Purrmaids #1

by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

  “That’s a great idea!” Angel said.

  Coral’s cheeks hurt from grinning. I’m so glad I was brave! she thought. She squeezed the coin in her paw and said, “Let’s get back to the South Canary Current. It’s time to go home!”

  The girls closed the lid of the chest and turned around to leave. Suddenly, the sunlight disappeared. “What happened to the sun?” Shelly asked.

  Coral looked up. There was nothing blocking the holes in the deck. “It must have gotten cloudy,” she answered.

  “It’s really dark now,” Angel said. “I can’t even see my tail!”

  Coral scanned the darkened water. She pointed to a brighter spot in the darkness. “I think that’s the hole we used to get down here. Let’s head that way and see if we can get out.”

  The purrmaids dodged corals and sea sponges as they swam slowly toward the light. But Coral realized they weren’t swimming toward sunlight. Sunlight wasn’t green, and this light definitely was. This was more of a glow than a ray of light.

  There were many harmless creatures in the ocean that glowed. Sea pens, krill, and lantern fish could all glow. Coral didn’t think this was any of those things. None of them had sharp, scary teeth. But this thing did!

  Coral hissed. “Quick! Hide!” She grabbed her friends’ paws and pulled them behind a barrel. When they were hidden, she carefully peeked out to get a better look at the glowing creature.

  The eerie green glow circled around the hold. It paused near the barrel. Now it was close enough for Coral to see its eyes.

  “It looks like a monster!” Shelly whis-pered.

  Coral bit her lip. “I think it’s a shark,” she said.

  “A shark!” Angel gasped. “I knew we should have just gone home!”

  Coral scowled. Angel was probably right. But they couldn’t change that now. They had to think of some way to escape.

  The trio huddled together. “The next time he moves away,” Coral said, “we should swim as fast as we can!”

  Shelly and Angel nodded. They watched the ghostly glow pass back and forth through the murky waters. Then it began to head toward the barrel. “What is he doing?” Angel gasped.

  Coral panicked. This is all my fault, she thought. We never should have come down to the hold.

  The shark paused at a giant sea fan. The glow from his skin cast creepy shadows on the ocean floor. That’s when Coral saw her chance.

  “Go, go, go!” she hissed.

  Angel and Shelly raced away. Coral didn’t follow them.

  She knew they couldn’t all outswim the shark. To make sure her friends were safe, Coral had to create a distraction.

  She knew what she had to do.

  Coral squared her shoulders. She popped up from behind the barrel and swam straight at the shark. When she got close, she tucked her head down and threw her tail back. Hopefully, the bubbles from her under-water flip would get the shark’s attention.

  It worked. He tilted his head toward her.

  Shelly and Angel had reached a hole in the hold’s wall. They just needed a little more time to get to safety. So Coral let go of her coin and waved her paws around while shouting, “Over here, Mr. Shark! Eat me if you want! But stay away from my friends!”

  The green-glowing shark swam slowly in Coral’s direction. She felt herself trembling. But she had to be strong. She forced herself to look directly at the shark.

  When they were eye to eye, though, Coral’s courage faded away. She gulped.

  The shark said, “Eat you? Why would I want to eat you?”

  “You’re—you’re not here to eat me?” Coral stammered.

  “Of course not!” the shark snapped.

  “But you’re a shark. That’s what you do.” Coral scratched her head. “Isn’t it?”

  “Catsharks always get a bad rap,” he grumbled. “Everyone in the ocean thinks we’re out to eat them!” He gestured at a stack of pale yellow pouches that hung from the sea fan. “I’m stuck here baby-sitting. These are my cousins. My mom and my aunt went to get a bite to eat.”

  Coral’s eyes grew wide. The shark saw that she was scared, so he shouted, “Worms! We eat worms! Or tiny fish! Or shrimp!”

  Coral exhaled with relief. “I didn’t know you weren’t a purrmaid-eating type of shark,” she admitted.

  “Well, you’re not the only one.” The shark sighed. “Why do you think we live inside a shipwreck? Nobody wants us around. Everyone says we’re too dangerous.” He swam back to the sea fan. “No one even bothers to get to know us.”

  Coral felt awful. She didn’t know anything about catsharks.

  She swam to his side. “I’m Coral,” she said. “I’m a purrmaid from Kittentail Cove.”

  “I’m Chomp,” he answered. “I’m from right here.”

  Coral giggled. “It’s nice to meet you, Chomp.”

  “What are you doing down here inside the shipwreck?” Chomp asked. “And the two purrmaids who swam away—were those your friends?”

  Coral nodded. “My best friends, actually. We were trying to find the South Canary Current. Then we saw the shipwreck, and we wanted to explore.”

  “It’s a pretty cool place to live,” Chomp said.

  “It really is!” Coral agreed. “But it’s time for us to get home.”

  “Come and visit again sometime,” Chomp said.

  “And you should come visit me, too!” Coral suggested. “All you have to do is ride the South Canary Current. It will bring you directly to the entrance of Kittentail Cove.”

  “I’ll remember that!” Chomp answered. He waved goodbye.

  By the time Coral swam out of the shipwreck, she was grinning from ear to ear. It had been an exciting day!

  Then Angel’s voice startled her. “Coral! You’re alive!”

  Shelly and Angel hurried over to their friend’s side. “We thought you were right behind us,” Shelly said. “When we got out and you weren’t here…we didn’t know what to do!”

  “We were so scared!” Angel added.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” Coral said. “I wanted to give you more time to get away. But I didn’t need to do that!”

  “What happened with the monster?” Shelly asked.

  “He isn’t a monster!” Coral explained. “He’s a catshark, and catsharks don’t eat purrmaids.”

  “What a relief!” Shelly said.

  “I think there’s been enough adventure today,” Angel purred. “Let’s get to the current so we can go home.”

  The purrmaids hurried up to the South Canary Current. It was as crowded as Angel’s mother had warned it would be. From time to time, they got bumped by turtles, fish, and even other purrmaids. The girls stayed close together and kept an eye on each other.

  When they took the exit to Kittentail Cove and swam through the gates of the town, Coral glanced up at the clock tower. “We made it!” she cried. “It isn’t dinnertime yet!”

  “That means we won’t get grounded,” Angel laughed, “and we found the coolest treasures to bring to school tomorrow!”

  Coral froze. Her gold coin! “Oh no!” she moaned. “I don’t have my treasure!”

  “What do you mean?” Shelly asked.

  “I must have dropped my coin at the shipwreck!” Coral said. “When I was trying to get Chomp’s attention, I started waving my paws around.” She looked down at her tail. “I think I let go of it then.”

  Angel and Shelly glanced at each other. “You can have my treasure,” Shelly offered.

  “Or mine,” Angel added.

  Coral shook her head. “It’s really nice of you to say that,” she said. “But I can’t take your stuff! That wouldn’t be fair.” She sighed. “It’s my fault I lost the coin. I’ll just bring in that shell from my collection.”

  Coral tried to cheer up as they swam home. But when they reached Leondra’s Square, she was still feeling down. Her friends each gave her a hug when they said goodbye, but even that didn’t help.

  “We’ll see you here tomorrow?�
� Angel asked.

  Coral nodded. “Of course.”

  “Smile, Coral,” Shelly said. “Things will be better tomorrow, I’m sure.”

  Coral tried to smile for Shelly. But in her heart, she was thinking, They couldn’t get any worse.

  Coral hardly slept that night. She tossed and turned on her oyster-shell bed for hours.

  She knew she was running behind because she was moving so slowly. But when she got to Leondra’s Square to meet up with Angel and Shelly, she realized how late she was. Not only was Shelly already waiting, but Angel was there, too!

  “Sorry I’m a little slow today,” Coral said.

  “Don’t worry!” Angel answered. Shelly and Angel exchanged a glance. They had huge grins on their faces.

  “Let’s get to school,” Shelly suggested. “We have our treasures now!”

  Coral bit her lip. It was nice to see Angel and Shelly so excited about the treasures they found in the shipwreck. It wasn’t their fault that Coral had lost hers. She forced herself to smile and swam alongside her friends.

  As the students arrived in Eel-Twelve, Ms. Harbor welcomed them. “I hope you all brought something to share,” she said. The students nodded. Ms. Harbor smiled. “I can’t wait to see your treasures and begin getting to know all of you.”

  “Can I go first?” Baker asked.

  “No, me!” Taylor shouted.

  “Everyone will get a turn, I purr-omise,” Ms. Harbor said.

  Ms. Harbor called up one purrmaid at a time to present a treasure. Coral did her best to pay attention, but she kept thinking about the gold coin. I can’t believe I lost it, she thought. It would have been so purr-fect for today!

  Coral didn’t notice it was Angel’s turn until Shelly tapped her shoulder. She looked up and saw that Angel was floating in the front of the classroom.

  “Shelly and I will present together,” Angel announced. She winked at Coral.

  Of course they’re presenting as a team, Coral thought. The spyglass and compass go together.

  Shelly tugged on Coral’s paw. “Come on, Coral,” she said.

  Coral shook her head. “I don’t have my coin,” she whispered. “My treasure doesn’t match yours!”

  “You’re wrong!” Shelly said. She dragged Coral to float next to Angel.

  “There are many things in the ocean that are special to Shelly and me,” Angel said. “But nothing is more special than family and friends.”

  “We’re both really lucky to have fin-tastic families,” Shelly continued. “But the treasure Angel and I want to share today is our best friend, Coral.”

  All eyes turned to Coral. She didn’t understand what was going on. Angel didn’t give her a chance to ask any questions. “Yesterday, we learned that the most special things in the world are the ones we hold close to our hearts,” Angel said.

  “Sometimes Coral can be extra careful,” Shelly continued, “and that can make some purrmaids think she’s a scaredy cat.”

  “But she’s not!” Angel said. “She’s actually one of the bravest purrmaids I know.”

  “She’s only cautious because she cares so much about her friends,” Shelly added. “Coral would do anything for us, and we would do anything for her.”

  “There is nothing closer to our hearts than our best friend,” Angel said.

  “What a wonderful presentation!” Ms. Harbor cried. “Well done, Shelly and Angel!”

  Coral could feel her face getting hot. “I treasure you two, as well,” she said, and the whole class cheered.

  Coral was very quiet as she swam out to recess. She was speechless after Shelly and Angel’s presentation. They had made her feel so loved and special. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have such good friends.

  Angel and Shelly weren’t sure why Coral was so quiet. “Did we do something wrong?” Shelly asked.

  “We were trying to be nice,” Angel added.

  “No, no, no!” Coral cried. She rushed forward to hug her friends. “That was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me!”

  Shelly and Angel beamed. But the mom-ent was interrupted when the girls heard their classmate Taylor scream, “A shark!”

  “He’s coming for us!” Baker shouted. “Swim for your lives!”

  Coral whipped around to see what was happening. That’s when she saw someone familiar.

  The other purrmaids cowered behind the rock benches in the schoolyard. Ms. Harbor swam toward the shark, ready to protect her students. Coral darted forward and put herself between the shark and Ms. Harbor. “Chomp!” she shouted. “What are you doing here?”

  Chomp grinned, and all of his teeth were on display. That caused a new chorus of screams from Coral’s classmates.

  “Get away, Coral! He’ll eat you!” Taylor yelled.

  Coral turned around and shook her head. “No, he won’t,” she replied. She motioned for the purrmaids to stop hiding. Angel and Shelly gulped, but they swam out from behind the benches. The rest of her classmates poked their heads out but didn’t come forward.

  Coral said, “Ms. Harbor, I’d like to introduce you to someone—my new friend, Chomp.”

  Ms. Harbor opened and closed her mouth like a fish. But she didn’t make a sound. Chomp gave her a toothy grin and extended his fin. Coral nodded at her teacher. Ms. Harbor finally put her paw out so they could shake.

  “Chomp is a catshark,” Coral continued, “and yesterday, I learned a lot.” She winked at Shelly and Angel. “My best friends helped me learn that I don’t have to be a scaredy cat about new things.” She smiled at Chomp. “And Chomp taught me that catsharks aren’t dangerous. They are just misunderstood.”

  “Really?” Baker asked.

  “Really,” Chomp answered. “I didn’t come to Kittentail Cove for lunch! I came to give this to Coral.” He held out a small package wrapped in seaweed.

  “What is that?” Ms. Harbor asked.

  Chomp grinned again. “Coral isn’t the only one who learned something,” he explained. “She taught me there are other good fish in the sea. You just have to be willing to give them a chance, and maybe you’ll make a new friend.”

  Coral unwrapped the package. Inside were three gold coins from the shipwreck!

  “After you left,” Chomp said, “I realized you dropped your coin. I wanted to bring it to you so you’d always remember me.” He giggled. “I brought some extras—for your two friends. And I added some hooks so you can attach them to your bracelets. That way you won’t lose them!”

  Once again, Coral was speechless.

  “How fin-tastic!” Ms. Harbor cheered. “Thank you both for teaching us about catsharks. And thank you for visiting, Chomp, and for introducing him, Coral. What a purr-fect thing to share with the class—a new friend!”

  The entire class cheered. Coral gave Chomp a big hug. The other purrmaids swam up to him and started asking questions. Coral pulled Angel and Shelly aside. She held out a gold coin to each of them.

  “But Chomp gave those to you!” Angel said.

  Coral shook her head. “He wanted us each to have a coin. We can put them on our bracelets to remind us to be brave.”

  “That is a paw-some plan!” Shelly cried.

  Coral put her gold coin on her bracelet. She smiled and purred, “I can’t wait for our next adventure!”

  Excerpt copyright © 2017 by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen.

  Interior illustrations © 2017 by Vivien Wu.

  Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  Normally, when Angel was that excited, it was hard for her to sit still and listen. But not while Ms. Harbor talked about all her favorite artists! When the bell rang, she was disappointed that the day was over!

  Right after school, the girls headed to Cove Council Hall. Shelly and Coral struggled to keep up with Angel.

  “Slow down, Angel!” Coral begged.

  “Why are you speeding?” Shelly panted.

  “Th
e tour!” Angel replied. “I want to be the first ones to see the museum after the grand makeover!”

  Everyone knew Angel loved being first. Winning, getting prizes, and being the best were all things that Angel tried hard to do. But getting to the museum today wasn’t just about winning. She thought they could get some good ideas about their homework from the museum.

  Angel practically dragged Mommy out of her office. But when the four of them reached the front door of the museum, it was locked! Mommy looked at her watch. “The tour doesn’t start for fifteen minutes,” she explained. “We will have to wait.”

  “Rats!” Angel grumbled. All she wanted to do was to go inside.

  “Let’s get in line,” Shelly suggested, “so we can be the first ones in.”

  “Great idea!” Angel agreed.

  The girls lined up right in front of the museum. Slowly, other purrmaids gathered around the door, too. But the tour couldn’t start without Mayor Rivers. “Where is the mayor?” Angel wondered, straining to see over the crowd of purrmaids.

  Finally, she spied him. “We’re going to be able to go in soon!” Angel squealed. She grabbed her friends’ paws and danced around with happiness.

  Mayor Rivers stopped near Mommy, and Angel’s heart sank. He always talked for so long! Now they would have to wait again.

  As she frowned at the talkative mayor, Angel didn’t notice anyone swimming past. But then Shelly yowled, “Hey! You can’t cut in front of us!”

  It was the Catfish Club!

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