Chapter 2

Chapter 2 "Someone is trapped in a fishing net!" Dribble exclaimed as the three friends arrived at a small cove. There, they found the singer of the sad song, struggling to free herself from a prison of knotted ropes floating on the water's surface, not far from land. The ropes appeared to be attached to the nearby ship.

"Poor woman," Lucas added. "That's no woman," Princess Pulverizer told her friends. "Sure it is," Lucas insisted. "Look at her face. And her hair. And her..." "Tail," Princess Pulverizer finished his sentence. "She's a mermaid." "A real mermaid?" Lucas asked in amazement.

"Duh. Of course I'm real," the mermaid bellowed in an angry, tough voice. "Whoever heard of a fake mermaid? Sheesh." She began combing her hair with a pearl-covered comb. "I'm sorry," Lucas said. He looked at her curiously. "You don't talk like a mermaid." "What's a mermaid s'posed to talk like?" the mermaid demanded. "I don't know," Lucas admitted. "I've never met a mermaid before."

"Yeah, well, I never met a kid in a rusted tin can before," the mermaid replied. "It's not a tin can." Lucas sounded hurt. "That's his armor," Dribble explained. "It's just old." "And small," Lucas said. "I think it shrank in the last rainstorm." "Armor doesn't shrink," Dribble told him. "You've grown. Soon I won't even be able to call you little buddy." The mermaid stared at Dribble for a long moment. "Yo, dude," she said. "Are you a dragon?" "He is. But you don't have to worry about him," Princess Pulverizer replied. "He uses his fire to make grilled cheese." "Make what?" the mermaid asked. "You've never heard of grilled cheese?" The princess was surprised. "It's cheese melted onto toasted bread." "It's not like we eat a lot of bread underwater, you know," the mermaid snapped

back. "It gets kinda soggy." Well, that made sense. Dribble nodded. "You've never had grilled cheese?" he said. "I feel bad for you." The mermaid shook the ropes that were holding her captive. "That's why you feel bad for me? Seriously?" she said, rolling her eyes. Dribble didn't answer. "The name's Meri, by the way," she continued. "I'm Princess Pulverizer," the princess introduced herself. "This is Dribble, and that's Lucas." "Pleased to meetcha," Meri said. "Sorry if I'm staring. I don't get to see too many land folks up close. We're s'posed ta stay away from ya. Now I know why." She pulled angrily at the ropes tied all around her. "When I get outta here, I'll never swim near a ship again, I swear!" "How did you get tangled up in that net?" Princess Pulverizer asked her.

"Pirates," Meri explained, pointing toward the side of the large ship anchored in the cove. "This net is tied to the side of their ship." She splashed around angrily. Princess Pulverizer looked up. She'd been so focused on Meri, she hadn't noticed the droopy black-and-white flag with the skull on it hanging from a pole way up on the ship's deck. At least the princess thought it was a skull. There were so many holes in the flag, it was hard to tell. Also the paint was peeling, the wood was warped, and the sails were sagging. It was the saddest pirate ship Princess Pulverizer had ever seen. It was also the only pirate ship Princess Pulverizer had ever seen.