Misty
to the
Rescue
The Mermaid S.O.S. series
Misty to the Rescue
Ellie and the Secret Potion
Sophie Makes a Splash
Holly Takes a Risk
Scarlett's New Friend
Lucy and the Magic Crystal
Misty
to the
Rescue
gillian shields
illustrated by helen turner
Text copyright © 2006 by Gillian Shields
Illustrations copyright 2006 by Helen Turner
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in Great Britain in 2006 by Bloomsbury Publishing Pic.
Published in the United States in 2008 by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
Distributed to the trade by Macmillan
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shields, Gillian.
Misty to the rescue / by Gillian Shields ; illustrations by Helen Turner.
— 1st U.S. ed.
p. cm. — (Mermaid S.O.S.)
Summary: Misty and five fellow mermaids, on a quest to retrieve six magic crystals that will protect the Coral Kingdom for the next year, face a storm sent by the evil Mantora and are driven off-course to the Kelp Forest, where they find a different kind of trouble.
eISBN: 978-1-59990-504-4
[1. Mermaids—Fiction. 2. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction.
3. Sea horses—Fiction. 4. Magic—Fiction. 5- Ecology—Fiction.]
I. Turner, Helen, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.S55478Mis 2008 [Fie]—dc22 2007030169
First U.S. Edition 2008
Printed in the U.S.A. by Quebecor World Fairfield
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
All papers used by Bloomsbury U.S.A. are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in well-managed forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
For Daniella
-G. S.
For Tom, who always puts
a smile on my face!
Love -H. J.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Mermaid Sisters of the Sea
Prologue
Meet Misty, Ellie, Sophie, Holly, Lucy, and Scarlett. They are Mermai Sisters of the Sea, who live in the magical underwater world ot Coral Kingdom. The Merf oik and their wise ruler, Queen Neptuna, look after the sea and all its creatures.
Coral Kingdom is protected by six powerful magic crystals, which give life and strength to the Merfoik. Without the crystals, Coral Kingdom would not survive.
Every year, the old crystals fade and have to be replaced. Queen Neptuna sends Misty and her friends—six special mermaids who are pure of heart—to collect the new ones from the secret Crystal Cave. But as they are bringing the crystals home, a storm blows the mermaids completely off course.
This is no ordinary storm! It is created by Mantora, Queen Neptuna's jealous sister. Mantora wanted to rule Coral Kingdom, and now she is bitter and full of hatred. She is determined to stop the mermaids from returning home, so that she can overthrow Queen Neptuna and set up her evil Storm Kingdom instead.
Luckily, the young mermaids have courage and friendship on their side. But that's not all; their S.O.S. Kits will help them as they race to get the crystals back safely. And they never forget their Mermaid Pledge:
We promise that we'll take good care Of all sea creatures everywhere. We'll never hurt and never break, We'll always give and never take. And as we fight Mantora's threat, This saying we must not forget: I'll help you and you'll help me, For we are Sisters of the Sea!'
Misty and her friends are eager to prove that Queen Neptuna was right to trust them with the precious crystals. They are going to do everything it takes to get them home and safeguard Coral Kingdom for another year.
Will Mantora win? Or can the mermaids get the new crystals back in time to stop the light fading forever from Coral Kingdom?
Misty
Chapter One
"We're here!" said Misty eagerly. "We're at the Crystal Cave at last."
Misty, Ellie, Sophie, Holly, Lucy, and Scarlett swam slowly into the secret underwater cave that was hidden away on the borders of Coral Kingdom. Misty and her friends had come to the Crystal Cave on a special mission. They were the brightest and bravest young mermaids in all of Queen Neptuna's kingdom, and she had taken them aside to give them a very important task.
"Every year the six crystals in my Throne fade and grow old," the Queen had told them. "When they fade, our magical Merfolk power fades too. In one week, these crystals that you see will be no more."
The Throne was beautiful. It was at the heart of Coral Kingdom, made of shining silver and inlaid with pearls. At the top of the Throne, six magic crystals glowed around the Queen's head like stars. But the mermaids had noticed that the crystals were starting to fade. They flickered red and yellow and blue, like candle flames ready to be blown out.
"We need six new crystals, full of young strength and life, just like you mermaids," Queen Neptuna had explained. "Take this key, and go to the Crystal Cave to find them. They will protect Coral Kingdom for another year. I trust you with this task, my brave young Sisters of the Sea!"
The friends had felt proud and excited as they set off. Misty guarded the golden key in the little pink pouch of her S.O.S. Kit, which was tied around her waist. They had to get the new crystals home as soon as possible. Misty and her friends were so honored that Queen Neptuna had chosen them especially for the task. They didn't want to let her down, or their families, or the rest of the Merfolk.
The young mermaids had swum for a whole day to reach the Crystal Cave. Misty had been singing happily along the way, but as she led the others into the underwater cavern, they all fell silent. They had arrived at last. Above the sea, the sun was beginning to set in a rosy cloud. Under the waves, the mermaids gazed in wonder at the cave's golden, glittering walls.
"Look!" said Misty. There was a small silver door set in the wall of the cave. Misty swam toward it, gently swishing her pink tail. Then she took Queen Neptuna's key from her pouch and fitted it into the keyhole, turning it slowly before opening the door.
"Oh!" gasped the mermaids, as they gathered together and watched in amazement.
Behind the door was a tiny chamber. It was no bigger than a cupboard and lined with mother-of-pearl. In the middle of the chamber were six dazzling crystals, set out in a gleaming row.
"I have never seen anything so beautiful," breathed Misty. The crystals shone brightly, glinting with a hundred colored sparks of light. They were glowing with magical power.
"Aren't they wonderful?" exclaimed Ellie. "And it has taken them a whole year to grow. We must look after them very carefully."
"Six crystals for the six Sisters of the Sea," murmured Lucy dreamily. "They really are magical."
"We'll choose one each," said Misty, as she turned to the others. "Then let's try to sleep. It's almost nighttime. We can head for home as soon as the sun rises."
"We must wake up early," said Holly in a businesslike voice. "It's very important to get the new crystals home before the old ones fade away at the end of the week."
"But it only took us a day to get here," said Scarlett. She was fixing her hair, peeping into a little mirror th
at she had taken from her sparkly red pouch. "We have six whole days to get back."
"I still think we shouldn't stay here too long," replied Misty firmly. "It's a big responsibility to be the Crystal Keepers on our journey home. And if we get back quickly, maybe the Queen will trust us with other tasks."
"You're right," agreed Ellie. "We shouldn't risk being late."
"And if the new crystals aren't set in Queen Neptuna's Throne before the old ones have faded, the power of the Merfolk will fade too. Then it will be impossible to protect the sea and our kingdom from harm," said Misty, in a serious voice.
"That would be awful," shuddered Lucy.
"Let's collect the crystals," said Sophie cheerfully. "You pick the first one, Misty."
But before she could, Scarlett pushed in.
"I want to be first," she said bossily.
"Honestly, Scarlett," said Sophie, "does it matter who goes first?"
Scarlett ignored Sophie and sulkily tossed her long dark hair over her shoulders. With a flick of her sparkling red tail and a swirl of pearly bubbles, she swam over to the six crystals. She quickly picked up the crystal that was nearest to her.
"Queen Neptuna said that the first crystal is to protect the fish and the sea creatures," Scarlett said. "I want to choose that one." Then she tucked it away in her crimson pouch. One by one, the other mermaids did the same. As they picked them up, the crystals felt full of power and energy. Their magic was very strong.
"I choose the second crystal to protect the whales and dolphins," said Sophie. She put it in her orange pouch, which matched her bright tail.
"I choose the third crystal to protect the seabirds," said Ellie, hiding it in her purple pouch.
"I choose the fourth crystal to protect the sea plants," said Holly. Away it went into her yellow pouch.
"I choose the fifth crystal to protect the Merfolk who care for them all," said Misty. She admired its sparkling colors before putting it away carefully.
There was only one crystal left.
"And I choose the sixth crystal to protect the humans who come to the sea," said Lucy softly.
"Who wants to protect the humans?" muttered Sophie. "Aren't they always causing trouble?"
"The humans are part of Mother Nature's world too, Sophie," Lucy said quietly. She gently placed the sixth crystal in her pale green pouch. As she did so, a rainbow of light poured out of the tiny chamber. As the mermaids left the little room, the door swung closed and was sealed by magic. Misty carefully put the golden key into her pink pouch, next to her crystal.
"There!" she said solemnly. "We are now the Crystal Keepers. It's up to us to get them home safely."
But just then, a terrible thing happened. The mermaids heard the sound of horrible, menacing laughter behind them at the entrance of the cave. A cruel voice called out, "Powers of the Dark Storm, arise now for me!"
"Oh, no," gasped Misty. "It's Mantora!"
The mermaids were suddenly thrown into a swirling whirlpool. It sucked them up out of the Crystal Cave and into the open sea.
"Be careful, everyone," Holly cried out. "Keep hold of your crystals!"
"And let's stay together," called Misty urgently. She tried to grab on to Ellie's and Lucy's hands. But it was too late! Misty was slipping away from her friends, as the whirlpool turned into a twisting storm. She heard Scarlett scream. Then Misty was lifted right out of the water and hurled through a dark and cloudy sky. The glowing sunset had been transformed into an angry blaze of red, burning like a fierce fire over the sea.
Misty seemed to be blown away for miles, far across the wide ocean, all through the black night. The force of the wind was too strong for her to fight against. Where was she going? And when would it end?
Chapter Two
At last, the unnatural storm died down. The clear morning sun began to light up the sky. The wind suddenly stopped, and Misty tumbled back into the sea with a splash. What a relief it was to be out of the howling storm! As Misty plunged deep under the waves, she wondered anxiously where she could be. But she was certain of one thing. She was sure that the evil mermaid Mantora had conjured up the storm with her dark magic.
Mantora was so jealous of her sister, Queen Neptuna, that she had vowed to overthrow Coral Kingdom and set up her own Storm Kingdom in its place. She wanted to rule the seas herself as a cruel queen, helped by her army of wicked jellyfish with their poisonous stings, and her hideous monsters from the deepest, darkest places of the ocean. Misty knew that Mantora would not want the mermaids to get the new crystals home safely. Perhaps this storm had been part of her selfish plan to delay them in their task?
Misty steadied herself in the water with her gleaming pink tail and looked around. A dim, early morning light made the water glow faintly. She saw that the storm had sent her to a very strange place, and she had no idea where the other mermaids were.
As Misty swam down deeper, she began to see tall, dark fronds of thick seaweed growing up like trees from the seabed.
"This doesn't look anything like Coral Kingdom," Misty whispered. She gazed at the peculiar plants all around her and sat on a rock to think. "This tall seaweed doesn't grow at home."
Misty couldn't help feeling frightened as she started to wonder where the others could be. But just then, she noticed she was sitting on something hard and sharp.
"Ouch!" she squealed. Something had pinched her. Misty flicked her tail out of the way and peered down. A huge, grumpy-looking king crab was glaring up at her.
"What do you think you're doing, sitting on me like that?" the crab shouted. He snapped his big claws at Misty angrily.
"Oh, er, I'm so sorry, er, Mr. Crab," she said quickly.
"Grab?" he said. He was a bit deaf. "My name's not Grab! It's Cato. And it's not nice to be woken by a mermaid landing on my shell."
"No, I can see that," said Misty. "I'm very sorry."
The old crab grumbled on, but Misty was too upset to listen. She had to find her friends and the way back home to Coral Kingdom as quickly as possible. Queen Neptuna would be waiting.
"And our parents will be anxious if we are late getting home," she thought. "I just hope we can get back before they are too worried. But I have no idea which direction is home! I wonder where I should look for the others? Perhaps this crab has seen them."
The grumpy old crab was still fussing about his shell. "There doesn't seem to be any damage done," he was saying, "but you must learn to look before you leap!"
"I didn't leap," said Misty indignantly. "I sat on you by accident."
"Humph! I'm going back to sleep," he replied. "Do not disturb!" He crawled under a big frond of seaweed and disappeared.
"Well, I don't think it will be any good asking him to help find my friends," thought Misty. "I'll just have to see what I can discover for myself."
She set off through the gently moving forest. It seemed very peaceful as Misty glided in and out of the tall strands of seaweed. Brightly colored starfish shone like little jewels. Sea snails crawled over the waving fronds. But there were no mermaids anywhere.
"I'll have to make the Mermaid Call," Misty said to herself.
The Mermaid Call was very unusual and very special. It was hard to get right, but all the Sisters of the Sea had to learn how to make it. And if any mermaid heard a Call, she had to answer right away.
Misty cupped her hands around her mouth and blew gently. A soft, echoing noise rippled through the water. She waited anxiously. Would any of her friends reply, she wondered, or was she alone in this strange place? Misty was beginning to get really worried when, at last, a sweet answering note floated back to her.
"That's Ellie's call!" she said. Misty darted quickly toward the pretty sound, then caught a glimpse of Ellie's long brown curls and silky purple tail behind a large seaweed frond. Ellie didn't notice Misty, because she was checking that her crystal was still safely in her pouch.
"Oh, Ellie, is it really you?" called Misty.
Ellie looked up joyfully.
> "Thank goodness you're here, Misty!" she cried. "I've been so scared! Let's try to find the others."
Soon, the water around them echoed with their beautiful calls. One by one, Holly, Lucy, and Sophie emerged from the strange seaweed and swam toward Misty and Ellie, looking confused but relieved. They all hugged one another and smiled thankfully. But then they had serious matters to talk about.
"What do you think made the terrible storm that blew us here, Misty?" asked Lucy, with big, wondering eyes.
"I'm sure it was Mantora," said Misty solemnly. "She must be trying to stop us from taking the crystals home to protect Coral Kingdom. You know how she hates Queen Neptuna and wants to take the kingdom from her."
"Yes," agreed Holly. "Mantora wants to ruin everything that Mother Nature made and that Queen Neptuna protects, because she is so jealous."
"Well, we're not going to let Mantora get away with this," said Misty, in a determined voice. "We're going to prove to everyone, including Mantora, that we can get these crystals home safely. If we stick together, we can come up with a plan. Let's swim up to the surface. Perhaps we'll be able to figure out where we are."
"Good idea," said Sophie. "Let's swim as fast as we can!"
"B-but we can't," said Lucy timidly.
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