Deep Trouble by R. L. Stine

Author:R. L. Stine
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Children's Books
ISBN: 9780545035194
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: 1994-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

15

“Billy—I don’t believe it!”

I gazed up through the holes in the net and recognized Dr. D. and Sheena. They struggled to pull us aboard the dinghy.

Sheena stared down at me and the mermaid in amazement. Dr. D.’s eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open.

“You’ve found her, Billy!” he said. “You’ve actually found the mermaid!”

“Just get me out of this net!” I cried. Somehow, I didn’t feel so great about capturing the mermaid anymore.

“The zoo people were right,” Dr. D. muttered to himself. “It’s unbelievable. It’s astounding. It’s historic….”

We landed in a heap on the floor of the dinghy. The mermaid squirmed beside me in the net, making sharp, angry clicking noises.

Dr. D. watched her closely. He touched her tail.

The mermaid flapped it hard against the bottom of the boat.

“Is there any way this could be a hoax?” he wondered aloud.

“Billy—is this one of your dumb tricks?” Sheena demanded suspiciously.

“It’s not a trick,” I said. “Now will you get me out of this net? The ropes are digging into my skin.”

They ignored me.

Sheena gently reached one finger through the net and touched the scales on the mermaid’s tail. “I can’t believe it,” she murmured. “She’s really real!”

“Of course she’s real!” I cried. “We’re both real, and we’re both very uncomfortable!”

“Well, it’s hard to believe anything you say,” Sheena snapped. “After all, you’ve been talking about sea monsters ever since we got here.”

“I did see a sea monster!” I cried.

“Quiet, kids,” said Dr. D. “Let’s get our discovery back to the sea lab.”

He started the dinghy’s motor and we roared back to the big boat.

Alexander stood on deck, waiting for us. “It’s really true!” he cried excitedly. “It’s really a mermaid!”

Sheena tied the dinghy to the side of the Cassandra while Dr. D. and Alexander hoisted me and the mermaid aboard.

Dr. D. opened the net and helped me out. The mermaid flopped her tail and got herself even more tangled in the net.

Alexander shook my hand. “I’m proud of you, Billy. How did you do it? This is amazing.” He gave me a vigorous pat on the back. “Do you realize this is the greatest ocean find of the century? Maybe of all time?”

“Thanks,” I said. “But I didn’t do anything. I didn’t find her—she found me.”

The mermaid flopped violently on deck. Her squeals became higher-pitched, more frantic.

Alexander’s face fell. “We’ve got to do something for her,” he said urgently.

“Dr. D., you’ve got to let her go,” I said. “She needs to be in the water.”

“I’ll fill the big tank with seawater, Dr. D.,” said Alexander. He hurried off to fill the tank.

“We can’t let her go just yet, Billy,” said Dr. D. “Not without examining her first.” His eyes were shining with excitement. But he saw how upset I was. “We won’t hurt her, Billy. She’ll be all right.”

His eyes dropped to my leg, and he frowned. He kneeled down to look at it.

“You’re bleeding, Billy,” he said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “But the mermaid isn’t.”

He ignored me.

“How did this happen?” asked Dr.

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