Read Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest for Free Online Page A

first. OK, I’m off again. You are the greatest Fin, giving me your wetsuit and this ultra cool mask.” Once again Tarkin threw himself into the water and with a yell and a splash he vanished.
    Magnus Fin, standing neck high in the water, started counting again: 17–18–19–20–21 …
    As he did he felt something nudge his ankles … 28–29–30 … He thought it was a frond of seaweed but after five more seconds it came again, a thick warm nudge this time against his knees. Still counting, Magnus Fin felt about in the water … 46–47–48 … His hand brushed something sleek and warm. Whatever it was, it moved. Suddenly the great head of a seal raised itself above the water and stared into Magnus Fin’s eyes, not three inches away. The seal’s eyes were a glistening seagreen, and kind, and concerned. The seal didn’t open its mouth but it was as if Magnus heard the creature speak.
    “Quick! Your friend is in danger. Save him. Quick!” And as silently as it had appeared the seal lowered its gentle dog-like head and vanished from sight.
    In an instant Magnus Fin dived down into the water and swam as fast as he could towards the wreck. And sure enough there was Tarkin under the water kicking and thrashing and sinking. Magnus kicked his ankles, swam underneath Tarkin, swung his friend’s thrashing arm over his own shoulder, and in three strokes brought Tarkin back up to the surface. In seconds he had Tarkin lying tummy down on the beach, beating his back.
    “Tarkin!” he shouted as he pummelled, his voice choked with fear and worry, “ Tarkin! ”
    These seconds dragged like long, awful minutes. Magnus Fin’s heart pounded in his chest. Tears stung his eyes. Suddenly, with a great gasp and a heave, Tarkin lifted his head and a gallon of seawater gushed out of his lungs. Magnus cried out and continued pummelling his friend’s back. Tarkin, too, cried out then he struggled to sit up, his face white as a sheet and streaming with water.
    “I’m really sorry, Tarkin,” Magnus Fin gasped. “I thought you were doing fine. I didn’t know. Something brushed my legs. A seal. I think it was a seal. Then I knew you were in danger. You were drowning.” The words tumbled out. Shaking,relieved words.
    “Thanks, Fin. You saved me. I can’t swim. I just said I could. I can’t. I can’t dive. I wanted to. Oh God, I nearly drowned.” Magnus Fin couldn’t tell what were tears and what was seawater, it was all salty and streaming down Tarkin’s face.
    “I thought you could swim. Tarkin, I thought you were a great swimmer?”
    “No. I thought if I tried maybe I could. I just said that to myself.” His panting and gasping stopped. Tarkin looked at his friend, and Magnus thought he had never seen such a sad look from a boy. “We never hang around anywhere long enough for me to go to lessons. I want to swim. I really want to, Fin.”
    “Well, at least you’re safe now.” Magnus slapped his friend on the back. The two boys laughed and laughed out of sheer relief, not knowing that just behind them a beautiful seal lifted her head out of the water, for a second stared at them, then lowered herself back into the sea.

Chapter Nine
    That following Sunday, the day of Magnus Fin’s eleventh birthday, something happened to change his life for ever. Since his parents’ aging, birthdays were very much like any other day – or they had been – until now. Magnus Fin remembered years earlier, when he was three years old, his mother had baked a cake and given him presents. She had sung happy birthday and danced about the small cottage. He remembered his father gave him a mini-surfboard . Those had been happy days.
    “Happy birthday, Magnus Fin,” he said to himself, stretching and gazing at his mermaid picture. He would make the day special for himself in some way: go to the beach and see what the tide had brought in; eat a huge bag of pick-and-mix sweets then go to his favourite rock pool; perhaps take Tarkin to his