Freddy and Clementine hopped over the rocks just as they had done the day before. The pools of water sparkled in the sun as Clementine crouched down to look for the octopus. It was doing a good job of hiding. She could only see some shells and a couple of tiny crabs.

‘Come on, Clementine,’ Freddy shouted as he jumped from rock to rock.

She caught up to him where the rock shelf curved around the small headland.

To get to the cave, they had to climb down to a lower level. Clementine noticed that the waves were bigger now and every few minutes the surf would spray upwards, sending a shower of sea water onto the edge of the platform. A little channel ran between the rocks and cave’s mouth, but there was only a trickle of water in it.

Clementine and Freddy hopped down onto the sand.

‘Do you really think there could be treasure inside?’ Clementine asked, her eyes wide.

Freddy shrugged. ‘I didn’t find any last time, but I didn’t have a torch then so I couldn’t see properly. Granny says there used to be pirates on this coast a long time ago.’

Clementine’s tummy fluttered. This really was a proper adventure.

Freddy took the torch out of his pocket. He pulled the vines back from the cave entrance and shone the light inside. Then he took Clementine’s hand and the two children crept inside.

‘It smells awful,’ Clementine whispered.

Freddy held his nose. ‘Yuck! Like dead fish.’

He shone the light straight ahead of them. Five rectangular stones stuck out of the sand like giant’s teeth. Then he directed the torch at the sandy floor and up to the smooth curve of the roof. It didn’t look like there was any treasure. Just a couple of empty soft-drink bottles lying in the sand. The cave wasn’t nearly as deep as Freddy had hoped, either.

Clementine squeezed Freddy’s hand. ‘It’s really smelly in here. Do you want to go back for a swim?’

He nodded.

Just as the children turned to leave, Freddy’s torchlight caught something unexpected.

‘Did you see that?’ he asked.

‘What?’ Clementine whispered.

Freddy pointed the torch back to the same spot. Poking out from behind one of the stones were two red eyes. They glowed in the darkness.

‘What’s that?’ the boy breathed.

‘I don’t know.’ Clementine’s heart was pounding.

All of a sudden there was a strange barking sound.

Freddy squinted. ‘It must be a puppy.’

‘What if it’s lost?’ Clementine said. ‘We should help it.’

‘Maybe I can keep it?’ Freddy felt a rush of excitement as he imagined a new pet. He loved Lavender and had been planning to ask his parents if he could have a pet pig – but a dog might be even better.

‘Here, boy,’ Freddy said soothingly.

The two children walked closer to the creature. It had a long body and a funny oval head with tiny little ears sticking out at the sides.

‘That’s a strange-looking dog,’ Clementine said.

The creature barked again and stretched upwards. It danced from one side to the other.

‘That’s not a dog,’ Freddy gasped. ‘It’s a seal.’

Clementine didn’t know much about seals, but this one was small and very cute. She walked closer and reached out.

‘No!’ Freddy said. ‘He’s a wild animal. You can’t touch him.’

Clementine jumped back.

‘We learned about seals at school,’ Freddy said. ‘If people pet them, they get confused.’

‘What do they eat?’ Clementine asked.

‘Fish,’ Freddy replied.

‘Oh! That’s why it’s so stinky in here,’ Clementine said. ‘Do you think it’s lost?’

‘I don’t know,’ Freddy said with a shrug. ‘There are lots of seals on the next beach around from here. He looks okay. Maybe he’s just having some time out from a bossy sister.’

Clementine giggled. ‘Do you think we should tell Uncle Digby?’

Freddy watched as the creature swayed from side to side.

‘You know, he could be our special secret,’ Freddy said. He liked the idea of having something only he and Clementine knew about.

Clementine nodded. ‘Okay.’

The seal looked at the children with its big brown eyes.

‘Come on, Freddy, we should go or Uncle Digby might get worried.’ Clementine tugged at the boy’s arm.

The two children left the cave and scrambled back up onto the higher rock ledge. They trod carefully between the pools.

Freddy’s eyes were still shining with excitement. ‘That was so cool!’

‘I know,’ Clementine said.

‘Hello there,’ said Uncle Digby as the children approached. ‘I was just about to come and find you. I thought you might like to go for a swim and then we can get some lunch.’

‘You should have seen what we found, Uncle Digby,’ Clementine burst out.

Freddy nudged her and frowned.

‘What was it?’ the old man asked.

‘I can’t tell you because it’s a secret,’ she said.

‘Oh, I see,’ Uncle Digby said seriously as he tried not to smile.