The Lost Merman

The Air Orb

Chris, Jake, Barry and Berry have been flying for many days, but have found no orbs.

Barry and Berry kept on arguing with the map. It was always 'It's this way' with Barry and 'No, it's that way' with Berry.

At long last, Kevin lost patience with the twins and snatched the map off. "You guys have both been wrong! We're now further away from the Air Orb than we were when we started! Now let's retrace our flaps and go back."

"Wait!" cried Chris. "I don't remember seeing that mountain on that map."

The birds flew next to Chris and, as the clouds in the high sky cleared, they saw a very tall and funny shaped mountain in the shape of an angry-looking eagle face.

"Why wouldn't they put it on the map?" asked Berry.

"I have a funny feeling that no one wants to find the orbs so that map will just send you flying in the wrong directions," Chris said.

"In that case..." Kevin scrunched the map and threw it away. "All right, let's go!"

And so Chris and the twins followed him.

They flew down to the mountain's base. As they looked around for an entrance, they were greeted by some strange thin dark things that shot like arrows! They tried to dodge them.

"What are they?" asked Chris.

"They're poisonous grass darts!" shouted Kevin. "No one's firing them; it's magic spell!"

"But we must get past them if we want to enter that mountain and find the Orb!" added Barry.

"Which no one has done before!" added Berry.

"But we still have to try! Come on!" ordered Chris.

So they all avoided the grass darts and searched high and low around the mountain, but they could not find a way in. Then Chris saw a full spear with in a messy pile of broken swords and shield. He picked it up and threw it to a very loose stone stoned deep into the mountain. BULLS-EYE! Chris and the birds flew back to see the falling rocks crush the grass darts on the ground and they were even more impressed when they saw it made a hole.

"Well done, Chris," said Kevin.

"Hey, it's all teamwork," Chris said modestly. "Now, speaking of which, Kevin and I will go in and find the Orb. Barry, Berry, you tou stay here in case something bad happens."

"Like what?" asked the twin toucans.

"You'll see if you watch!" a stressed Chris said as he and Kevin flew in.

Barry and Berry said nothing and looked around everywhere.

Chris and Kevin hadn't been flying in the rocky tunnels for long when they came near to some light reflecting from the sun and was hovering on the rocks. Chris threw a rock through the light and... nothing happened. So no sooner had they flown than they were greeted by... giant stinging nettle weeds! They tried to dodge them but they couldn't.

Then Kevin saw Chris putting his hands in mud. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"While I was working at Eric's castle, I pulled weeds out of his garden too," answered Chris. "This mud should protect my hands."

And they did! Chris touched the nettles and pulled them out.

"Well done, Chris," said an amazed Kevin.

"Let's not celebrate yet," said Chris, pointing down. No sooner had they passed the light before more giant nettles shot up! "Now let's celebrate."

"When we find the Air Orb," Kevin chuckled as he and Chris carried on.

They had been continuing through the tunnel and nothing unexpected happened, which was not what Chris and Kevin expected.

"Are we there yet?" asked Chris.

"We have been flying for about two hours so we must get there sooner than later," said Kevin.

Then he heard a rumbling noise. "The twin toucans!" they said together. But when they turned around, they were wrong. It wasn't the toucans; it was a river of lava! And it was catching up! Chris and Kevin flew as fast as they could! No matter how fast they flew, the lava just kept on coming closer and closer! To make matters worse, they was a bright light at the other end and it looked like it was closing! Poor Kevin had enough and he began to feel defeated and let himself flow downwards. But kind Chris caught and flew with all he had and finally reached the end! They landed on the other side before the rockslide covered them. The lava was trapped behind the rocks too. They were safe.

As they got up, they saw a shining silver bridge, leading to a white stone platform with something round and large and clear-blue. It was the Air Orb! Chris slowly walked on the bridge, with Kevin flying up just to make sure that nothing bad would happen. Nothing happened. They arrived at the Air Orb. They checked everywhere; there were no pests or trap waiting to happen. Chris went for the Orb –

WHACK! Chris was flown into the sky, but he stopped in mid-air, unlike Kevin who was flown in the sky like Chris, but crashed in a rock and fell out. Chris looked ahead and saw another skyman who had the body of a Jamaican and with the wings of a skylark.

"You want this orb, boy, you've gotta orb me!" the skyman shouted in a thick Jamaican accent.

"Listen, I'm not a thief!" shouted Chris. "I don't want to kill you! I need that orb to make peace with the land and the sea!"

"What? You came from the land and the sea? Those creatures that killed skymen like me? Where did you get those wings from?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know – "

"From Jaco-Palo? The traitor?" And the skyman flew to Chris and with an axe!

"No, from a prisoner in Jaco-Palo's dungeon!"

But the skyman wouldn't listen. He tried to whack Chris with the axe, but Chris was quick and easy to miss. Then the skyman kicked him in the stomach and flew him to a wall, where he saw a golden sword lying nearby. The skyman came for Chris and he struck with his axe, but the axe was blocked off with the golden sword in Chris's hand. Chris kicked him away and flew for the air orb, but the skyman caught him by the leg. Chris kicked him off and he had to block off the axes from the skyman. After much blocking, Chris was getting tired and he had no energy that he led the akyman punch him to where the air orb is. Chris saw his chance to grab it, only the skyman's leg stamped on his hand.

"Is this what you want? Two skymen, an endangered species, fighting each other?"

"You're not a skyman and we are not a violent race, like you humans or merfolk!" shouted the skyman. "If the skymen are going to die, let's do it now. You first, Clo-Yehn second!"

Then the cave was rumbling and both of them looked upwards. The roof was coming! It was a rockslide. Clo-Yehn, let go of Chris and flew. Chris got up and managed to pick up the Air Orb. I felt like carrying nothing. But then the platform he was standing on broke off and flew down.

Chris floated in mid-air, avoiding the falling rocks. "Kevin?" he shouted. KEVIN! WHERE ARE YOU?" He looked for Kevin and found him still unconscious! He picked him up, but a big rock knocked him out and he was floating towards the floor...