusion and surprise.
Dr. D slowly stood up, trying to see what was happening.
The boat tossed violently, as if bucking tall waves.
The mermaids. I could see them now.
They had surrounded the kidnappers’ ship and were rocking it hard.
Hard. Harder. The kidnappers hung on helplessly.
“Mission accomplished!” Dr. D cried happily. He started up the motor and we roared off.
Turning back, I could see the boat tilting and rocking in the water. And I could see our mermaid swimming free, behind the other mermaids in the shimmering waves.
“She got away!” I cried. “She’s free!”
“I hope she’ll be all right,” said Sheena.
“We’ll look for her tomorrow,” said Dr. D as he steered us back to the sea lab. “We know where to find her now.”
