7 Feeling Blue

Chapter 7 FEELING BLUE "Uh-oh!" said Andrew. He stopped swimming. "I guess I'd make it angry if I shoved it off," said Judy. Plaaap! A blue-ringed octopus flopped onto Judy's face mask. Plaaap! Another one plopped onto her shoulder! "Cheese Louise!" said Judy. "It's raining blue- ringed octopuses!" meep… "Drewd and Oody not move!" said Thudd.

Thudd crept out of Andrew's pocket and let himself fall to the coral below. He scuttled over to the anemones. He picked up a big red anemone and headed back. Thudd climbed up Andrew's Bubble Duds until he got to his knee, where one of the octopuses had landed. Thudd waved the anemone at the octopus. It got up on its legs and moved toward Thudd. But as soon as Thudd touched it with the anemone, it jetted off! Thudd climbed to Andrew's elbow and shook the anemone at another octopus. It pulled back and sped away. Thudd jumped over to Judy. He crept up to each octopus and waggled the anemone. The octopuses left in a hurry. Thudd went back and forth between Andrew and Judy until all the octopuses were gone. "Thank you, Thudd!" said Judy. She picked him up and held him in front of her face mask. "I'd

give you a big kiss if I weren't wearing a face mask and you weren't inside a plastic bag!" Thudd's face screen went pink. "Thudd, that was amazing!" said Andrew. "How did you do it?" Thudd pointed to a little patch of anemones that seemed to be creeping across a rock. Andrew and Judy leaned down to look closer. The anemones were actually stuck to a shell. Small brown claws were moving it along. "It's a hermit crab," said Judy. meep… "Octopus like to eat hermit crab," said Thudd. "But octopus not like anemone sting. Hermit crab stick anemone on shell to keep octopus away. Drewd and Oody got to put on anemones, too."

They went over to the patch of anemones, carefully plucked up some big ones, and attached them to their Bubble Duds. "We look totally stupid," said Judy. "The octopuses will be laughing so hard, they won't be able to bite us. Let's get going!" "Okay," said Andrew. "But I wish I knew why they attacked us." Andrew and Judy paddled on. "Look!" said Judy. She pointed to a little herd of sea horses fluttering toward a tunnel on the right. It was the direction Andrew and Judy needed to go, so they followed.

The tunnel opened into a large rocky room. At one end was a heavy iron door. A sign on the door said: KEEP OUTTA HERE! THIS MEANS YOU! SOGGY BOB SLOGGINS Andrew's mouth fell open. "He's everywhere!" said Judy. "We've got to find out what he's up to," said Andrew. They swam to the door. Andrew unlatched it and pulled it open. It was dark inside. Judy snapped on the flashlight. The beam of light showed a big cage made of woven wire. "Yowzers!" said Andrew. The cage was filled with octopuses!