Deep Trouble Read Online Free PDF Page A

was. Even in my wildest daydreams as William Deep, Jr., undersea explorer, I never thought I would see a real, live mermaid!
    As I snorkeled toward the lagoon, I tried to imagine what she would look
like.
    Mr. Showalter had said she looked like a young girl with long, blond hair and
a green fish tail.
    Weird, I thought.
    Half-human, half-fish.
    I tried to imagine my own legs replaced by a fish tail.
    I’d be the greatest swimmer on Earth if I had a fish tail, I thought. I could
win the Olympics without even practicing.
    I wonder if she’s pretty? I thought. And I wonder if she can talk! I hope she
can. She can tell me all kinds of secrets of the oceans.
    I wonder how she breathes underwater?
    I wonder if she thinks like a human or like a fish?
    So many questions.
    This is going to be the greatest adventure of my life, I thought. After I’m
famous, I’ll write a book about my undersea adventures. I’ll call it Courage
of the Deep, by William Deep, Jr. Maybe someone will even turn it into a
movie.
    I raised my head and saw that I was nearing the reef. I concentrated on
keeping away from it. I didn’t want to touch that fire coral again.
    I couldn’t wait to explore the lagoon. I was so excited, I forgot all about the terrifying dream I had had the night before.
    I kicked my legs carefully, watching out for red coral.
    I was nearly past the reef when I felt something brush my leg.
    “Oh!” I cried out and swallowed a mouthful of salty water.
    Sputtering and choking, I felt something wrap around my ankle.
    As it grabbed at me, it scratched my ankle.
    This time I knew for sure it wasn’t seaweed.
    Seaweed doesn’t have claws!

 
 
10
     
     
    Ignoring the panic that nearly froze me, I kicked and thrashed with all my
strength.
    “Stop it! Stop kicking me!” a voice screamed.
    The mermaid?
    “Hey—!” I cried out angrily as Sheena’s head appeared beside me.
    She pulled up her snorkeling mask. “I didn’t scratch you that hard!”
she snapped. “You don’t have to go crazy!”
    “What are you doing here?” I cried.
    “What are you doing here?” she demanded nastily. “You know Dr. D. told
us not to swim here.”
    “Then you shouldn’t be here— should you?” I shouted.
    “I knew you were up to something, so I followed you,” Sheena replied,
adjusting her mask.
    “I’m not up to anything,” I lied. “I’m just snorkeling.”
    “Sure, Billy. You’re just snorkeling at six-thirty in the morning exactly
where you’re not supposed to— and where you burned your foot on that fire coral yesterday.
You’re either up to something, or you’re totally crazy!” She squinted at me,
waiting for a response.
    What a choice! I was either up to something, or crazy. Which should I admit
to?
    If I admitted I was up to something, I’d have to tell her about the mermaid—and I couldn’t do that.
    “Okay,” I said with a casual shrug. “I guess I’m crazy.”
    “Well, big news,” she muttered sarcastically. “Come on back to the boat,
Billy,” said Sheena. “Dr. D. will be looking for us.”
    “You go back. I’ll be there in a little while.”
    “Billy,” said Sheena. “Dr. D. is going to be very mad. He’s probably ready to
hop in the dinghy and search for us right now.”
    I was about to give up and go with her. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I
saw a big splash on the other side of the reef.
    The mermaid! I thought. That’s got to be her! If I don’t go look for her now,
I might miss her!
    I turned away from Sheena and started swimming very fast, straight for the
reef.
    I could hear Sheena screaming, “Billy! Come back! Billy!”
    I thought I heard an extra note of panic in her voice, but I ignored it. Just
Sheena trying to scare me again, I thought.
    “Billy!” she screamed again. “Billy!” I kept on swimming. No way I
was going to stop now. But as it turned out, I should have listened to her.

 
 
11
     
     
    Swimming fast, I raised my head, searching for a good place