Page 33 - The Mermaid Call

followed her to the small sliver of a gap in the furthest point of the cave, covered in bars and filled with stone.
“Why is it not still open?”
“It’s the quarry mines, they’re crumbling, caving in (literally). The village cages up all the entrances to stop us exploring.” Yup, other schools get ‘train track’ videos, we get educational films about the dangers of rockfalls and having cave adventures.
“You’re saying that’s it? No one can ever find the Mermaid World again?” she said, urgently.
“Well, erm, it’s just, they don’t want anyone getting hurt searching for mermaids.” Insta- red the moment the words left my mouth – that was how her aunt died.
Maybe that’s why Alice suddenly decided she had to get back home.
Stupid. I could Hobbit-feet kick myself. Twice now, I’d upset her. And I hated upsetting people. And I really wanted Alice to like me. Being with her this afternoon, it had made that Mum-shaped lump in my throat shrink temporarily to a frozen pea.
As we neared Enchanted Tails, I tried one last time to impress her. “Look – the Mermaid Girls buried it in 1922,” I said, pointing at our time capsule display. “More mermaid secrets,” I suggested hopefully.
Alice inspected the glass bottle behind the window. “I don’t like secrets.” She sniffed. “I’d rather smash that bottle now and find out.” She drew her hypnotic eyes to mine. I found myself nodding in agreement, like her eyeballs were operating my neck muscles.
A watery blink. “The Mermaid Girls were so lucky to have each other.” She did seem to cry easily; could be our hard Northern air. “I just wish I had someone to help me.” A dramatic swish of her perfect hair. “To help steal my Aunt Stella’s diary under The Dragon’s beady eye. A Watson to my Holmes.”
Oh-no, not dead-girl’s-diary again (though – hot-bath glow of warmth, that she might even think of me as her number two.)