When she woke next, Coral didn’t know what time it was, but she knew something was very, very different. Her long hair felt as if it was swaying. She turned her head a little and felt a ripple move through her hair, right to the very tips.
She tried to sit up. But that too was very, very different. It was a familiar feeling, but she couldn’t think what it was. She felt slower, but at the same time lighter. It was almost as if she was under…
UNDERWATER!
But that wasn’t possible! How could she be underwater in her own bedroom? What had happened? How was she even breathing?
Coral exhaled and a stream of bubbles came out of her mouth.
She looked around. Her curtains were waving gently round her window, like long strands of yellow gingham seaweed. Apart from that, the room looked the same, though there was no doubt about it. It was underwater.
Out of the corner of her eye, at the far end of the room, Coral saw tiny blue flashes of light. Something very small was watching her, twinkling, sparkling and darting from side to side. The flashing grew faster and faster. Whatever-it-was spun around, dived down, shot up high, then whizzed back. Coral tried to follow it, but it was making her feel dizzy and a little bit seasick.
The zipping and the glittering stopped, directly in her line of sight. This glimmering little thing was looking straight at her.
It started to quiver, throwing shimmering jets of light around the bedroom like a sparkling diamond. Then it drew itself up and zoomed at top speed straight at her!
Coral froze. She braced herself for the worst.
Something was attacking her and she had no idea what to do. Her bedroom was underwater and now some sort of weird alien sea-being was whooshing right for her.
She sat still, screwed her eyes tight, tight shut and braced herself, ready to take whatever was coming.
She waited.
Nothing.
She waited a little longer.
Still nothing.
Coral didn’t quite have the courage to open her eyes. She could sense something very close. She felt slight stirrings in the water in front of her face. Somehow, she knew she didn’t need to be afraid.
Slowly, she opened one eye, then the other. What she saw was totally and utterly unexpected.