Read Online Magnus Fin and the Moonlight Mission by Janis Mackay - Free Book Online
Authors: Janis Mackay
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under the sea at eight o’clock tonight. I’ve got a present for Miranda that might help. It’s my last baby tooth. And there’s something hidden behind a weird rock. I want to see what it is. Maybe I can do something to help. Maybe I can’t. But I have to try.” Just blurting these words out gave Fin a feeling of strength. And it felt good to have someone to talk to.
“I’ll come down to the beach tonight,” Aquella said. She had stopped crying now and seemed excited. “When you’re under the sea send messages to me with your thoughts. If there’s anything I can do tell me. Please, Fin – I need to help them. You understand that, don’t you?”
Fin nodded. “Promise you won’t get salt water on your skin?”
Aquella smiled. “Not a drop, I promise.”
Then Fin, suddenly remembering, said, “Tarkin’s lost his voice. He watched Miranda and Shuna change into their seal skins. That’s why he skipped school. He can’t speak.”
“Oh no!” Aquella threw her hands to her face. “Why did he go and do that?”
But Fin didn’t answer because just then Barbara appeared at the front door of the cottage. “Hey! I got you two presents,” she called, waving for them both to come in. “Something nice to wear for the ceilidh tonight.”
“Ceilidh? Oh crikey, I totally forgot about the ceilidh,” Magnus Fin said to Aquella while waving to his mother.
“I’ve got a kilt for you, Magnus, and a beautiful green dress for you, Aquella.” Barbara was waving for them to come and try the new clothes on.
“Little does she know,” Aquella whispered, nudging her cousin in the ribs, “you’ll be swimming in a wetsuit deep under the sea. Some kilt! Some ceilidh!”
“And I thought we should maybe practise a few ceilidh dances,” Barbara said as the two children stepped into the cottage. “It’ll be Aquella’s first ceilidh. Now isn’t that exciting?”
Barbara beamed at the children while Aquella laughed nervously and Magnus Fin coughed and almost choked. “Yeah!” they chorused, flashing a baffled look at each other.
Barbara put fiddle music on and the sound wafted into the garden, drifted over the stone wall, glided down the beach and danced out to sea.
Chapter 14
Meanwhile up in the croft at the edge of the village, Tarkin was lying in bed refusing to speak to anyone. His mother insisted on coming into his room every half hour to check on him. “At least write to me, honey, if that makes things easier on your throat.”
Tarkin shook his head. Why wouldn’t she just leave him alone? And then, as if her frequent “feeling any better honey?” calls, and trays piled with bagels and cream cheese, and glasses of warm milk weren’t enough, Frank insisted on sitting on the edge of his bed telling him stories.
“There was this tortoise and it got racing with a hare. At least, I think it was a hare …”
Tarkin closed his eyes and sunk down under the duvet.
“Course you’d think any day the hare’s gonna beat the tortoise, wouldn’t you? Well, not so …”
Tarkin was so miserable he wanted to cry, but he sure wasn’t going to cry in front of Frank. These selkies had put a curse on him; he knew it. This was no simple sore throat. His throat felt fine. Why oh why did he peep?
“So this tortoise, the thing is, he just kept plodding on. That’s the secret you see, you just keep on going. You don’t stop.”
Then Frank got up and left. As soon as the door closed, Tarkin pulled down the duvet so that he could breathe. He had the first grateful thought he’d had for hours. It came to him slowly and made him feel just a tiny bit better.
Well, at least I can breathe . Then that thought led to another, which made him feel even better. And at least I can think . Then he pulled back the duvet and swung his legs out of bed. He stood up and walked over to the window. And at least I can walk .
It may have had something to do with the tortoise who kept on going, but Tarkin suddenly felt a whole
“I’ll come down to the beach tonight,” Aquella said. She had stopped crying now and seemed excited. “When you’re under the sea send messages to me with your thoughts. If there’s anything I can do tell me. Please, Fin – I need to help them. You understand that, don’t you?”
Fin nodded. “Promise you won’t get salt water on your skin?”
Aquella smiled. “Not a drop, I promise.”
Then Fin, suddenly remembering, said, “Tarkin’s lost his voice. He watched Miranda and Shuna change into their seal skins. That’s why he skipped school. He can’t speak.”
“Oh no!” Aquella threw her hands to her face. “Why did he go and do that?”
But Fin didn’t answer because just then Barbara appeared at the front door of the cottage. “Hey! I got you two presents,” she called, waving for them both to come in. “Something nice to wear for the ceilidh tonight.”
“Ceilidh? Oh crikey, I totally forgot about the ceilidh,” Magnus Fin said to Aquella while waving to his mother.
“I’ve got a kilt for you, Magnus, and a beautiful green dress for you, Aquella.” Barbara was waving for them to come and try the new clothes on.
“Little does she know,” Aquella whispered, nudging her cousin in the ribs, “you’ll be swimming in a wetsuit deep under the sea. Some kilt! Some ceilidh!”
“And I thought we should maybe practise a few ceilidh dances,” Barbara said as the two children stepped into the cottage. “It’ll be Aquella’s first ceilidh. Now isn’t that exciting?”
Barbara beamed at the children while Aquella laughed nervously and Magnus Fin coughed and almost choked. “Yeah!” they chorused, flashing a baffled look at each other.
Barbara put fiddle music on and the sound wafted into the garden, drifted over the stone wall, glided down the beach and danced out to sea.
Chapter 14
Meanwhile up in the croft at the edge of the village, Tarkin was lying in bed refusing to speak to anyone. His mother insisted on coming into his room every half hour to check on him. “At least write to me, honey, if that makes things easier on your throat.”
Tarkin shook his head. Why wouldn’t she just leave him alone? And then, as if her frequent “feeling any better honey?” calls, and trays piled with bagels and cream cheese, and glasses of warm milk weren’t enough, Frank insisted on sitting on the edge of his bed telling him stories.
“There was this tortoise and it got racing with a hare. At least, I think it was a hare …”
Tarkin closed his eyes and sunk down under the duvet.
“Course you’d think any day the hare’s gonna beat the tortoise, wouldn’t you? Well, not so …”
Tarkin was so miserable he wanted to cry, but he sure wasn’t going to cry in front of Frank. These selkies had put a curse on him; he knew it. This was no simple sore throat. His throat felt fine. Why oh why did he peep?
“So this tortoise, the thing is, he just kept plodding on. That’s the secret you see, you just keep on going. You don’t stop.”
Then Frank got up and left. As soon as the door closed, Tarkin pulled down the duvet so that he could breathe. He had the first grateful thought he’d had for hours. It came to him slowly and made him feel just a tiny bit better.
Well, at least I can breathe . Then that thought led to another, which made him feel even better. And at least I can think . Then he pulled back the duvet and swung his legs out of bed. He stood up and walked over to the window. And at least I can walk .
It may have had something to do with the tortoise who kept on going, but Tarkin suddenly felt a whole
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