Mermaid Curse by Louise Cooper

Author:Louise Cooper
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141909646
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2008-09-10T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Neither Lizzy nor Kes had much to say as they climbed back down the rocks and walked along the tideline. Lizzy stared down at the wavelets foaming around her ankles. She felt an awful sense of anticlimax. She had been so excited about meeting Morvyr, and now she would have to wait at least another day. Even if there was a good reason, it was still an enormous disappointment.

Kes’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she looked up. ‘Sorry, what did you say?’

‘You were fathoms away!’ He smiled sympathetically. ‘I know what you were thinking, and I’m disappointed too. So I said, why don’t we swim for a while?’

‘You mean, under the water?’

‘Yes.’ Kes’s smile turned into a grin. ‘You could do with the practice, I expect.’ Then before she could dodge, he kicked up water with one foot and splashed her.

‘Hey!’ Lizzy’s dismal mood vanished and she splashed him back, using her hands as well for good measure. A water-battle began then, and within seconds they were both soaked and laughing. Finally Lizzy lost her footing and sat down in the shallows. A wave surged in her face and she spluttered, and Kes reached down to haul her to her feet.

‘That’s better!’ he said. ‘You look much more cheerful. Come on, we’ll slip away while the lifeguards aren’t looking.’

Quietly, seen by no one, they moved into deeper water and dived. For the first few moments Lizzy was afraid to try to breathe, but she plucked up her courage and it all happened as naturally as before. She found, too, that her wetsuit made swimming much easier. In fact she could almost imagine that she was a dolphin, sleek and swift in the water.

Kes looked over his shoulder at her and called, ‘Let’s play follow my leader! Bet you can’t do everything I do!’

‘Bet I can!’ Lizzy called back indignantly.

He grinned. ‘We’ll see!’ And he was off, leading her in a fast and complicated chase. He was very acrobatic, twisting and turning in the water. Lizzy did her best to copy him, and to her own surprise she was able to perform many of the moves he made.

‘Not bad!’ said Kes when at last the game ended.

Lizzy looked smug. ‘Do I win the bet, then?’

‘Well… nearly. But not quite. There’s something I haven’t shown you yet, and I bet you anything you can’t do it. Want to see?’

‘Yes!’ said Lizzy determinedly.

‘Right. Then watch this.’

He launched himself away and started to swim round her in a wide circle. Lizzy was puzzled, for he didn’t seem to be doing anything special. But then she realized that his shape was beginning to change… Amazed, she watched as his legs merged together. Shining scales appeared on them, his feet elongated and became fins… and suddenly the transformation was complete, and in place of Kes’s human limbs was a fishlike tail. He was no longer an ordinary human – he was a merboy!

‘Well?’ He swam back to her and gave his tail a flick that made him spin right round.

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