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Schools of fish swarmed around Balor, Damon, Ward, and Rock, whose hands overflowed with fish
food at the edge of the reef. When the food was gone, Balor pointed a remote control at their hands, and
they filled again. The four were hard to see through the swarming mass. Different fish swam by their ears
as if telling them something.
Soon, Balor and his friends dove below the reef, where it dropped off into the ocean. Some kids
followed them. Other kids with remote controls made fish food and feeding frenzies. Soon fish whispered
in their ears as well.
Erec got close enough to a fish feast that some of the fish must have thought he was feeding them too. A
yellow fish that looked huge from the side, but very thin from the front, swam to his ear.  Dive deep
under the reef. The water sprites might help you.
By that time most of the kids had followed Balor and his friends under the reef. Balor seemed to be
winning even without his usual outside help.
The water was dark under the reef. A few sunny rays streamed through holes in the coral like spotlights.
The water was colder, but Erec still felt comfortable. He was surprised how deep the water was. Long
caverns shot under the coral. A cold, slimy hand touched his arm and he jumped& but it was only
seaweed reaching from the reef. In the shadows Erec could see kids searching, but he saw nothing that
looked like a water sprite, whatever that was.
Gold flashed nearby. Hoping it was the treasure, Erec dove after it. A shining gold circle or coin sparkled
through the water ahead of him. It was just out of reach. If only he got a little closer, he could grab it.
Erec followed it into a deep underwater cave.
He looked back, wondering if he was going too deep, but the flash of gold glinted from the corner of his
eye. It was irresistible. Erec followed it deeper, forgetting his worries. Something told him the gold meant
treasure. Maybe not just for this contest, but other treasure beyond his wildest dreams.
Before he rounded a corner, something yanked his foot, jerking him backward. Confused, he turned to
see Bethany tugging him.
 What are you doing? Bethany said, upset. Erec wondered what was wrong with her. He felt a little
confused. The gold glittered in the corner of his eye, and he turned to follow it. Of course: She was
jealous because he d found the treasure.
She yanked his foot harder.  Are you crazy? Let s get out of here!
Erec tried to kick her away, but Bethany seemed possessed. Sure she wanted the treasure for herself, he
struggled, but Bethany had a grip on some coral, and yanked him from the glinting gold. He twisted and
kicked some more, until Bethany pinched him hard on the leg.
 Oww. Why did you do that?
 Because you re bewitched! You re following an ugly sea monster into its cave!
Erec turned in horror to see a huge black shape with tentacles waving where his gold glint was, slinking
deeper into the rocks. He gritted his teeth.  Ugh. Thanks. He hoped it was too dark for Bethany to see
how red his face was.
Deep caverns shot under the murky coral of the reef. A dozen water sprites, in dresses of woven algae,
darted through the water. They were smaller than Erec but could have been any age. Long seaweedlike
hair of blues and greens waved over their pale blue skin, but their eyes sparkled and their faces lit with
laughter, especially when they were teasing the kids. Swimming close, they acted like they had something
to say, but dove away laughing. They hid in rocks and coral, springing out in front of unsuspecting souls
to make them jump. It seemed they never stopped giggling. Catching a water sprite seemed impossible.
The harder Erec tried, the faster they slipped away, taunting and laughing. Bethany and Melody cornered
one against some coral. They lunged, and she shot straight down, letting them crash into each other,
bumping heads. Sprites spun like otters, grabbing the hands of contestants before diving away, laughing.
The kids bargained and pleaded for the sprites to tell them where the treasure was, but the sprites
seemed to think the whole matter was a joke.
A sprite wrapped a thin blue arm around Erec and Bethany s shoulders.  Have fun with the sea
monster? she asked.  Did you think you were going to get rich? Her voice tinkled like bells.
Erec eyed her sourly.  I bet you know where the treasure is.
The sprite giggled.  Of course. But you never will. She looked away, ready to go tease someone else.
Bethany said,  Tell us. We want to win this& before some bad kids do.
The sprite threw her a sharp look.  Why should I? She swam away.
Erec shook his head. This seemed hopeless. Bethany stared into the ocean, brows knit. A smile started
to curl on her lips. Erec looked toward where she stared, but nothing was there. He wondered if a sea
monster was putting her under a spell.
She flashed him a grin.  I ve got it! She gave us a clue 
Before she could finish, high-pitched shrieks filled their ears. Not far away, a water sprite was bound
tight with thick ropelike seaweed. Balor pointed a remote control at her and the seaweed tightened with a
jerk. The sprite screamed in pain. Her angry friends tried tugging the seaweed off her without success.
Balor cackled.  Who s laughing now? The sprite stuck her lip out and struggled against her chains.  It s
okay, water lily, just tell old Balor here where the treasure is and you re free as a fish.
The water sprite looked steaming mad. She nodded for him to come closer and whispered in his ear. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]