Magnus Fin and the Moonlight Mission (6 page)

“Wait for me, Tarkin!” Magnus Fin shouted, indicating that he was going to put the Ferrari sign and seaweed in his bedroom and he’d be back out in a flash.

Fin ran into the house, flew up the stairs and into his bedroom, where he slid the number plate and scallop shell under his bed. He grabbed his rucksack then turned and ran downstairs three at a time. He couldn’t have been in the house more than a minute, but when he got back outside Tarkin had disappeared.

Fin raced along the track to catch him up. “Tarkin?” he yelled as he ran. “Tarkin, where are you?” But Tarkin must have run like the wind. He was well and truly gone.

Magnus Fin walked up the brae to school alone that morning. Now, as if his planned return under the sea that evening wasn’t enough to worry about, there was a missing best friend as well.

“Where’s that American pal of yours then?” boomed Mr Sargent when he was marking the register.

This time it was Magnus Fin’s turn to shrug his shoulders.

“Off to get a hair cut by any chance? Hmmm?”

“He’s got a sore throat, I think,” Magnus Fin said, hoping that Tarkin’s sudden loss of voice was nothing more sinister than that.

The clock on the classroom wall moved closer and closer to the time of low tide. It was ten o’clock – long division, then two o’clock – French, then half past three.

“Happy St Andrew’s day,” boomed Mr Sargent as the bell rang and everyone made a quick dash for the door. “And don’t forget your maths homework for Monday.” But nobody heard that. In seconds the classroom emptied. It was the weekend. Children ran across the playground, cheering and skipping, kicking balls and yelling.

Aquella caught up with her cousin on the way down the brae. “Hey! Where’s Tarkin gone?” she asked, out of breath.

“He’s got a sore throat,” Fin said, without looking her in the eye. Aquella instantly knew something was up. The cousins walked on together, Fin sneaking glances at his watch. Four hours to go. Fin had to be careful what he thought. Aquella could read his mind. But it was hard to control your thoughts. As soon as Fin tried not to think about going under the sea, he thought about going under the sea. Aquella tugged his sleeve.

“You think I’m stupid?”

Fin glanced round at her. “I never said that.”

“You really think I don’t know?”

Fin played dumb. “Know what?”

“Now you’re the stupid one. Know everything! You think I didn’t see Shuna? And Miranda? You think I don’t know about the sickness? Honestly, Magnus Fin. I’ve been down to the beach; I’ve seen the dead seals. Dead selkies if you want to know. You think cos I’m a land girl now I can just turn my back on the sea?”

Fin didn’t know what to say. He coughed and looked
down. He didn’t know she felt homesick. She seemed happy. She was in a girl’s band. She had friends. Sarah and Kayla hung about with her. Everybody seemed to love Aquella. She was kind and gentle and popular. But as she stared at Magnus Fin her green eyes blazed. She wasn’t so gentle now.

“You think I like being left out? You think I can just crawl out of the sea and forget about my whole life and family and friends? Oh, Fin, I cry myself to sleep. I miss the sea so much. Sometimes I think I’ll never get used to squeezing my feet into shoes and eating vegetables. And now the sickness has come to them and there’s nothing I can do about it, because if I get salt water on my skin I’ll shrivel up.” By this time large tears were rolling down Aquella’s face.

Fin knew about the skin thing. Skin was important for selkies. Aquella had to go a year and a day on dry land, without so much as a splash of seawater, for her skin to fully adapt to air. Fin laid a hand on her shoulder for comfort.

They had reached the track now that led to the cottage. Both of them stared out over the water. “Mostly I close my eyes so I don’t see the sea. Sometimes I even put my hands over my ears so I don’t hear it. I’m afraid I might wake up in the middle of the night and just go – back into the sea.”

Magnus Fin patted her back. He felt like crying himself. He had no idea it was so hard for her. Poor Aquella. She looked at him, wiping her tears with her long black hair. “But I stay, Fin. I stay because it’s good to be a land girl. And I stay because I wouldn’t be good to anyone shrivelled up.” She managed a tiny smile.
“But at least tell me what you’re going to do, what you’re planning. I know I’m a selkie without a skin, but maybe I can do
something
.”

Fin glanced again at his watch then at Aquella. “I’m going 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.

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 lot better. He could breathe, think and walk. He studied the sky. The afternoon light was already fading. He had missed a whole day at school.

He got busy, pulling his rain trousers and life jacket out of the cupboard. According to his moon-phase calendar, low tide was in four hours time. He didn’t want to miss that. He needed Frank and his mother out of the way. He grabbed a sheet of paper and quickly wrote:

As for steering a boat, there was nothing to it. Tarkin had seen where Frank left the key for the starting motor. It was hanging up on a nail in his shed. And the shed was unlocked. If Fin got into trouble Tarkin would be right there on the sea, with a blanket, and sweets, and a torch. And even if it was a bit scary out alone on the dark ocean, Fin would only be gone a few minutes in human time. Tarkin was zingy with excitement now.
He was going to be in on this adventure. He wasn’t just going to sit on a rock chanting and eating toffee. Oh no. He was going to take a boat out to sea and help the selkies – even if they did put a curse on him.

He posted his note through the living-room door then jumped back into bed.

“What a good idea, honey,” his mother said two minutes later, waving his note.

“Wanna come with us, buddy?” asked Frank. The adults stood together, framed in Tarkin’s bedroom doorway, smiling anxiously.

Tarkin shook his head and pointed to his throat.

“He needs to rest, Frank,” said Martha gently. “A sick boy can’t dance.”

Tarkin nodded vigorously and pointed to the pillow.

“But we can’t leave him on his own,” said Frank.

Tarkin folded his hands under his cheek, meaning he’d be fast asleep. Then he pointed down to the village, meaning they should go there and dance.

“I’ll ask Rena next door to keep an eye on you, honey,” Martha said. Then she kissed Tarkin, ruffled his hair and left him. He could hear them in the hallway discussing what they’d wear.

“Think I’ll wear my plaid pants,” said Frank.

“I’ll wear my kilt,” said Martha.

And I’ll wear a life jacket
, thought Tarkin, as darkness fell and the moon slowly rose over the water.

“Magnus and Aquella are coming with us to the ceilidh. Don’t they look lovely?”

Ragnor nodded. They did.

“Thing is, Barbara,” said Aquella, after doing a twirl in her new green dress, “we just need to visit Tarkin first. He’s not well. Then we’ll come as soon as we can.” This was not strictly a lie and Aquella smiled her sweetest smile. Fin nodded in agreement.

Ragnor flashed him an anxious look.
Remember to heed your instinct, son
.

Fin glanced at his father and nodded. “You look grand in a kilt,” his father said, and winked.

Magnus Fin ate three helpings of shepherd’s pie. He’d read how food is converted into warmth and energy. He’d need warmth. He’d need energy. It was the last day of November. No one swam in the sea in the north of Scotland on the last day of November. He munched on.

“Tuck in, son,” said Barbara, “you’ll need lots of energy for dancing.”

Ragnor, chewing slowly, looked at his son. “Aye, Fin, you’ll need lots of energy right enough. Tuck in.”

After supper Magnus Fin lay on his bed, so stuffed he couldn’t move. He had to loosen the buckle on his
kilt. He could hear Aquella downstairs. She was doing Barbara’s hair and chatting. Ragnor was doing the dishes. Fin felt so full he was sure he would jump into the sea and immediately sink. For the hundredth time he glanced at his watch. Half an hour to go.

Fin could hear sounds drifting up from the living room. His parents were going for a drink before the ceilidh. They were putting coats on and laughing, calling up to him to send their love to Tarkin and see you later at the dance. The front door opened then closed. He heard their footsteps on the path. He heard their voices on the wind, like chattering starlings. Then they were gone.

In seconds Aquella was at his bedroom door. He was so full of shepherd’s pie the only thing he wanted to do was sleep.

“Right, Fin! Quick! Get ready!” Aquella commanded, her voice trembling with excitement. “I’ve put Neptune’s seaweed into this locket with your baby tooth. Put it on, quick.” Fin rubbed his belly and groaned.

“But what about Tarkin?” he asked, still lying in bed and beginning to feel sick, as Aquella snapped the locket shut.

“What about him?”

“He said he wanted to help. He said he would be there.”

“Well, maybe he’s there already. If not, we haven’t got time to fetch him. Come on, Magnus Fin. Get up! And here,” she added, flinging him a pair of swimming goggles, “these might come in handy for the stinging brown gunge. Put them round your neck. Now come on!”

Fin groaned again. He rubbed his belly then looked at his watch. Aquella was right. It was time to wriggle into his wetsuit.

“Might be a good idea to take the kilt off,” Aquella said, laughing, “and I promise,” she added, clapping her hands over her eyes, “I won’t look.”

At quarter to eight Magnus Fin and Aquella left the cottage, he in his wetsuit, she in her green dress with a pink puffy jacket on top, and a hat and gloves and scarf. The moon was now up and a silver path lay over the sea. It was almost light outside in an eerie colourless way.

They ran along the beach path, Fin casting his eyes around for a glimpse of Tarkin. Maybe he was on the black rock waiting? Maybe he had brought a flask of hot chocolate?

But as they neared the skerries there was no sign of Tarkin. The only things on the rocks were the letters M F. The white writing screamed at him. Fin clutched at his moon-stone and ran on, glad for the company of his cousin. But soon, he knew, they’d come to salt water. Then he’d be on his own.

“You have three minutes, Fin,” she said when they reached the skerries. She squeezed his arm and smiled encouragingly. “Take your trainers off. I’ll look after them until you come back. I’ll be in Ragnor’s cave. Good luck.”

Ragnor’s cave was close to the flat rocks where the dead seals lay. The same place he had seen Miranda and Shuna. It was a special place for the selkies; Fin knew that. He looked at Aquella anxiously as he handed her his shoes.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, “and remember – if you
need help let me know. I’ll be waiting. I’ll be the land lookout. Now go!”

She ran across the beach. The tide was far out so the salt water wouldn’t touch her. Fin watched her slow down. In the moonlight he saw her stand close to the dead seals then she turned and waved him on. He had one minute. He jumped over the skerries and headed for the black rock.

Fin leapt from rock to rock. Panting hard, he hoisted himself up onto the black rock and curled his webbed feet over the ledge. There was no one to count for him this time.

“Ten, nine, eight …” he shouted out loud. The moonlight shone bright. He gazed down at the water. It glinted like silver. He heard a thrumming noise. Thinking it was the churning of the water below he shouted on, “Seven, six, five …”

The rumbling noise grew louder. Someone’s thoughts dived into his.
Four, three, two
…

Fin glanced up. In the distance he saw a small boat. A torchlight from it flashed towards him: on, off, on, off. That was Tarkin’s signal! And those were Tarkin’s thoughts. His best friend was heading towards him – in a boat!

One – JUMP!

Magnus Fin grinned. He waved. The torchlight flashed back.

Then he jumped.