Super Prawn!Book 1: Super Prawn Escapes!

Chapter 9

"I heard that," said the King Prawn (we're back in the story now, in case you were wondering why a prawn was interrupting us.) (And this is where the story really starts...)

Richard the prawn turned to come face-to-face with his king.

"So you're going to save Earth, are you?" continued the King Prawn. "That is extremely naughty of you and I am most upset." It then pointed at the prawn in the funny hat. "Tears please," it said. "Do not waste my suffering. Or I'll call you a shrimp again."

[insert pic of prawn in silly hat bawling its eyes out]

As the prawn in the funny hat started to cry, Richard looked around for an escape. He had to get away! He had to save Earth from Kath Hoolu!

"But why do you want to save Earth?" asked the King Prawn, almost like he'd read Richard's mind but actually hadn't because that's impossible. "What about us?"

Richard said, "Because it's the heroic thing to do! Because giving Kath Hoolu Earth will just encourage that fat squiddy yuckiness to eat even more planets! Because if I don't, this won't be much of a book!"

"There is no escape!" said the King Prawn, utterly ignoring Richard's many reasons for being a hero. "Well there is, but only I know about it!"

"So, it's a secret then," said Richard.

"Oh yes, very," replied the King Prawn. By its side, the prawn in the funny hat had moved from tears to dramatically wailing, "I'm a prawn, not a shrimp! I'm a prawn, not a shrimp!"

"I'm good with secrets," said Richard. "I know loads and have never told anyone about them."

"You can't fool me!" bellowed the King Prawn. "You would tell everyone, I know it! You are a very naughty prawn!"

Richard smiled to himself. If he'd had a mirror to hand he would have admired that very smile, because he had no doubt that it was a very cunning smile indeed. Probably more cunning than the smile of a dolphin, which as everyone knows, is the most cunning smile of all. But he didn't, so he just had to imagine it. And he was right — it was properly cunning. If you asked a fox, he'd probably agree. And they know even more about being cunning than dolphins.

"Test me then, my King!" said Richard. "Tell me the secret escape and I will tell no one. And if I do — you can feed me to Kath Hoolu!"

The King Prawn paused for a moment. Then it hit the prawn in the funny hat with the seaweed.

"Very well then!" said the King Prawn. "The secret escape that is secret and that no one knows about except me, because it is secret, is just over there, to the right of that sea cucumber that doesn't exist. A secret passage!"

"So cunning, your royalness!" said Richard. "May I have a look at this secret to make sure it is still a secret?"

The King Prawn waved him away with one of his claws. "Be gone, Richard," it said. "And if I ever hear of you telling my secret, then the belly of Kath Hoolu will be your next home, nay abode!"

Richard quickly skipped across the floor towards the sea cucumber. And, just as the King Prawn had said, beneath it was a secret passageway.

[insert pic of secret passageway with a sea cucumber above it]

"Hello!" said the sea cucumber as Richard slipped beneath it and into the passage.

But Richard didn't hear it. He was thinking of something else: rescuing Earth. And besides, who had ever heard of a talking sea cucumber? They didn't even exist...