"Daphne!" Sabrina cried as she searched the surface for her sister.
Sabrina and Uncle Jake desperately called out for the little girl, but there was no reply. Had her sister just been drowned before her eyes? Seconds later there was another splash on the other side of the boat. This time, Sabrina got a better look at what kind of man it was. She noticed, to her shock, that he had a fish tail instead of legs. He slapped another starfish onto Uncle Jake's head and before Sabrina could put up a fight, her uncle was dragged overboard as well.
Sabrina was all alone. She stuffed the sword piece into one coat pocket and out of another she took the Wand of Merlin. She studied the water, examining every ripple and preparing for an attack. When she heard the splash behind her, she spun around, causing the little boat to dip and roll. She lost her balance and the wand fell from her hand and rolled to the bottom of the boat. Before Sabrina could scamper down to retrieve it, the merman sprang into the boat, nearly capsizing it. He removed a scroll from a little bag on his belt and unfurled it, then cleared his throat and began to read.
"By the order of our lady, the princess, I do hereby place you and your co-conspirators under arrest for acts of thievery," the merman declared.
"You don't understand!" Sabrina argued, but the merman ignored her. He rolled up his scroll and tucked it back into his bag. Then he slapped an orange starfish onto the top of Sabrina's head. The starfish's five arms clamped down on her skull, acting like suction cups, and suddenly an odd sensation came over her. She literally felt like a fish out of water. She couldn't breathe!
Chapter 8
"What have you done to me?" Sabrina gasped, desperate for air.
"Silence, you filthy, thieving topsider!" the merman barked as he snatched the piece of the Vorpal blade from her pocket. He tucked it under his belt and then grabbed her roughly by the arm. Before Sabrina could struggle, he leaped out of the boat and into the frigid water, taking her with him.
He swam deeper and deeper with Sabrina trapped in his strong grasp. She fought back viciously, punching and kicking her captor, but it didn't seem to faze the merman at all. Soon, her lungs were burning for oxygen. Her mouth instinctively opened and she inhaled deeply. Icy crystals raced down her throat. A curious heaviness filled her body and she felt as if water were pouring into her fingers and toes. She closed her eyes, preparing to die, but after several minutes something dawned on her--she could breathe!
It must be the starfish, she realized.
"Where are you taking me?" Sabrina demanded as a wave of bubbles escaped her mouth. She was surprised to find her voice sounded as normal as it did in air.
The merman said nothing, only pointed to the rapidly approaching river floor where an incredible sight came into view. Nestled on the rocky bottom of the Hudson River was a city. It had skyscrapers, apartment buildings, and hundreds of mermen and mermaids rushing here and there in the neatly planned grid of streets. From high above, the city was a fantastically beautiful dream of green and aquamarine, but as the merman dragged her closer and closer, the city's secret began to reveal itself. Everything was made out of trash. Entire buildings were made from discarded car tires and license plates. The sidewalks were paved with old bottle caps and the heels of shoes. Homes were constructed from old clothes, wagon wheels, flip-flops, garden tools, computers, antique telephones, grocery carts, beach chairs, cans, bottles, and thousands of tennis balls, footballs, and Frisbees, all stacked with expert care.
The merman pulled Sabrina through the city gates and along a street made of crushed toasters and cast-iron skillets.
"Where did you get all this stuff?" Sabrina said.
The merman scowled and pointed toward the surface. She looked up, then down again at all the junk. No wonder her captor had so much contempt for her. Every nook and cranny of the odd city owed its existence to two hundred years of junk that people like herself had dumped into the river. Human beings were disgusting.
He turned down one alley and then another. They passed dozens of shops carved out of sunken sailboats--some still had their names painted on the side. Merman and mermaid shop owners stood on the street calling out to passersby, trying to get them to buy old pop bottles and bicycle wheels. A mermother pushed an infant merbaby along the street in an old stroller.
Soon Sabrina and the merman reached an enormous palace, nearly five stories high. From above, Sabrina had thought it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen, but now that she was in front of it she realized it was made of the same junk as the rest of the underwater town. A flight of stairs, which were actually old car bumpers, led to a large door which was guarded by a merman holding a dented trumpet in one hand and a trident in the other.