Everyone gasped. I stared. The Golden Woggle was beautiful. I saw Reggie Ray looking greedily at it.
Brown Trout was handing out cards. ‘After you’ve helped someone, give them your card and ask them to tick off one Help Point. They can tick off more if they think you’ve been extra-helpful.’
I took our Help Points card back to Ozzie and Myrtle. They started talking excitedly about what sort of things we could do. I just couldn’t stop looking over at the Golden Woggle.
We had to win it. We WOULD win it!
Thought of the Day: There can be only ONE winner of the Golden Woggle.
TUNASDAY
I got up at 5 am and started being helpful immediately.
First I did some hoovering. But I accidentally hoovered up my little brother Diddy’s favourite soft toy, Sharkie. Diddy’s screams brought Mum and Dad hurtling in from the bedroom – they thought I was murdering Diddy! Dad had to shake the vacfish until Sharkie fell out. He’d lost an eye, some teeth and most of his stuffing, but apart from that he was okay.
Mum collapsed on the sofa. ‘Please, Darcy, no more hoovering!’
‘But I need Help Points!’ I showed Mum the Help Points card. Mum groaned and clutched her head. I thought maybe she was coming down with something.
‘You look ill,’ I said, patting her fin. ‘You should go back to bed. I’ll do all the housework today.’
‘I’m fine, sweetiefins. It’s just – a little early.’ She yawned. ‘I need a cup of sea . . .’
I leapt up. ‘I’ll make it!’
‘Darcy, wait . . .’
‘It’s no trouble . . .’
I whizzed into the kitchen, Remy on my tail. What did I need? Seabags, milk, sugar. The seabags were right at the back of a cupboard and I had to chuck loads of things out to get to them. I dropped the milk when I got it out of the fridge, but that was okay, Mum would just have to have black sea. I opened every single cupboard and pulled everything out but couldn’t find the sugar anywhere. Then I opened the top cupboard.
No sugar. But there WAS a big stack of Jiggling Jellies!
My mouth started watering. Jiggling Jellies are my favourite sweets. They were very untidily stacked, though.
I decided to tidy the cupboard up.
I’m not sure how, but I somehow managed to tidy every single Jiggling Jelly in the cupboard into my mouth.
‘DARCY! WHAT IS GOING ON?’
Mum was at the door, looking horrified. The kitchen looked like an underwater volcano had erupted in it. In the middle of the mess, guzzling the food I’d thrown out in my search for the sugar, was Remy. He wagged his tail at Mum, and burped loudly.
I quickly slurped in the Jiggling Jelly that was hanging out of my mouth.
‘It’s okay Mum, I’ll tidy up,’ I said. ‘And then I’ll make breakfast . . .’
Mum went a very funny colour and started twitching. She said that the most helpful thing I could do would be to not help any more, and that if I managed that she would give me a Help Point.
‘But Mum . . .’
‘NO BUTS!’
Thought of the Day: Never argue with a parent who is a funny colour and/or twitching.
WHALESDAY
‘Can I help you today, Mum?’ I pleaded at breakfast. ‘I really need Help Points.’
Mum started twitching again.
‘I know, why don’t you see if Ozzie’s mum needs any help?’ Dad said quickly.
I decided to call for Myrtle first, and then we swam round to Ozzie’s shipwreck, The Lucky Gull. Ozzie’s mum had gone out.
‘She’s helping gran with her shopping,’ Ozzie said.
DING! I had a tidal brainwave.
‘WE can help old ladyfish with their shopping! We’ll wait outside the supermarket and carry their bags home for them!’
Myrtle and Ozzie wanted to wait for Ozzie’s mum. I reminded them that I was Shoal Leader and they had to do what I said.
We swam to Fishco, the biggest supermarket in town. As we got there I saw Reggie Ray hovering around by the doors, with two more Sea Trouts.
‘What are the Guppies doing here?’ I said crossly.
Ozzie gulped. ‘I have a bad feeling about this –’
At that moment a little old ladyfish came swimming through the doors, carrying two full shopping bags.
‘Minnows – GO!’ I shouted, diving towards the ladyfish. But Reggie was quicker.
‘Can I help you with those bags, madam?’ said Reggie.
The ladyfish blinked in surprise.
‘I’ll help you!’ I said loudly, darting round Reggie and grabbing one of the bags.
‘Hey!’ Reggie tried to grab it off me. Suddenly the other Guppies dived in, all of them trying to grab the bag. Then . . .
‘OW!’
The old ladyfish whacked me on the head with the other bag!
‘I’ll have that back, thank you!’ She scurried away, muttering some not very ladyfishlike things under her breath. The Guppies swam off too, sniggering.
‘Darcy! Are you okay?’ Ozzie and Myrtle dashed over. Ozzie had turned a shocking pink (he changes colour when he gets stressed).
I groaned. ‘My head hurts! Is there a giant lump?’
Myrtle said she couldn’t see one. Then Ozzie said that old ladyfish were too dangerous and we should go back to his shipwreck and wait for his mum.
‘Well, all right,’ I said. ‘But it’s . . . wait – look over there!’
An old turtle was waiting to cross a road.
‘Darcy, is this a good idea?’ Ozzie said.
‘Yes! Come on!’
I zoomed over to the turtle, keeping an eye out for lurking Guppies.
‘We’ll help you, sir!’ I took the turtle’s flipper. He looked a bit startled, but I had to be quick in case Reggie Ray showed up. Streams of fast-moving fish were whizzing along the road in both directions.
‘After this one . . . GO!’
I yanked the turtle out into the road.
HOOOOONK! A whale shark swerved to avoid us. Then SCREEEEECH! A school of mackerel coming the other way screeched to a halt. Behind me I could hear Ozzie and Myrtle saying ‘Sorry, really sorry . . .’
When we got to the other side of the road the turtle collapsed in a quivering heap.
‘There