Dark Day in the Deep Sea

by Mary Pope Osborne

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  the Magic Tree House series:

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  For three years of my childhood, my family lived right on the ocean. Our windows were always covered with sea spray from the waves splashing on the rocks beneath the house. You might think I spent every summer playing in the water. But sadly, I was afraid of the ocean. I was convinced that sea creatures would grab me, sting me, swish against me, bite me, or drown me. (Sometimes having too much imagination can be a problem!)

  I did try very hard to overcome my fear. Many times I waded in cautiously—wearing my sneakers!—one step at a time. I wish I could tell you that one day I got up the courage and just dove in and was never afraid again. But alas, I never managed to get in past my knees.

  Only as a grown-up did I realize that the creatures of the sea were probably more afraid of me than I was of them. Since learning this, I have not been afraid—in fact, I’ve gone snorkeling in the waters of the Caribbean and have swum with dolphins off the coast of Mexico. My fear of ocean life has been replaced with great wonder and respect. I hope by the time you finish this book, you’ll feel the same.

  This is a work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical and public figures, are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Where real-life historical or public figures appear, the situations, incidents, and dialogues concerning those persons are fictional and are not intended to depict actual events or to change the fictional nature of the work. In all other respects, any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2008 by Mary Pope Osborne

  Illustrations copyright © 2008 by Sal Murdocca

  All rights reserved.

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

  Random House and colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. Magic Tree House is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.

  Visit us on the Web!

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  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at www.randomhouse.com/teachers

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Osborne, Mary Pope.

  Dark day in the deep sea / by Mary Pope Osborne; illustrated by Sal Murdocca. — 1st ed.

  p. cm. — (Magic tree house; #39)

  “A Merlin mission.”

  “A Stepping Stone book.”

  Audience: RL: 2.7

  Summary: When eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, join a group of nineteenth-century explorers aboard the H.M.S. Challenger, they learn about the ocean, solve the mystery of its fabled sea monster, and gain compassion for their fellow creatures.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-89461-9

  1. Oceanography—Fiction. 2. Challenger (Ship: 1872–1876)—Fiction.

  3. Compassion—Fiction. 4. Time travel—Fiction. 5. Magic—Fiction. 6. Tree houses—Fiction.

  7. Brothers and sisters—Fiction.]

  I. Murdocca, Sal, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.O81167Dar 2008 [Fic]—dc22 2007029717

  v3.0

  For Elyot and Beatrice Harmston

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dear Reader

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1. Back to the Sea

  2. Pirates Again?

  3. A Creature Named Henry

  4. Off the Ship!

  5. Ooze

  6. Pea Soup

  7. Help!

  8. Monster of the Deep

  9. Think! Think!

  10. The Heart of the Ocean

  11. Good-bye, Mates

  Author’s Notes

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Special Preview of Magic Tree House #40: Eve of the Emperor Penguin

  “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds

  one in its net of wonder forever.”

  —Jacques Cousteau

  One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. A brother and sister named Jack and Annie soon learned that the tree house was magic—it could take them to any time and any place in history. They also learned that the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay, a magical librarian from the legendary realm of Camelot.

  After Jack and Annie traveled on many adventures for Morgan, Merlin the magician began sending them on “Merlin Missions” in the tree house. With help from two young sorcerers named Teddy and Kathleen, Jack and Annie visited four mythical places and found valuable objects to help save Cam
elot.

  On their next four Merlin Missions, Jack and Annie once again traveled to real times and real places in history: Venice, Baghdad, Paris, and New York City. After proving to Merlin that they knew how to use magic wisely, he awarded them the Wand of Dianthus, a powerful magic wand that would help them make their own magic.

  On their last two adventures, Teddy and Kathleen told Jack and Annie that Merlin was very unhappy and not well and that Morgan wanted them to search for four secrets of happiness to share with Merlin.

  Now Jack and Annie are waiting for the tree house to return and take them on their third mission to help Merlin….

  Jack felt raindrops. He looked up and saw a summer storm cloud.

  “Hurry!” Jack called to Annie. They were riding their bikes home from the library. Jack’s backpack was filled with library books. He didn’t want them to get wet.

  As Jack and Annie pedaled faster, a large white bird swooped over them and flew into the Frog Creek woods.

  “Did you see that?” cried Jack.

  “A seagull!” called Annie. “It’s a sign!”

  “You’re right!” said Jack. The last time they’d seen a seagull in Frog Creek, the magic tree house was waiting for them!

  “The woods!” said Annie.

  Jack and Annie bumped their bikes over the curb. The rain fell harder as they headed into the wet woods. Their bike tires bounced over the rough ground, crushing leaves and snapping twigs.

  “It must be time to look for another secret of happiness for Merlin!” Jack called.

  “I hope Merlin’s feeling better!” shouted Annie.

  “I hope Teddy and Kathleen came with the tree house!” shouted Jack.

  “Me too!” shouted Annie.

  Jack and Annie steered their bikes under canopies of wet leaves. By the time they came to the tallest oak in the woods, the seagull had disappeared. But the magic tree house was back! It was high in the tallest oak, its rope ladder swaying in the wind and rain.

  Jack and Annie climbed off their bikes and propped them against the trunk of the tree.

  “Teddy! Kathleen!” Annie shouted.

  There was no answer.

  “I guess they didn’t come this time,” Jack said.

  “Darn!” said Annie. “I really wanted to see them.”

  “Boo!” Two older kids looked down out of the tree house window: a curly-haired boy with a big grin and a girl with sea-blue eyes and a beautiful smile. Both were wearing long green cloaks.

  “Yay!” cried Annie and Jack.

  The rain fell harder as they started up the rope ladder. When they climbed into the tree house, they yanked off their bike helmets and hugged Teddy and Kathleen.

  “Morgan sent us to tell you about your next mission for Merlin,” said Teddy.

  “How is Merlin?” asked Annie.

  Teddy stopped smiling. He shook his head.

  “Merlin still suffers from an unspoken sorrow,” Kathleen said sadly.

  “When can we see him?” asked Annie.

  “We’ve learned two secrets of happiness to share with him,” said Jack.

  “You may visit him after you have learned two more secrets,” said Kathleen. “Morgan believes four is the magic number that will ensure success.”

  “We have come to send you on your search for a third secret,” said Teddy.

  Kathleen took a book from under her cloak and handed it to Jack and Annie. “From Morgan’s hands to our hands to yours,” she said.

  Jack took the book from her. The cover showed waves crashing on a beach.

  “Wow,” said Jack. “We’re going to the ocean?”

  “Yes,” said Teddy. “That is where you will next search for a secret of happiness.”

  “The ocean always makes me happy,” said Annie. “Once Jack and I traveled to a coral reef and swam with dolphins. And we ran into an octopus. But he was nice and shy and—”

  “But the shark we saw wasn’t shy,” Jack broke in. “It was a big hammerhead.”

  “Oh, my,” said Kathleen.

  “We took a ride in a mini-sub,” said Annie. “It was so cool!”

  “Until it started to leak and—” said Jack.

  “We had to escape!” said Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Jack. “We tried not to splash—so the shark wouldn’t notice us.”

  “We had so much fun!” said Annie.

  Kathleen smiled. “Well, I hope you will not find the same ‘fun’ on this journey,” she said.

  “But in case you do, you have your wand to help you, do you not?” asked Teddy. “The Wand of Dianthus?”

  “Of course,” said Jack. “I always carry it, just in case.” Jack reached into his backpack and pulled out the silvery wand. It was shaped like the spiraled horn of a unicorn.

  “You remember the three rules?” asked Kathleen.

  “Sure,” said Jack. “To make magic, we use a wish with only five words.”

  “And before we use the wand, we have to try our hardest,” said Annie.

  “And the wand can only be used for the good of others,” said Jack, “not just ourselves.”

  “Exactly,” said Teddy.

  “I wonder who the ‘others’ will be on this mission,” said Annie. She looked at Teddy and Kathleen. “Maybe you guys?”

  “I fear not,” said Kathleen. “You must find the third secret on your own.”

  “Just remember to keep your wits about you,” said Teddy.

  “And listen to your hearts,” said Kathleen.

  “Okay,” said Annie. “We’ll tell you all about it when we see you again.”

  Lightning flashed through the woods as Jack pointed to the cover of the ocean book. “I wish we could go there!” he said.

  Thunder cracked in the dark sky. The wind blew harder.

  The tree house started to spin.

  It spun faster and faster.

  Then everything was still.

  Absolutely still.

  Jack opened his eyes. Teddy and Kathleen were gone. The warm air was filled with mist.

  Jack and Annie peered out the window together. The tree house had landed in a tall tree with spreading branches. The mist was so thick they couldn’t see anything around them. But Jack heard the caws of gulls and the swooshing of rolling waves. He smelled salt water and seaweed.

  “The ocean’s out there. Feel it?” said Annie.

  “I hear it and smell it,” said Jack.

  “Then let’s go play in it!” said Annie. She pulled off her sneakers and socks.

  “We can’t just play,” Jack said. “We have to look for a secret of happiness.”

  “Well, I’m happiest when I’m playing in the ocean!” Annie started down the rope ladder.

  I’m sure our mission’s harder than that, Jack thought. He took their library books out of his pack and replaced them with the deep-sea book.

  “Hurry!” said Annie.

  Jack put on his pack and started down after her. He stepped off the ladder onto the misty ground.

  “Come on!” said Annie.

  Jack followed Annie toward the sounds of seabirds and waves. They walked through feathery ferns and climbed a sloping sand dune. When they rounded the top, Jack saw waves rolling onto a wide, sandy beach. But the ocean itself was still shrouded in a gray haze.

  “Wow,” said Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Jack.

  “Come on, let’s go in,” Annie said.

  Jack and Annie hurried down the dune and ran toward the ocean. While Annie waded into the water, Jack stood at the edge and pulled out their research book. “Listen to this, Annie,” he called.

  Jack read loudly:

  Water covers three-quarters of our earth. Most of the ocean is an enormous plain a little more than two miles deep. But some ocean trenches are more than six miles deep.

  “More than six miles?” Annie asked, splashing the water with her hands. “It’s six miles from our house to Aunt Libby’s.”

  “I know,” said Jack. He read
more:

  The ocean is home to thousands and thousands of sea creatures. Mountains and volcanoes are also hidden deep beneath the surface of the sea.

  “Mountains and volcanoes?” asked Annie. “Under the water?”

  “That’s what the book says,” said Jack. “The ocean’s a whole world we don’t know anything about.”

  “Well, some people know about it,” said Annie. “Or that book couldn’t have been written.”

  Good point, thought Jack.

  “Put the book away and come in, Jack,” said Annie. “The sun’s coming out!”

  Jack looked up from his book. The sun was burning away the mist, making the day hotter.

  “Let’s go swimming!” said Annie.

  As Annie dove into a wave, Jack put his book back into his backpack. He left his pack on the beach, then he waded into the water.

  “Great, huh?” called Annie.

  “Yeah,” Jack said as he dug his toes into the soft, gooey sand. Cool seawater lapped around his calves. He felt the warm sunshine on his face.

  “Let’s swim farther out,” said Annie. “Maybe the secret of happiness is in the deep sea.”

  “How do we go down there without a submarine?” asked Jack.

  “The wand,” said Annie. “Maybe it will turn us into fish or something.”

  Jack closed his eyes and pictured the darkness of the deep filled with thousands of weird creatures. “But the wand can be used only after we’ve tried our hardest. I don’t think we’ve done that yet,” he said.

  “Oh, right,” said Annie. “Plus, it has to be for the good of others.”

  “So first we have to find some others,” Jack said, his eyes still closed.