fronds, and she was completely stuck!
"What are you all staring at?" she snapped. "Get me out of here!"
Misty and Sophie quickly took hold of Scarlett's hands and tried to pull her free.
"OOWW! Not like thatl" Scarlett yelped. "You're pulling my hair out!"
"Sorry, Scarlett," they said. "But how can we get you free? Your hair is tied to the kelp."
"Maybe I can help," said Lucy shyly, as she rippled her emerald green tail and swam over to Scarlett. "I've got a comb in my S.O.S, Kit." She opened the shiny green pouch that was tied around her waist on a little belt. Each mermaid's S.O.S. Kit contained lots of special things. They never knew what they might need to help a sea creature in an emergency.
Lucy gently moved her crystal to one side and took out her Mermaid Comb. It was carved from mother-of-pearl and set with pretty green stones.
"My grandma gave this to me," she said. "She told me it's a magic comb that never hurts. /f? I'll try to be gentle."
Lucy started to comb Scarlett's silky hair, carefully untangling each strand from the seaweed. As she worked, Lucy began to sing. The others swam in a circle around Scarlett in a graceful Mermaid Dance. They all took turns combing her hair, singing together, like a chorus of sweet seabirds:
Oh mermaid, dear mermaid,
You're combing your hair,
Your tail is like pearl
And your face is so fair!
Oh mermaid, dear mermaid,
Sing your song to me,
And your hair will flow free
Like the beautiful Sea!
At last, the job was done.
"I hope I didn't hurt you, Scarlett," said Lucy.
"You all nearly pulled me apart," grumbled Scarlett. She took a little mirror from her pouch and fussed over her hair.
"That's not very grateful, Scarlett," said Sophie sharply.
"Well, let's not fight," interrupted Misty. "Queen Neptuna wouldn't want us to do that! Remember that we need to work as a team."
Sophie and Scarlett murmured "Sorry" to each other, and Misty breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's swim straight to the surface," she said. "Then we can think about how to get the crystals home safely. We all know that some of the Merfolk thought we were too young for this task. We have to prove to them that Queen Neptuna was right to trust us."
"I really don't think you'll be able to do that, Misty," Scarlett said, in a rather snooty voice. All the other mermaids stared at her.
"What do you mean?" asked Ellie.
"Look!" Scarlett said, pointing dramatically. "Misty has lost her pouch with her crystal in it!"
Everyone gasped. Misty quickly looked down to where her pink pouch had been tied around her waist by a little sparkly belt. But the belt and the pouch were gone!
Chapter Four
"But . . . but . . . ," stammered Misty, looking around wildly at her friends' puzzled faces. "I had my pouch with me in the Crystal Cave. I remember putting my crystal into it. I don't understand." Misty felt so embarrassed. How could she have been so careless?
"Perhaps it fell off when we were helping Scarlett?" suggested Holly.
The mermaids started to search the grove of seaweed where Scarlett had been stuck. But suddenly Misty gasped. "Oh dear!" Her pretty face went very white.
"What is it, Misty?" asked Ellie. "Have you thought of something?"
"Yes," said Misty, in a very small voice. "Something that I was going to do, but didn't."
"What do you mean, Misty?" said Sophie. "You're not making sense!"
"Well," Misty continued, "when I was getting ready to go to the Crystal Cave, I tied my pouch onto its belt around my waist. Then I noticed that the fastener on the belt was loose. I told myself that I should fix it right away. But first I wanted to say good-bye to my little sister, Dusty. And then, I'm so sorry, but I forgot to fix it." Misty's cheeks blushed bright pink.
"Tut, tut," said Scarlett. "That was a big mistake, Misty! Very careless."
"I know," said Misty miserably. "And the belt must have come undone when I crashed into the sea again, after the storm. So . . ."
"So your crystal was in your
"What are you all staring at?" she snapped. "Get me out of here!"
Misty and Sophie quickly took hold of Scarlett's hands and tried to pull her free.
"OOWW! Not like thatl" Scarlett yelped. "You're pulling my hair out!"
"Sorry, Scarlett," they said. "But how can we get you free? Your hair is tied to the kelp."
"Maybe I can help," said Lucy shyly, as she rippled her emerald green tail and swam over to Scarlett. "I've got a comb in my S.O.S, Kit." She opened the shiny green pouch that was tied around her waist on a little belt. Each mermaid's S.O.S. Kit contained lots of special things. They never knew what they might need to help a sea creature in an emergency.
Lucy gently moved her crystal to one side and took out her Mermaid Comb. It was carved from mother-of-pearl and set with pretty green stones.
"My grandma gave this to me," she said. "She told me it's a magic comb that never hurts. /f? I'll try to be gentle."
Lucy started to comb Scarlett's silky hair, carefully untangling each strand from the seaweed. As she worked, Lucy began to sing. The others swam in a circle around Scarlett in a graceful Mermaid Dance. They all took turns combing her hair, singing together, like a chorus of sweet seabirds:
Oh mermaid, dear mermaid,
You're combing your hair,
Your tail is like pearl
And your face is so fair!
Oh mermaid, dear mermaid,
Sing your song to me,
And your hair will flow free
Like the beautiful Sea!
At last, the job was done.
"I hope I didn't hurt you, Scarlett," said Lucy.
"You all nearly pulled me apart," grumbled Scarlett. She took a little mirror from her pouch and fussed over her hair.
"That's not very grateful, Scarlett," said Sophie sharply.
"Well, let's not fight," interrupted Misty. "Queen Neptuna wouldn't want us to do that! Remember that we need to work as a team."
Sophie and Scarlett murmured "Sorry" to each other, and Misty breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's swim straight to the surface," she said. "Then we can think about how to get the crystals home safely. We all know that some of the Merfolk thought we were too young for this task. We have to prove to them that Queen Neptuna was right to trust us."
"I really don't think you'll be able to do that, Misty," Scarlett said, in a rather snooty voice. All the other mermaids stared at her.
"What do you mean?" asked Ellie.
"Look!" Scarlett said, pointing dramatically. "Misty has lost her pouch with her crystal in it!"
Everyone gasped. Misty quickly looked down to where her pink pouch had been tied around her waist by a little sparkly belt. But the belt and the pouch were gone!
Chapter Four
"But . . . but . . . ," stammered Misty, looking around wildly at her friends' puzzled faces. "I had my pouch with me in the Crystal Cave. I remember putting my crystal into it. I don't understand." Misty felt so embarrassed. How could she have been so careless?
"Perhaps it fell off when we were helping Scarlett?" suggested Holly.
The mermaids started to search the grove of seaweed where Scarlett had been stuck. But suddenly Misty gasped. "Oh dear!" Her pretty face went very white.
"What is it, Misty?" asked Ellie. "Have you thought of something?"
"Yes," said Misty, in a very small voice. "Something that I was going to do, but didn't."
"What do you mean, Misty?" said Sophie. "You're not making sense!"
"Well," Misty continued, "when I was getting ready to go to the Crystal Cave, I tied my pouch onto its belt around my waist. Then I noticed that the fastener on the belt was loose. I told myself that I should fix it right away. But first I wanted to say good-bye to my little sister, Dusty. And then, I'm so sorry, but I forgot to fix it." Misty's cheeks blushed bright pink.
"Tut, tut," said Scarlett. "That was a big mistake, Misty! Very careless."
"I know," said Misty miserably. "And the belt must have come undone when I crashed into the sea again, after the storm. So . . ."
"So your crystal was in your
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