Sumi's Book

by Jan Bozarth

  Staying braced in the beast’s mouth was tiring. I knew I couldn’t do it for long. I had to escape soon or I’d end up as lunch.

  Growing too big to fit in the fish’s mouth might work, except the fish would probably explode. Being covered in blown-up fish innards was grosser than soaking in mushwort but better than death. I filed the idea away as an option of last resort.

  I considered turning my tentacle suckers into spines. If I jabbed the fish, it might want to get rid of me. To save energy, I tried one spine to test my theory. The inside of the fish’s mouth was so hard, the spine broke off.

  I had the awful feeling that I had just broken a nail. I’d find out when I turned back into a girl, if I ever did.

  A horrific image of bubbling bile flashed before me. The thought of being slowly digested was so awful, I shuddered. The spasm caused me to squirt out a puff of black mist.

  Of course!

  I remembered reading that octopuses shoot out an inky black cloud to distract predators so they can flee. I just hoped the stuff tasted bad.

  I thought about being digested again. My fear was so strong, I spewed enough inky black liquid to completely fill the fish’s mouth.

  It spat me out!

  I quickly kicked my eight legs and swam away from my captor. When I was safely behind a pile of rocks, I changed into a dull green fish. I probably didn’t look exactly like Kano, but my new form was close.

  There were just two huge problems, I realized as the cloud of ink trailing behind me dissipated: I didn’t see Kano, and I was no longer in the expansive field of green seaweed. I was in a deep underwater canyon.

  Sheer cliffs towered above me, and there were rocks and boulders everywhere. The water was dark and much colder, and I saw no signs of life. While I had struggled inside it, the big fish had carried me really far off course.

  “Kano,” I whispered into the deep. I was still too terrified to bring attention to myself. After a few minutes of whispering Kano’s name, I finally got up the courage to shout, “Kano! Where are you?”

  “Coming!”

  My tiny fish heart fluttered at the sound of Kano’s voice. I peered through the gray water, expecting to see a green fish. Instead, I saw an even larger fish than the one I had just escaped. And it was swimming right for me.

  8

  Rocky Road and House Hunters

  I was tired after the battle with the other big fish, but I had come too far to give up without a fight. The only reasonable course of action was to become something the fish couldn’t eat.

  I turned into a clam with a superhard shell.

  “Wow!” the fish exclaimed. “That was a fantastic shift, Sumi.”

  Kano?

  “You can change back into a fish now,” Kano said. “The coast is clear.”

  When I transformed, the huge fish was hovering before me. I finally noticed Kano’s liquid green eyes staring out at me. “Kano?”

  “It’s me!” Kano laughed.

  Furious, I whipped my little green fish tail back and forth. “You scared me to death!”

  “Sorry,” Kano said as he changed back into his smaller fish form. “I had to transform into something big to keep up with the fish that caught you. He was really moving.”

  “I’m glad it’s you,” I said. “I’ve been almost eaten enough for one day.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay.” Kano sounded sincere. “I was worried. If I had lost you …” His voice trailed off, and I hurried to smooth over the awkward moment.

  “It’ll take more than a big fish for you to get rid of me,” I said with a laugh. Despite the fact that we didn’t see eye to eye on most things, I was starting to like the shape-shifter. I couldn’t be sure if he felt the same about me, but I hoped so.

  “Apparently,” Kano said.

  “So, on to the next shard. Which way to Bristolmeir?” I asked.

  Kano turned in a slow circle, then paused. “I don’t know.”

  “We’re lost?” I was aghast. “What happened to your compass?”

  “It’s not working,” Kano said.

  I almost asked why not, but Kano probably didn’t know, and getting mad wouldn’t help. It wasn’t his fault something had gone wrong with the potion.

  “Maybe these cliffs are blocking the essence of Bristolmeir,” Kano said.

  “Should we go back?” I asked.

  “No,” Kano said. “We should follow the canyon floor.”

  “What if the canyon is just a dead-end trench?” I asked. The rocky ground sloped downward as far as I could see.

  “Then we’ll know that it wasn’t the right way to go, which will help us find the actual right way,” Kano explained. “Besides, there aren’t any dead ends—we’re shape-shifters. We can always turn into something that’s equipped to keep going.”

  “Good point. Lead the way.” As I spoke, I heard a rumbling that sounded like a distant freight train. “What’s that noise?”

  “Change now!” Kano transformed into what looked like a barracuda and sped off.

  I copied Kano without a second thought. Rocks began to fall as I dashed after him.

  Boulders crashed against the canyon walls, slammed into each other, and smashed on the ground. Pebbles and dirt exploded into the water. I swam with a terrified speed. A large stone nicked my tail as I followed Kano’s zigzagging course through a maze of boulders, stone arches, and rock piles.

  Schools of fish and other creatures I hadn’t noticed before fled the rock slide with us. Reddish-brown eels, sea snakes, and small sharks swam together. For the moment, the only enemy was the falling rock.

  “Over here!” Kano called out as he ducked into a crevice in the cliff. I followed him into the crack.

  It rained rocks for several minutes, and every time the cliff shuddered I was sure we’d be buried alive. I was consoled knowing that Kano and I could change into any shape necessary to save ourselves, but I felt sorry for the canyon creatures that couldn’t.

  When the thunderous sound of the rock slide stopped, Kano motioned that we should wait. For another long minute, we listened to isolated impacts as straggling boulders hit the ground. Then he waited another minute to make certain it was safe.

  The canyon looked very different when we emerged. It was wider, and the ground behind and ahead of us was covered with boulders and rock piles.

  “Are we barracuda?” I asked.

  “Close. We’re spiny darts. We look a lot like barracuda, but we have patches of barbed bristles. Your spines will eject if you’re attacked,” Kano said.

  “Like a porcupine!” I thought Kano had made a wise choice, and I relaxed as we swam away from the falling-rock zone. I assumed we were safe now. But as we traveled deeper, something else became obvious. We were puny compared to the creatures that inhabited the depths of the dark canyon. Everything else was supersized.

  Clams were as big as houses. The smallest fish could swallow a car, and the seaweed looked like giant trees.

  “How soon before we get out of here?” I whispered, hoping nothing could hear me.

  “Scared?” Kano teased.

  “Yes!” I hissed.

  “Good. Me too,” Kano whispered back. “Maybe you’ll be more careful. I’m getting used to having you around.”

  I was so surprised, I couldn’t think of anything to say. It sounded like Kano was starting to like me back! I smiled and swam a bit closer to him. It was nice to know that he was nervous, too. The threat of being eaten was like a common bond that drew us closer together and made our differences less important. The rest of the mission might be more fun because of it.

  If we get out of this canyon, I thought.

  A crunching noise made me turn to scan the water behind us. At first, I didn’t see anything moving through the forest of brown sea ferns and dead tree trunks that had collected on the canyon floor over time. Then an army of silvery black lobsters with three claws stampeded by.

  “What are they doing?” I asked Kano.

  “
Running!” Kano exclaimed with a burst of speed.

  I ventured another glance back as we passed the lobsters.

  A monstrous bulldozer of a fish charged toward us, scooping up everything edible in its path. With long, wiggling whiskers; black and green mottled skin; and a wide mouth with several rows of teeth, it was the ugliest and most terrifying creature I had seen so far, including Argo and the fish that had tried to eat me! The bulldozer fish wouldn’t try to swallow me whole. It would pulverize me first. The fish was so much bigger and faster than a spiny dart—we couldn’t outrun it.

  “Go up!” Kano swam upward as fast as he could.

  I followed, but I hadn’t saved enough energy. I’d shifted too many times.

  I used up my reserve just as the massive bottom-feeder caught up to us. It was useless. I gave one last surge of energy—completely desperate now—and screamed as I felt something brush against my belly.

  It was the bulldozer fish’s dorsal fin. I had made it far enough up for the fish to pass beneath me. It didn’t stop—I was way too small to distract it from the smorgasbord of goodies on the canyon floor.

  Kano slowly descended. “What happened?”

  “I ran out of gas,” I said. “We haven’t stopped moving since we left the first cave. I need to rest.”

  “We should eat, too,” Kano said, “but not here. Can you keep going for a while longer?”

  “Yes.” I was exhausted and scared, but Sumi Hara doesn’t give up. I would do whatever was necessary to survive.

  We swam on for a long time. I kept expecting Kano to spot a cave and tell me to duck inside. In the meantime, I scanned the area for more big fish. The next problem, however, didn’t sneak up on us. A mass of giant blue, white, and green jellyfish clogged the canyon ahead. I couldn’t see the tops of the huge balloon-like creatures, and their paralyzing tentacles hung down to the canyon floor.

  “Can we swim over them?” I asked Kano.

  “We could, but we don’t have to. Just follow me and fire at will.”

  Baffled, but trusting Kano’s judgment, I swam behind him toward the menacing mass of jellyfish. When he reached them, he released a spray of bristles. The tentacles drew up, and Kano swam under them. I did the same, and my own bristles kept the tentacles at bay until I was safely through. Still, I felt bad about hurting something just to save time.

  Kano saw my concerned look.

  “The jellyfish will be fine,” he said. “Dart bristles sting, but they dissolve quickly.”

  The animals on the far side of the clog of jellyfish were less frenzied, as though they knew the supergiants couldn’t pass the barrier. Everything was still big, but not as dreadful or threatening. Orange and green fish swam in leisurely schools.

  Kano didn’t change out of his spiny dart suit. He slowed the pace and spoke. “I thought that first big fish had eaten you for sure. How did you get away?”

  “I thought I was eaten, too,” I said. “I was terrified, but then I thought about fugu.”

  “Oh!” Kano exclaimed. “You turned into a puffer fish.”

  “No, I turned into an octopus,” I said. “The same people who think it’s cool to eat poisonous fugu will eat live octopuses whole.”

  “Do they die doing that?” Kano asked.

  “All the time,” I said. “The tentacles get stuck in their throat and they choke.”

  Kano snorted his displeasure. “So you choked the fish?”

  “Sort of,” I said. “I used my tentacles to stick to the inside of its mouth so it couldn’t swallow me. Then I sprayed ink.”

  “You did what?” Kano asked.

  I giggled. “Well, it got the fish to spit me out.”

  Kano laughed. “You’re a very clever and brave girl, Sumi Hara.”

  “Who’s really sick of being a fish,” I admitted. “I would love to be my real self again, even for just a few minutes.”

  I expected Kano to object, but he surprised me.

  “Your wish is my command,” he said.

  He wasn’t making fun of me. He gestured to something up ahead. There was a gigantic tapered shell by the cliff. Although it was as big as my Manhattan apartment building, I hadn’t noticed it until he pointed it out. The spiraling shell was almost completely hidden under a mass of plants and rocks.

  “It’s huge!” I exclaimed as my gaze traveled upward. “I can’t see the top.”

  “If the top breaks the surface of the water, there might be air pockets,” Kano said as he swam inside. “If there are, you can be a girl until it’s time to move on.”

  I didn’t dare hope as I followed him into the shell.

  So many things had taken up residence, I realized the original inhabitant had vacated the shell a very long time ago. Colorful algae, anemones, and seaweed were anchored to the floor, ceiling, and walls of the large lower chamber. Iridescent slugs cast a glow, making it easy for us to avoid fat sea worms.

  On the far side of the chamber, we entered a narrow, twisting passage that led to the next level. There were fewer light slugs in the curved corridor, and I tried not to think about the creepy things lurking in the dark. I tensed when Kano paused, but we weren’t in danger. We had reached the threshold of an air chamber.

  “The water level ends here,” Kano said. “We have to leap out of the water onto the ledge, so be ready to change.”

  “I’m ready.” I created a picture of myself in my mind. I had only worn the beautiful fairy clothes for a few minutes, but I knew exactly what they looked like.

  Kano backed up, rushed forward, snapped his tail, and jumped. His slim fish body burst through the surface and vanished.

  I was so anxious to transform, I threw myself out of the water and plopped on the shell floor. I landed so hard, I was dazed and disoriented. I caught sight of Kano. He had turned into a seal with sleek fur, whiskers, and flippers. The automatic copying process immediately changed me into a matching seal with lungs and a nose. But the instant I could breathe out of the water, I took control and continued shifting. In a single fluid transformation, I changed from fish to seal to girl.

  After taking a few deep breaths, I laughed, spread my human arms, and twirled. My long hair whipped around, and the silky fabric of my gray-blue dress swished against my legs. I wiggled my toes and stared, as though bare feet laced into leather sandals were an amazing sight. After the last few hours, they were.

  Although I had adapted the instincts of the snake and the fish, being a girl was the only form that felt right.

  “You’ve become an excellent shape-shifter,” Kano said as he pulled himself across the hard floor on seal flippers.

  “And you’re adorable,” I teased.

  I tried to hide my disappointment that he hadn’t shifted back to the gorgeous boy I had first met. I was a little surprised by how strongly I wanted to see the human Kano again. Dozens of boys had liked me, but I’d never been interested in a particular guy before. Kano was funny and caring and courageous—not in a macho, big-shot way, but for real.

  “Do you like being a seal?” I asked.

  “Who doesn’t like warm, fuzzy things?” Kano said.

  I almost said I wanted to snuggle with him, but that would have been too bold, even for me.

  The air chamber was dimly lit by phosphorescent algae growing on the damp walls, and my human eyes quickly adapted to the low light.

  “Why doesn’t anything live here?” I asked.

  “Because there’s seawater below and freshwater rain pools in the chambers above,” Kano explained. “A few life-forms can survive in both, but most can’t.”

  I was so glad to be me again, a minute passed before I noticed water dripping off the ceiling. It wasn’t just a few drops here and there. It was a steady drizzle.

  “I’m ready to move on,” I said. “My hair and clothes are getting wet.”

  “Wait here.” Kano waddled to the spot where the spiral passage continued upward. After a quick glance into the opening, he said, “You’re too big to fit through
. If you want to go up, you have to change into something smaller.”

  “But I just became a girl again,” I complained. “I don’t want to be anything else so soon.” The chamber was barren except for small pools of water, piles of brown seaweed, and the glowing algae. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was safe. “Let’s just stay here.”

  “That’s okay with me,” Kano said. “Seals love being wet!”

  “I don’t,” I mumbled. Water was dripping off my hair and running down my cheeks. Within the next few minutes, my beautiful clothes would be soaked. “There must be a dry spot in here somewhere.”

  “Sorry. There isn’t,” Kano said. “I have an idea, but you probably won’t like it.”

  “Will it keep me dry?” I asked.

  “It will keep you from getting wetter,” Kano said. “Change your hair into a big toadstool cap.”

  I grimaced at the thought.

  “It will work,” Kano said.

  I imagined my gorgeous hair turning into a black toadstool. The thought of being a fungus grossed me out, but Kano’s idea worked as promised. Now the water dripped off the edges of my toadstool umbrella.

  “I like it,” Kano said.

  I wasn’t surprised. Kano liked anything that served a useful purpose.

  However, my sense of accomplishment didn’t last long. The cool air felt colder against my damp skin, and the chill went through my lightweight clothes. I took the silver scarf from around my neck and draped it over my shoulders like a shawl, but I couldn’t stop shivering. The scarf was too flimsy to keep me warm.

  “Are you cold?” Kano asked.

  “A little,” I said through chattering teeth. “Aren’t you?”

  Kano shook his head. “I have a fur coat that’s designed to keep me warm in cold water.”

  “A fur coat would be nice,” I said.

  “Just grow fur where you need it,” Kano said. “White winter bears have thick coats.”

  Adding patches of white fur to my body was a bigger challenge than changing the shape and texture of my hair. I concentrated on my arms, starting at the wrists. Once the thick fur began to appear, it was easier to grow, and I didn’t stop at my bare arms and legs. I grew a short coat under my clothes. The warming effect was instant.