"S eals?" asked Annie.
Jack looked at Teddy. "Did she say 'change intoseals'?" he asked.
"Indeed!" said Teddy. "That's what selkies do. Theyare people on land and seals in the sea.""You're a seal?" Jack asked Kathleen.
"Sometimes," said the selkie, smiling.
Jack just stared at her. He couldn't believe thebeautiful girl was sometimes a seal.
"Whenever I come ashore and dry off in the65sun, my seal skin falls away," said Kathleen. "ThenI am as human as--well, as I am right now.""Oh, I get it!" said Annie. "You were one of the sealswe met in the water!""Of course," said Kathleen, "and Teddy was theother."Jack looked at Teddy. "Y-you?" he stammered.
"How... ?"Teddy grinned. "I am a magician, remember?" hesaid.
Kathleen laughed. "Yes, but this time, 'twas mymagic that did the work," she said. She pointed to twoshiny gray skins lying on the sand. "I gave him a sealskin and spoke a selkie spell.""You turned Teddy into a seal?" asked Jack.
"Aye," said Kathleen, "and I shall do the same foryou. I am sure my sisters will not mind if we borrowtwo more of their skins." The selkie started toward alarge pile of rocks.
66Teddy watched Kathleen go, then looked back atJack and Annie. "She has powerful magic indeed," hesaid.
"No kidding," said Annie.
Jack was speechless. He couldn't believe he andAnnie were about to become seals.
Kathleen came out from behind the rocks carryingtwo shiny skins. "Take these," she said, handing themto Jack and Annie. The skins looked like scuba divers'
wet suits with hoods.
"Pull them on over your clothes," said Kathleen.
"Like this." She and Teddy picked up their own sealskins from the sand and began pulling them on. Jackand Annie did the same.
Jack stretched the skin up over his legs and shorts,then over his arms and T-shirt. He felt as if he werewearing a thick layer of rubber.
"Before we cover our heads and faces, we mustwade into the water," said Kathleen. "Follow me."Jack waded clumsily into the water with the67others. This is crazy,he thought. You can't becomea seal just by putting on a seal costume.
Kathleen stopped them when they were waist deep.
"Slip on your hoods," she said. "I will say a few wordsin selkie language. Then we shall all dive in."Teddy grinned at Jack and Annie. "We have flowntogether through the sky," he said. "Now we shallswim together in the deep, eh?"Jack nodded, but he still didn't believe this couldpossibly work.
"Quickly!" said Kathleen. "Cover your heads andfaces! Dive as soon as I've spoken the spell!"Jack pulled on his hood. He stretched it down overhis forehead, then over his face--his glasses, nose, andchin. He couldn't see or talk. He wanted to rip thehood off, but Kathleen's voice stopped him:
An-ca-da-tro-a-day-mee!
Ba-mi-hu-no-nay-hah-nee!
68Jack heard one splash--then two more. He quicklydove into the sea.
As soon as the seawater covered his head and body,Jack felt the seal skin melt into his69own. His chest expanded to the size of a barrel! Hisarms and legs vanished and flippers took their place!
Jack shot through the water like a torpedo.
70When he moved his front flippers, he turned rightor left. When he moved his back flippers, he zoomedforward.
Jack rolled and swerved in and out of schools offish and jungles of sea grass. He dove down to themurky depths of the cove. Then he shot back up tothe surface. In his smooth seal body, he could swimten times faster than he ever had in his human body!
And he could see and hear perfectly!
Jack rose and fell and rose and fell through thedeep. Two seals appeared beside him. Bubbles camefrom their mouths. They made gurgling, clickingsounds. Jack could understand exactly what their sealsounds meant.
Hey, Jack! It's me!
'Tis me, too!
Hi, guys!Jack called to Annie and Teddy. He heardtrilling sounds on his other side. He saw a third seal.
It was Kathleen, swimming gracefully toward him.
Hello, Jack!
Hello, Kathleen!Jack clicked back to her.
He wanted to tell the selkie how much fun he washaving. But when he opened his mouth, a school oftiny fish swam down his throat. Before he knew it,Jack had swallowed all the fish whole! But he didn'tmind. He laughed a seal laugh full of bubbles.
Onward, Kathleen! clicked Teddy. Lead the to theJellyfish Cave! |