“Emely blabbed, didn’t she?” I said, frowning at her and hoping she hadn’t told him I’d lost the bottle, too.
“I did not!” said Emely.
“She didn’t have to say a thing,” replied Pops. “I’ve seen them before.”
“What? You’ve seen FISH POWERS before?” I asked. Now I really was confused.
“You’re not the only one who has them,” said Pops, winking.
“Huh? Who else could possibly have fish powers?” I asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” said Pops. I pressed my hands against my head.
The answer hit me like a flying fish. “NAN?” I asked.
“Yep,” said Pops.
“No,” said Emely. “Bodhi got the powers from my jellyfish and sea cucumber smoothie. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Nope, he’s always had them,” said Pops. “He just never knew it.”
“Now that’s an unexpected twist,” I said. All this information was making my head hurt. Perhaps I did always have them, I thought, it just took meeting a few super sea creatures to realise it.
We continued our search.
Meoooow!
Sea Biscuit suddenly sprang towards the bow.
“What’s gotten into her?” asked Pops, slowing down.
“There!” called Emely, pointing to something in the water ahead. I ran to the front of the boat.
“Just a couple of dugongs,” said Emely.
“They could be the two Nan was with,” I said. “Keep looking.”
Pops motored the boat slowly towards the dugongs. I searched the water for a white glow, but couldn’t see any sign of Nan.
We were about three boat lengths away when the dugongs ducked below the surface and swam off.
“They’re not going to let us any closer,” said Pops. “Might be time to turn back now.”
“Just a few more minutes,” I begged.
We continued slowly in the same direction. Sea Biscuit meowed, and we spotted the two dugongs again. A smaller white shape appeared between them.
“THERE! It’s her!” I said. “It’s Nan, see?”
“STREWTH!” said Pops as he cut the boat’s engine. “Betty, Betty!” he screamed before diving into the water fully clothed.
The dugongs quickly disappeared, but Nan stayed at the surface for a moment.
“Betty, it’s me!” called Pops, swimming frantically.
“She doesn’t seem to recognise him,” said Emely.
“Betty! I’m coming to get you,” said Pops, right before Nan took off, kicking both feet together like a mermaid’s tail.
“She thinks she’s a dugong!” said Emely.
“Get in here Fish Kid,” said Pops, struggling back to the boat.
I grabbed my mask and snorkel.
“Take the bottle too, it might help wake her up,” Pops said.
I hesitated. I couldn’t bear to tell Pops I’d lost it.
“I don’t have it here,” I replied, before jumping in.
My body still ached and I couldn’t see Nan or the dugongs. Suddenly, something big shot out in front of me. It was Freckles! I followed my trusty sidekick who led me straight to the dugongs.
They were munching on a patch of sea grass. I snuck closer, kicking both feet together the way Nan had, then waited and watched. Just like the dugongs, Nan bit off a mouthful of sea grass, chewed it and swallowed it. Then she looked directly at me, as if she expected me to do the same. I tried to munch some grass, but it tasted disgusting, so I swallowed it down quickly. The scratchy grass and salt water tore at my throat.
Nan came closer, staring at me as I tried not to choke. I looked into her eyes, waiting to see what she’d do next. As the fish powers radiated through me, I suddenly felt pulses of Nan’s energy too. I didn’t dare move. Nan’s vacant eyes began to widen, then brighten. Something was happening to her. She blinked and shook her head, then kicked straight up to the surface. I followed.
“B- B- Bodhi?” said Nan in a cracked voice. “Is that you?”
Nan was alive, and I was the one who had saved her. Pops rushed her to hospital as soon as we got back to shore. A stream of nurses, doctors and a policeman had been in to see her, and now, finally, it was my turn.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
There were all sorts of machines in the room. Nan was hooked up to one of them by a long cord pegged to the end of her finger.
“The doctor thinks I had amnesia,” said Nan. “Most likely from a bump on the head.”
“What’s amnesia?” I asked.
“It’s when you forget who you are,” said Nan.
“Is that why you thought you were a dugong all this time?”
“Shhh,” Nan replied. “I didn’t tell the doctor that bit, just that I didn’t know who I was or where I’d been.”
“How did you bump your head?” I asked.
“I can’t remember!” said Nan and we both giggled.
I still couldn’t believe Nan was back. I’d missed her so much. She always made everything fun.
“Nan, did I get my fish powers from you?” I asked.
“Well, yes,” whispered Nan. “And your great grandpa had them too. They seem to run in our family.”
“Why didn’t Dad get any?” I asked. “And why didn’t you tell him about yours?”
“You must have so many questions, Bodhi,” said Nan, squeezing my hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time to chat. There are so many amazing things about your powers,” said Nan with a wink.
“I’m so sorry I lost your special bottle,” I said.
“Oh, never mind that,” said Nan. “I’ve lost it a few times myself.”
“You have?”
“Oh yes,” Nan replied. “Don’t worry, I know exactly who’ll have it. What do you say – shall we go and get it back?”
Nan stood up and pulled the cord off her finger. An alarm sounded on the machine, so she yanked the plug from the wall.
“Surely you’re not supposed to be leaving yet?” asked Pops, walking into the room.
“Oh nonsense. I’ve never felt better,” she said, putting on her slippers. “Best to go before anyone starts asking too many fishy questions.”
Nan picked up her half-eaten egg sandwich and dumped it in the bin. “Besides, the food in here isn’t much better than sea grass.”
Nan, Pops, Emely and I stood at the top of the sand dune.
“See that light out there on the ocean?” said Nan.
“Is it a ship?” asked Emely.
“Nope. It’s an oil rig,” said Nan. “They want to bring in a bunch of pipes and build a factory, which could be a recipe for disaster. There’s always something threatening the reef and it’s our job to protect it.”
This made me wonder what I was supposed to do with my fish powers.
“I don’t know what to do about factories and oil rigs.”
“Not yet,” said Nan. “Some day you just might.”
“Don’t worry, Fish Kid,” smirked Pops. “You’ll find your ‘porpoise’.”
I rolled my eyes, but it was great to hear Pops cracking jokes again.
Nan began to make her way down the dune.
“Now, let’s go get my bottle,” she said.
At the water’s edge, Nan pointed to an octopus in a shallow rock pool. It was well camouflaged, with blotchy green and purple colourings. I was sure it had to be the same occie that had attacked me.
One of its arms was curled around a dark coloured object.
“There it is,” said Nan, encouraging me towards it.
I used my thong to try and flick the bottle free, but the octopus seemed to have a good grip on it. Suddenly, the creature squirted a stream of stinky goo all over me, then vanished in a cloud of black ink. The disgusting gluey stuff was all through my hair and oozing down my nose. It stank!
Everyone thought it was funny, except me. I’d never heard Pops laugh so loud.
“Look,” said Nan, pointing. I wiped the slime from my eyes to
see the bottle and the cork lying separately next to each other. I reached down to pick them up.
“Well I’ll be,” said Pops. “The octopus has uncorked the bottle!”
“What’s inside it?” asked Emely.
“I don’t know,” said Nan. “Great Grandpa told me it was an ancient relic. Tip it out, let’s see.”
I tapped the bottle against my palm and a sandy, pebble-shaped object slipped out. I washed it in the water, revealing a smooth, shiny, white surface. When I flipped it over, the thing stared right back at me.
“Eeeew! It’s an eyeball!” I squealed, throwing it up in the air.
Nan laughed as she caught it.
“Well, it certainly is an ancient relic – I believe it’s your Great Grandpa’s prosthetic eye!”
“I thought it was real!” I said, snatching it back. “Cool!”
“Why would he leave you his fake eye?” asked Emely.
“He had a wicked sense of humour,” said Nan with a chuckle. “He often tricked me with it. He once hid it in my porridge!”
“Eeeeuw!” moaned Emely and I together.
“He did always like to keep a close eye on you,” joked Pops, and everyone laughed.
Sea Biscuit appeared on the beach.She sniffed around me, then jumped onto my shoulder and began licking my inky hair.
“Must be dinner time,” said Pops, “And you need a shower!”
There was just enough moonlight to find the beach track home.
“Who would like pancakes for dinner?” asked Nan.
“Me!” said Emely and I, jinxing each other.
“You mean for dessert, right?” asked Pops.
“No, I mean for dinner,” replied Nan.
“But no Vegemite,” added Emely.
“How about blueberries and ice cream on top?” said Nan.
“Yes please!” I said, hugging Nan tight. “It’s so good to have you back.”
THE END
Kylie Howarth is an award-winning author and illustrator from Western Australia. She is also part fish!
Kylie has swum with whale sharks, manta rays, humpback whales, piranha, pink dolphins, lionfish, marine iguanas, hammerhead and great white sharks.
She not only draws inspiration from her underwater travels, but also from her own two fish-kids who are ocean explorers too.
www.kyliehowarth.com
First published in 2020
by Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd
Locked Bag 22, Newtown
NSW 2042 Australia
www.walkerbooks.com.au
The moral rights of the author/illustrator have been asserted.
Text and illustrations © 2020 Kylie Howarth
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The illustrations for this book were created with pencil, ink and Procreate
Fish Kid and the Mega Manta Ray Page 4
