6 A Message

CHAPTER 6

A Message "'Wait! Leave the beast alone!' Captain Brown shouted. "The fishermen stopped striking the sea monster. The serpent roared and plunged beneath the water. Enormous waves rocked our ship. Green seawater splashed over the deck. We're done for! I thought as I landed on top of my shipmates. Somehow I dragged myself to my feet and looked out on the water.

"The sea serpent slithered away. Loop after loop of its scaly green body curled through the water as it went on its way. None of us spoke. We looked at the cauldron, which had left a large hole in the deck. Had the monster been trying to tell us something? we wondered. Perhaps the monster didn't like that garbage was being

thrown into its watery home. We all agreed that the people of Wrenly needed to change their ways. "Captain Brown took us to port. We told King Henry—King Caleb's father—what we had seen and heard. The king believed every word of our story. He knew he could trust Captain Brown.

"'But you must never speak of it,' said the king. 'We mustn't upset the good people of Wrenly.' He also said that if we didn't have evidence of a monster, then no

one would believe our tale. Then King Henry made a royal decree: HEAR YE! HEAR YE! BY ROYAL DECREE OF THE KING OF WRENLY: NO DUMPING GARBAGE INTO THE SEA! LAWBREAKERS WILL BE THROWN IN THE DUNGEON FOR TEN DAYS. "Some of the fishermen told the story of the sea serpent against the king's wishes. But no one believed them. The villagers made fun of the fishermen and called them crazy. But I'm here to say—cross my heart —that every word of this story is true." Everyone sat in silence. Then Lucas said, "I believe you, Nanny Louisa. I've always believed you." "I believe you too," said Clara. "And I," said Queen Sophie. "But what do we do now?" Lucas asked.