Super Prawn!Book 1: Super Prawn Escapes!

Chapter 5

"You don't exist!" shouted the whelk captain. "So whatever it is you want, I'm not interested."

"But I've got an idea!" answered the sea cucumber. "And it's a really good one! I'm sure you'll like it!"

"No you haven't, you've got a seahorse," the whelk captain said. "Except that you haven't because you're not real!"

"I am real!" the sea cucumber replied. "And the seahorse is there to add a nautical flavour to the scene! Now, about my idea, which will absolutely prove that I and every other sea cucumber exists..."

The whelk captain tried to put his fingers in his ears to drown out the sound of the sea cucumber that didn't exist and was obviously trying really hard to, but as he didn't have either it was impossible.

"So what's your idea, then?" the whelk captain replied. "And don't you go getting the idea that my talking to you gives you an excuse to exist. Because it doesn't and you don't!"

From the sea cucumber's ship an object was launched to land at the whelk captain's feet. He didn't have those either, but he did have one foot, so it was probably near that. Another word for 'near' is 'adjacent'. But that's a difficult word so I decided not to use it. I might do later on though. If you think I should, please send your answer to me on a postcard before I get to the end of this story.

"Is this an act of war?" The whelk captain shouted.

"No!" replied the sea cucumber. "It's a map! It can save us all! We just need to get Kath Hoo —"

An enormous purple tentacle picked up the sea cucumber's ship and a moment later it was gobbled up.

"Serves it right for pretending to exist," muttered the whelk captain and looked at what the sea cucumber had thrown his way. It was indeed a map. Of planets far off. Of places spoken about in hushed whispers by things wearing false beards and capes so as not to be recognised not even by a beard and cape salesman.

The name of a planet jumped out at the whelk captain because it was stuck to the back of a water flea and jumping is what they do best. Some have tried other hobbies, such as origami, chess and mime, but it's still jumping that fleas do best. Because they're best at it. Like boats and floating. Only this bit is about fleas, so don't get confused.

The whelk captain read the name of the planet and knew that perhaps that imaginary sea cucumber had indeed come up with a plan to save them all. And that plan was called EARTH.

[insert olde worlde type star chart showing EARTH]