did the same with your brother. He might not have been found by his own people. Like you, he may have been adopted by a different group of mermaids, and if so he could be anywhere.”
Rani shook her head. “Morva, I just know he got back safely,” she said. “I can feel it.”
Morva paused, as if she was thinking really hard about something. “There’s something else you should know,” she said. “Another reason you might not be ready to make the journey back yet.” She swam over to the painting and placed her hand over the place where the golden light seemed to be rising out of the seabed. “Watch carefully,” she commanded.
As Rani watched, a gold line started to appear all by itself, on top of the picture. “What is it?” she gasped.
“Look more carefully,” Morva told her, as the line spread.
Rani swam back to look at the gold lines from a greater distance, and then she knew. “It’s a map!” she said. “A golden map.”
“That’s right,” Morva nodded. “This map shows us the way home.”
She lifted her hand from the wall and the lines instantly disappeared.
“Bring it back!” gasped Rani. “We need it to find our way there.”
“I remember the way quite clearly.I don’t need a map,” Morva replied. “But the map has another purpose.”
Rani frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Any mermaid can follow a map and swim across the Deep Blue,” Morva said. “But only a magic mermaid can swim through the golden light to get to our home. And if a mermaid can make the map appear, then it means her magic power is strong enough to let her in.”
“Please, can I try?” asked Rani excitedly.
“The magic in the hand that touches the picture must be very strong in order for the map to show itself,” Morva warned her. “If you try too soon, you may be disappointed.”
“I still want to see if I can do it,” Rani said.
“Very well,” Morva said, moving back from the wall. “If you really want to put your magic to the test ...”
Chapter Two
S lowly, Rani placed her hand flat against the picture on Morva’s wall. Nothing happened at first, then she felt her hand starting to tingle.
“Look,” she whispered, holding in her breath as gold lines began to appear on the cave wall. “I’ve done it!”
Morva nodded slowly.
“So my magic is strong enough!” Rani said, turning her head to look at Morva. “Does that mean I’m ready to visit my brother?”
“In a way, yes,” Morva replied carefully. “But there are different ways of being ready, Rani. Are you sure you’re ready to leave your family? And are they ready for you to go?”
Rani frowned. The truth was that she hadn’t told her family anything about this yet.
“I’m sure they’ll let me,” she said. “I’ll go and ask them now!”
But as she swam back towards her own cave, she started to worry. What if her family were against the idea? Her parents could be so protective of her sometimes, especially her mother. She couldn’t just leave Tingle Reef without telling them. She loved them too much to do that. She sighed. She would just have to make them see how important it was for her to make this trip, that was all!
When Rani got back home to their cave, her mother, Miriam, was cooking dinner while her father, Murdoch, bounced her baby sister, Pearl, on the end of his tail. Rani’s other sister, Kai, was peering into the cooking pot and complaining that they were having seaweed again . “Mother, Father, Kai ... I’ve got something to tell you,” Rani began.
But before she could continue, there was a knock on the wall outside and four long wriggly arms pushed back their seaweed-flap.
“Good day, everyone,” said Octavius the octopus, as he peered in through one of the gaps he had made in the seaweed curtain. “May I come in?”
“Of course,” said Murdoch. “Though we’re just about to have dinner.”
Rani noticed that her mother was frowning. Octavius had a habit of visiting at inconvenient
Rani shook her head. “Morva, I just know he got back safely,” she said. “I can feel it.”
Morva paused, as if she was thinking really hard about something. “There’s something else you should know,” she said. “Another reason you might not be ready to make the journey back yet.” She swam over to the painting and placed her hand over the place where the golden light seemed to be rising out of the seabed. “Watch carefully,” she commanded.
As Rani watched, a gold line started to appear all by itself, on top of the picture. “What is it?” she gasped.
“Look more carefully,” Morva told her, as the line spread.
Rani swam back to look at the gold lines from a greater distance, and then she knew. “It’s a map!” she said. “A golden map.”
“That’s right,” Morva nodded. “This map shows us the way home.”
She lifted her hand from the wall and the lines instantly disappeared.
“Bring it back!” gasped Rani. “We need it to find our way there.”
“I remember the way quite clearly.I don’t need a map,” Morva replied. “But the map has another purpose.”
Rani frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Any mermaid can follow a map and swim across the Deep Blue,” Morva said. “But only a magic mermaid can swim through the golden light to get to our home. And if a mermaid can make the map appear, then it means her magic power is strong enough to let her in.”
“Please, can I try?” asked Rani excitedly.
“The magic in the hand that touches the picture must be very strong in order for the map to show itself,” Morva warned her. “If you try too soon, you may be disappointed.”
“I still want to see if I can do it,” Rani said.
“Very well,” Morva said, moving back from the wall. “If you really want to put your magic to the test ...”
Chapter Two
S lowly, Rani placed her hand flat against the picture on Morva’s wall. Nothing happened at first, then she felt her hand starting to tingle.
“Look,” she whispered, holding in her breath as gold lines began to appear on the cave wall. “I’ve done it!”
Morva nodded slowly.
“So my magic is strong enough!” Rani said, turning her head to look at Morva. “Does that mean I’m ready to visit my brother?”
“In a way, yes,” Morva replied carefully. “But there are different ways of being ready, Rani. Are you sure you’re ready to leave your family? And are they ready for you to go?”
Rani frowned. The truth was that she hadn’t told her family anything about this yet.
“I’m sure they’ll let me,” she said. “I’ll go and ask them now!”
But as she swam back towards her own cave, she started to worry. What if her family were against the idea? Her parents could be so protective of her sometimes, especially her mother. She couldn’t just leave Tingle Reef without telling them. She loved them too much to do that. She sighed. She would just have to make them see how important it was for her to make this trip, that was all!
When Rani got back home to their cave, her mother, Miriam, was cooking dinner while her father, Murdoch, bounced her baby sister, Pearl, on the end of his tail. Rani’s other sister, Kai, was peering into the cooking pot and complaining that they were having seaweed again . “Mother, Father, Kai ... I’ve got something to tell you,” Rani began.
But before she could continue, there was a knock on the wall outside and four long wriggly arms pushed back their seaweed-flap.
“Good day, everyone,” said Octavius the octopus, as he peered in through one of the gaps he had made in the seaweed curtain. “May I come in?”
“Of course,” said Murdoch. “Though we’re just about to have dinner.”
Rani noticed that her mother was frowning. Octavius had a habit of visiting at inconvenient
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