Preface

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Preface

A tall mountain stood in the middle of the ocean. Most of the mountain was above sea level, but its base was

several hundred feet under water. Inside the bottom part of the mountain was a community of mermaids and mermen known as Gold Chime City. The Golden-Chime Mermaid named Tinkle ruled and protected the city. A sound emanated from her that sounded to friendly sea creatures like hundreds of small chimes ringing. But the dangerous sea creatures heard a loud screeching sound that kept them several miles from the city.

After the Golden-Chime Mermaid had protected the city for nine hundred years, a new Golden-Chime Mermaid, named Twinkle, was born. On Twinkle’s fiftieth birthday, Tinkle would lose her ability to protect the city. Before that happened, she needed to transfer her power to the young Golden-Chime Mermaid.

But on Twinkle’s thirtieth birthday, she was abducted by an evil warlock named Grim. Grim held her prisoner in

The Golden-Chime Mermaid and The Silver-Scaled Merman2

a cage, guarded by a huge sea serpent, at the bottom of a lagoon. Although no one was sure of the lagoon’s exact loca-tion, it was believed to be inside a mountain on Ogre Isle.

Every five years, Gold Chime City had to pay a ransom of pearls equal to the young mermaid’s weight. The warlock had held the young mermaid prisoner for nearly twenty years. Soon, the old Golden-Chime Mermaid would lose her power. Twinkle had to return to Gold Chime City to acquire the protective power from Tinkle before it was lost forever. A hero was needed to rescue the young mermaid from the clutches of the evil warlock and save Gold Chime City.

The Mission1

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1The Mission

T he rapid approach of a silver-scaled creature interrupted a sea turtle’s leisurely swim through the ocean. As the

creature drew closer, the turtle could tell it was a merman with silver scales. The merman had dark gray eyes and snow-white hair that fell to his shoulders.

“What’s your name, and what’s the hurry?” the turtle asked. “My name is Dart,” answered the merman. “I’m on my

way to Gold Chime City to undertake a quest to rescue the Golden-Chime Mermaid from the evil warlock.”

“Well, good luck with that,” replied the turtle. “Rescuing the mermaid is a very dangerous task that only a mighty war-rior should undertake. You look quite young for a merman, and you’re not very big.”

“Last week, on my fiftieth birthday, my scales began to turn from green to silver. That makes me a rare silver-scaled merman. Silver-scaled mermen are known for their ability to complete quests, so the village elders chose me to rescue the young Golden-Chime Mermaid. By the way, what’s your name?”

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“My name is Todd,” answered the turtle. “So, have you performed any other heroic feats?”

“Well, I saved a dolphin from drowning when he was tangled in a net, and I pulled an unconscious human to shore,” Dart stated.

“I guess that’s sort of heroic,” Todd remarked. “They’re good deeds, for sure.”

“How far away is the city?” Dart inquired. “Half a day’s swim for me,” the turtle stated, “but, from the

way you swim, I’d say it’s about an hour for you. Just continue going northeast. Tell me, how many years do merfolk live?”

“Some have lived over two thousand years,” Dart replied. “But many merfolk die before they reach old age from accidents or attacks by hostile sea creatures. Well, I must hurry to the city. Thank you for the information.”

Dart swam to the base of a large mountain several hundred feet below the ocean’s surface. He followed a path between huge rock formations until he came to a large cave that served as the city’s main entrance. Large mermen with spears lined the cave path into the city. As soon as Dart entered the city, he spotted the palace and swam toward the entrance. Two large blue-scaled mermen swam in front of him and blocked the entrance with their spears.

“Where do you think you’re going?” asked one of the guards. “I’m a hero who’s come to rescue Twinkle from Grim, the

evil warlock,” Dart declared. “I must speak with the Golden-Chime Mermaid before I undertake the quest.”

The Mission 5

“Oh, a hero,” replied the guard, a big smile on his face. “I’ll inform the Golden-Chime Mermaid that a hero is here.”

A few minutes later, he returned. “Her Highness doesn’t wish to see you.”

“Did you tell her I’m a silver-scaled merman?” Dart replied.“No,” answered the guard. “I don’t think your strange

color will make any difference.”“The silver scales will make a difference to her,” Dart

stated firmly. The guard sighed and left to give the mermaid Dart’s

message. A few minutes later, he returned with a puzzled expression on his face.

“Her Majesty will see you now.”Dart entered the palace and swam to the mermaid. She

was very pretty, with golden scales, blue eyes, and long golden hair. She certainly didn’t look like she was nearly one thousand years old.

“I’ve been expecting you.” She smiled. “The elders of your village said you would come this year. I see why the guards didn’t want to let you pass. You are very young for such a dangerous mission, but silver-scaled mermen are known for completing dangerous missions, regardless of their age. What is your name, young merman?”

“My name is Dart, Your Highness,” the young merman replied. “I was named Dart because I’m a very fast swimmer.”

“Please just call me Tinkle,” said the Golden-Chime

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Mermaid. “The power of my golden scales is fading. I will lose all of it in ten days. Twinkle must be back in the city by then. Giant squids have been spotted less than a mile away. Sharks swim closer than they have in a thousand years. I can sense that Twinkle is okay, but she is still a prisoner.”

“How can you sense her when she’s not anywhere close?” Dart wondered.

“We share a bond,” Tinkle answered. “I can tell that she’s safe and in good health. But she must be returned to the city by her fiftieth birthday to acquire my power to protect the city. Every five years, we have had to pay a pearl tribute to the evil warlock. The tribute will be due in ten days—on Twinkle’s fiftieth birthday. I’m told that the warlock uses pearls when casting his evil spells.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll rescue her and return her to the city,” Dart declared.

“And just how do you plan to rescue Twinkle and bring her back to the city? Do you know where she is being held captive and how to defeat the sea serpent that’s guarding her?” asked Tinkle.

“Well, no,” answered Dart, “I thought you knew where she was being held and how to defeat the sea serpent. Just how big is the serpent?”

“I fear the serpent is very large, and you’ll need the magic trident to protect you,” the mermaid told him. “A mighty wizard named William has the trident. He lives on the side of a volcano on an island that has a large tribe of unfriendly goblins.”

The Mission 7

“But how do I find the island?” asked Dart. “And, when I reach the island, how can I swim on land and up the side of a volcano? How do I get the trident away from a wizard?”

Dart looked at the mermaid and was surprised to see her smiling at him.

“Don’t worry, Dart,” Tinkle said in a soft voice. “William is my friend. He’s guarding the trident for me so that one of Grim’s minions can’t steal it. But you’ll need the blue staff to walk on land. The ancient sea turtle is guarding the blue staff. The turtle dwells on Turtle Island, which is a day’s swim from here. My dolphin friend, Dillard, will take you there. Once you have the staff, Dillard will lead you to the wizard’s island.”

“How could one of the warlock’s minions get in here to steal the trident?” asked Dart.

“Once a month, Grim uses pearls to cast a spell on one of his subjects so that it can resist my chimes,” the mermaid explained. “He uses them to spy on me. Several of his spies have been found and killed by my guards.”

Unknown to Dart and Tinkle, one of the warlock’s min-ions was in the palace. It was a sea snake, and it had heard every word of their conversation. The snake slid through a tiny hole in the palace wall and escaped unseen. It swam quickly through the water to report to a barracuda, another of the warlock’s minions.

Tinkle continued to inform Dart of the situation facing the city. “The warlock promised to return Twinkle when the

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last tribute is paid, but Grim is greedy. He knows there’s great wealth in Gold Chime City. I fear he will wait until my power is gone. Then he can attack with a powerful army and sack the city. If the city falls to his army, our people can flee through escape tunnels.”

“What if he does sack the city and still doesn’t free Twinkle?” Dart asked.

“Grim knows we will raise an army of our own from all the merfolk villages, and we have human friends that will help us,” she answered. “But if we attack his fortress, many humans and mermen will die. We can accept losing our wealth and paying ransoms if he returns Twinkle.”

Now Dart was even more determined to foil the warlock’s evil plans.