CINDIA AND THE SHARK
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First 3 Chapters of the Novel
Chapter 1: Abandoned
At the helm of a pirate ship, the only sailor still awake tries to navigate through the foggy air. The night had just become dark, and it was getting difficult to see far into the distance.
“Captain!” the sailor called out, steering the ship.
The captain, who was an intimidating large man, strode up to the sailor. You could hear the old wooden floor creak and crack with every step. His black beard hung to his chest. His face was one large scowl. He looked like he was in a bad mood as usual. “Arrgh what is it?” The captain asked.
“Which direction did you want me to sail to? It looks like it will start raining soon.”
The captain paused for a second; he had no idea where he wanted to go. Because of his stubbornness, he would never admit to not knowing something. “Just keep the ship steady. I'm going down to talk to Cindia,” he said.
Down in the hold of the ship, a place where most of the cargo is held, sitting on a wooden box, quietly reading one of her books as always was the twelve-year-old daughter of the captain, Cindia. Most would describe her as an intelligent kid with somewhat of an attitude. She wore a pink bandana with her blonde pigtails sticking out the sides. A bracelet she made herself from scraps she found on shore. Cindia didn’t like the short pirate dress her father gave her, so she wore a blue wool sweater over top of it. She also always wore a white fur vest that she made out of a blanket. The most unique thing about her though, was that three butterflies flew around her. Cindia didn’t know why they did this, but she was happy for the company. All three butterflies were a different color; blue, pink, and green. They were very beautiful, and showed peculiar behavior.
As Cindia was reading her father walked into the hold, “Cindia, are you reading again? Unbelievable.”
Cindia stopped reading and looked up at her father. “Yeah, it's pretty much the only thing to do on this boat. All I have is this treasure chest full of books,” she said with attitude.
“Don’t remind me of one of the most disappointing moments of me life,” he grunted. “Finding a treasure chest full of books instead of treasure, bah.”
“Yeah, well I like these books, I am learning so much from them. I have learned about nature and science. I have read about a fairy-tale world that is more magical than my dreams. Plus it doesn't hurt to have someone with brains on this boat.”
Her father walked up to Cindia, and grabbed the book out of her hands. “Book smarts has no use for a pirate,” he said.
Cindia jumped to her feet in anger. “Well ya know, obviously I don't wanna be a pirate!” She yelled, clinching both her fists. “I hate the robbing, the stupid songs, and the smell of rotting wood in the morning.”
Her father threw the book down to the ground and walked out of the hold. “Fine then, only pirates belong on a pirate ship,” he muttered to himself.
Cindia looked around, and she noticed that the butterflies vanished when she yelled. She searched for them, but couldn’t find them anywhere. She sat down and started to relax. Her heart beat slowed, and after she had totally calmed herself, the butterflies reappeared. Cindia always shared her thoughts and feelings with the butterflies, wishing they would talk back.
“I’m sorry guys; he just gets me so mad sometimes. I wish I had other family, or a friend,” she said. “Huuuh, if only,” she sighed.
The captain had returned back to the helm of the ship, and now had an answer to the sailor's question, “Set a course for land, I have to drop something off.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” the sailor said.
Meanwhile, deep down in the sea, an eleven-year-old great white shark was swimming alone in the ocean. He was always alone, swimming and eating, swimming and eating. He had no friends or family and most creatures under the sea were afraid of him.
“Oh man, I'm so lonely. I haven't had any good company since my friend Sally swam away with another shark. Nobody under the sea likes me. I wish I could breathe out of water and go on land,” he said out loud to himself. “Huh…I wish.” The shark sighed.
Then all of a sudden, in a big flash of light, the water started to swirl like a tornado. There were flashes of different colored lights - red, yellow, green, and then purple. When the water settled and something appeared that the shark had never seen before—a woman with a fin. She had dark brown hair the same color as her skin, and purple streaks in her hair. Her eyes were bluer than the top of the ocean on the brightest day. The shark heard others talk about this creature.
“Are you a mermaid?” he asked.
She swam closer to the shark, “Yes I am, and I heard you make a wish.”
“Yes I did, I was just talking to myself,” he said with a sad look in his eyes.
“I can grant that wish you know?”
“You can?”
“Yes, but only for one week. I have only so much power for each wish that I grant. After that you will have to come back to the ocean. If you don’t you will run out of air, and be just like any other fish. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand…I think?” The shark could not believe what was happening. Instead of doubting her though, he approached it with an open mind.
The mermaid spun around in a circle. “I'll tell you what you can do,” she said. “Come back to this exact spot once you find that friend you seek. I'll have further instructions you may be interested in.”
The shark was so excited he could barely speak, “Yes I will!” He said, nodding his head. “One question though; how will I be able to move around on land?”
“You have unusually strong side fins for a shark. I will make them more flexible so you can drag your body along the ground.”
“Oh, thank you, that would be great. So can you grant my wish now?”
The mermaid smiled, and started to swim around the shark faster and faster. The water started to bubble like it was boiling but not hot. A loud magical sound echoed through the ocean, followed by a bright flash of light. The sea was then placid, and there was no trace of the shark or the mermaid. The water was quiet like nothing had happened.
Back above water, the ship sailed through the night as the sailor looked for a lighthouse. After just about an hour he spotted a dim light. He headed straight for it. The lighthouse became clearer the closer they got, land was near. The ship approached the shore.
“Captain we have made it to land!” The sailor yelled.
The captain heard the sailor, and returned back to the hold of the ship. He woke up Cindia who was sleeping peacefully.
“Oh, what is it?” Yawned Cindia, half asleep.
“Get up! I need to show you something.”
Cindia got up, and followed her father to the deck of the ship. She noticed the light house, “What are we doing at a beach?” She asked.
“See that? It's your new home,” her father said, pointing at the lighthouse.
“Huh?” Cindia said with a puzzled look on her face. “What… what are you talking about?” She cried.
“If you don't wanna be a pirate, then you don't belong on a pirate ship. Now get off!” He shouted, pointing at the ladder on the side of the ship.
Cindia looked at it then looked back at him. “You’re leaving me here alone?”
“No, of course not… you can take those three butterflies with you. Oh, and here is a book of fairy-tales to keep you company,” he said tossing the book over to her.
Cindia, with tears in her eyes, climbed down the ladder. She walked to the shore through the cold shallow water. Luckily her boots were high enough to keep her tights dry. Cindia stood on the sand and looked back at the ship in sadness.
The captain, feeling no emotion, walked past the sailor. “Captain, you’re just gonna leave her here?” The sailor said with fear in his voice.
“Aye!”
“But Sir she's your daughter.”
The captain shook his head, “She is not me daughter!” He snapped back. “She is nothing like me, I should have never kept her. I thought she would come in handy but books, butterflies, kindness? Ha! She belongs on land with her own kind,” he said before walking into the dark.
Cindia only knew of the world at sea. She didn’t know about a world of technology. For as long as she could remember, she only had knowledge about life on the pirate ship. She could not believe her father would just leave her on land like that. And to only leave her with one book!
Out of anger she ripped her bandanna off her head, and threw it in the water. She was shaking from the cold because it was late at night and raining. While she watched the ship sail away into the darkness, she wrapped her arms around her book. Cindia pointed her head up to the sky, and let out a high-pitched scream, as the butterflies turned to dust.
Chapter 2 Becoming Friends
The next morning, just as the sun was rising, Cindia came out of a well that she curled up in overnight. She was not able to stay the night in the lighthouse because the door was locked. Luckily she found a dried up well that wasn’t very deep.
Cindia started her day by walking along the beach by the water. To pass time she collected seashells, and brought them back to the well. She was sad and felt more alone than ever. At the edge of the water she stared at the Ocean. She thought about a song she had written called Far Apart. Cindia began to sing out loud.
“Even though you've gone away, you're with me every day, ‘cause no matter how far apart, I will always keep you in my heart.”
As Cindia was singing, about 500 feet away the shark found himself on land. “I can't believe it. I'm on the sand. This is so cool,” he said.
The Shark looked around the beach for anything he had never seen before. The only thing he found was a pink hat on the ground. It was a bonnet that was so torn up it looked like a baseball cap. He picked it up in his mouth, and started to crawl along the sand.
Out of nowhere he heard a soft melody. Hey, what's that sound? He thought. The Shark was immediately attracted to the sound and he started to crawl towards it. The melody got louder and louder the closer he got.
The sound was becoming more clear, “No matter how far away, I know it will be okay, ‘cause no matter how far apart, I will always keep you in my heart. I will always keep you in…my…heart,” Cindia sang, not knowing the shark was right behind her.
“That was beautiful,” the shark said.
Cindia turned around, “Ahhh!” both her and the shark screamed at the same time. Cindia was scared but only at first. “Hey you're a shark…a talking shark,” she said in amazement.
“You're not scared?” The shark said with a surprised look on his face.
“Well I was at first but now I don't know what to think or feel. What are ya doing on land?” She asked.
“I made a wish to be able to breathe out of water and go on land. Then right after I said those words, a magical mermaid appeared and granted my wish.”
Cindia got really excited. She had read about mermaids. “Wow that's amazing! So why did ya wish to come on land?”
“I wanted to meet some new creatures I had never seen before. Like what are those pretty little flying things beside you?”
Cindia didn’t notice that her three butterflies had reappeared. “Oh them…they are called butterflies. A butterfly is one of my favorite things in the whole world.”
Cindia then noticed the hat that the shark had picked up. "What is that pink thing you have beside you?”
“I don't know. I found it on the beach a couple minutes ago.”
Cindia picked it up. “It looks like some kind of hat. I have never seen a hat like this before. It reminds me of a duck,” she said looking at it with curious eyes. “Do ya mind if I wear it?”
“No of course not, go ahead. Sorry my teeth put two holes in it.”
Cindia then put on the hat, “That’s ok, I can put my two ponytails through the holes. That way the wind won't blow it off.” She tied the string under her chin, “So what is your name?”
“Shark…oh I don't know I have never been given one.”
“Oh I see… well Shark is cool. I think I will also call you Sharky. My name is Cindia.”
“Nice to meet you Cindia. So where do you live? Do you have any family?”
“I live there,” she said pointing towards the light house.
Cindia didn’t want to tell him about what recently happened to her. She kept it to herself because she was a little embarrassed.
“And nope, no family.”
“Is that normal for human girls your age to live alone?” Shark asked.
“I don't know the answer to that myself. I am the only human kid I know,” she said truthfully.
“Well we have that in common, because I don't have any family either. The shark then heard a growl come from Cindia's stomach. “What was that sound?” He asked.
“Oh that is my stomach growling. I haven’t eaten any food for awhile,” she said, rubbing her stomach.
“So what do human girls eat?”
“I have lived on a boat my whole life so I mostly eat fish, crabs, and seaweed.”
“Eeeeewwwww seaweed, that is gross,” Shark said with a disgusted look on his face.
“Well Shark, you eat fish that are still alive and I find that gross. I would really like something to eat though—could you catch a fish for me?”
The Shark smiled, and dove into the water. In just 30 seconds he came back on land with a fish in his mouth. “There you go Cindia,” he said dropping the fish onto the sand.
“Thank you, but I really only like it when it's cooked. We need to make a fire some way.”
“That’s no problem. I can breathe fire and cook it that way.”
Cindia’s eyes went wide, “Wait…you can breathe fire?” She squealed.
“Hahaha, no I'm just playing around,” Shark laughed.
No one had ever joked with Cindia before. She was not used to humor, but enjoyed it a lot, “Silly Shark, hahahahaaha.”
After they stopped laughing, Cindia went searching around the beach for something they could make a fire with. She gathered up a bunch of wood and made a tinder nest out of some dry plants that she could use to start a fire. Shark was watching her the whole time. He was very fascinated with how much work it took to eat a simple fish.
“Now I need to start the fire,” she said. Cindia took out a piece of flint that she always keeps in her vest. She also picked up a rock, “Watch this.” She started striking them together, and sparks started to fly off them into the tinder.
The fire started and Shark was amazed. He had the reflection of the flames in his black eyes. “Wow, you are magic too,” he said.
“Ha ha, no it's not magic, it's science. I love science, I have read many books about it,” she bragged. “I can now cook the fish.”
As the fish was cooking over the fire, Cindia and Shark shared stories about food. Food was The Shark’s favourite subject and almost all moments in his life had something to do with it.
After the fish was done cooking, Cindia started to eat it and threw a piece to Shark. “Here ya go! Try some fish that has actually been cooked.”
In just one bite Shark ate the whole thing. “It’s pretty good, but I do prefer it with a little blood.”
“Eeeeeew Shark, that's gross, ha ha.”
While they were eating the fish, Cindia was pondering something she wanted to ask Shark. After they were done eating, she couldn’t hold her thoughts in anymore. “Shark, how come I can talk to you, but not other fish?”
“Hmm… I don't know, maybe it has something to do with my wish,” Shark guessed. “I did say I wanted to meet new creatures and how can you meet them without communicating?”
A thought popped into Cindia's head, “Wait, I have a book of Fairytales,” she said. “We should look through it and see if we can find any information.”
They walked over to the well and Cindia took the book out of it. “Here we are. I'll check out the part about mermaids and wishes,” she said flipping through the pages.
This was the first time Shark had ever seen a book and he was confused about what she was doing. “Where did you learn to understand what the book is saying?”
“One of the pirates on the ship I grew up on taught me how to read. Of course the captain did not know that’s what he was teaching me. He kicked that pirate off the ship after he found out he was not teaching me battle strategies.”
After skimming through the pages she found no useful information. “Hmm… nope nothing in here.”
“That’s okay, let’s just be happy we can talk to each other,” Shark said.
“Yeah you're right Sharky. Hey, maybe I can teach you how to read sometime?”
“I would like that,” he said.
Cindia and The Shark hung out all day and into the night. Both of them were very happy they had found a new friend. They laid on the beach by the fire looking up at the stars. Cindia was telling Shark all about outer space. She got the information from what she had read in her space book.
“I have always wondered what it would be like to go into space,” she said. “What do you think it would be like, huh, Shark?”
“I imagine that it's a lot like being down deep in the sea. It would be very dark and have lots of weird creatures. Also, I think there would be a lot to explore.”
“That’s a good point,” she agreed. “I think it would be like the Abyss - a very scary dark place with lots to discover. I read that the universe is always expanding. And I believe if ya study science, so will your brain.”
The shark then remembered what the mermaid had said to him—that his wish was only good for one week. However, she also said that once he found what he was looking for, he could come back to the same part of the ocean that he made his wish. He was going to tell Cindia but he thought she already had a lot on her mind. So he let her sleep. “Goodnight Cindia,” he said.
“Good Night Sharky,” she replied yawning.
Cindia and Shark, two totally different creatures from two different worlds lay by a fire. They had both found comfort in their new friendship, no matter how strange it was. It takes a lot to trust someone you have just met but they knew in their hearts they could. As they fell asleep both couldn’t help but feel excitement for the next day. There was no need for dreams because reality had become much more whimsical.
Chapter 3: The Magical Mermaid
Early in the morning, Cindia woke up and looked around for Shark, but she couldn’t find him. She wondered if it was all just a dream.
"Shark! Shark!" Cindia called out.
A few seconds later, a fin popped out of the water and Cindia's eyes lit up with joy. "There you are!" She said.
"Good morning Cindia. I was just eating some breakfast."
Cindia ran up to Shark and hugged him. He thought it was a good time to tell her what the mermaid told him. "Hey Cindia, I should tell you that the Mermaid said my wish was only good for one week. After that time I will have to go back to the ocean."
"What? But...but that's not that much time," she said with a sad look in her eyes.
He noticed she was sad but he hadn’t told her everything the mermaid said. He wanted to cheer her up as fast as he could. "Wait there is more," he said.
"Huh? What...what?"
"The Mermaid said that once I found what I was looking for, I could go back and meet her in the same spot she granted my wish. She said she would have more information for me."
Cindia jumped to her feet with joy, "Well let's go find her together! I would like to talk to her. I have never met a mermaid before. The thing is though, I’m not a very strong swimmer."
"That's okay you can ride on my back. Just hold on to my fin tightly, and I promise I will keep you above water."
Cindia jumped onto Shark's back. "Ok let's go!" She yelled.
Shark headed into the water while Cindia held on tightly to his fin. He swam faster than she had ever gone before. Her pigtails were blowing in the wind. "Whooo hoooo!" She screamed. This was the most fun Cindia had in a long time. She felt free of all her worries. All the things that had happened in the past just didn’t seem to matter so much. She was happy now and that mattered more.
“Hey Shark, so how are we gonna find the spot you made your wish?”
“Are you kidding? I'm a shark. I know these waters like the back of my fin.”
Cindia was very excited about the thought of meeting a mermaid. She had only read about them in books. She didn’t know what was true and what was made up. She had so many questions but she didn't want to come off as annoying. She was even afraid she may not be able to say anything and that the words just wouldn’t come out of her mouth.
Shark noticed a leather bracelet with spikes that Cindia had made for herself. “Hey Cindia, what is that thing you’re wearing on your arm?” He asked.
“Oh that… it’s a bracelet.”
“What does it do?”
“It doesn’t do anything. I just like the way it looks - it’s called fashion.”
“Fashion?”
“Oh right you’re an animal. You don’t wear clothes, so ya don’t know about fashion.”
As Shark started to slow down, Cindia knew they were almost there. She felt herself getting really nervous but in a good way.
Shark stopped. “This is the place I made my wish.”
“So what do we do now?” she asked.
“I don't know, I guess we just wait here. Want a play a game while we ‘re waiting?”
“What kind of game can we play? We are out in the middle of the ocean.”
“How about I say that I see something that is a certain color, and you have to guess what it is?”
“Sharky, that sounds like ‘I spy with my little eye’. That won't be very challenging. All we can see is water and the sky.”
“Yeah, I guess you have a point.”
Cindia was starting to grow impatient. “Did she tell you anything else… Like a magic word or something?”
He started to think, “Hmmmmm…no no, just to meet her back at this same place.”
Cindia was going to ask him if he was sure that they were in the right place. But before she could, a big flash of light came out of the water. It made both of them close their eyes, and when they opened them, there was the mermaid. The top half of her body was sticking out of the water. “Hello there,” the mermaid said.
“Hey, I came back to the spot just like you told me,” Shark said cheerfully.
“Yes, and I see you have found a friend.”
The first two things the mermaid noticed about Cindia were her three butterflies and her hat. The mermaid knew right away that there was something special about Cindia. The mermaid also knew she had information that Cindia would like to know if she didn’t already. She decided to ask her about only one of the two things.
“Do you know that those butterflies are magic butterflies?” She asked.
“They are?” Cindia said with a shocked look on her face.
“Yes. Do they disappear when you get angry?”
“Yeah, they do, every time. These are the only butterflies I have ever seen before, so I thought it was normal behaviour for them.”
“I don’t know why they chose to hang around you but it explains why you are able to speak to the shark,” she said. “Because of them you will be able to speak to any magical creature. And that brings me to you Shark. You want your wish to last longer, don't you?”
“Yeah that’s right, you read my mind. I don't want to lose my new best friend.”
“There is a way for a wish to last a long time,” the mermaid said. “You will have to find an enchanted item.”
“An enchanted item? What do you mean?” Shark asked.
“Remember I told you that I only have so much power for each wish? Well an enchanted item has the ability to keep that wish from running out of power. An item becomes enchanted when a mermaid, or a genie, or any wish granter dies. After they pass on, their power is then transferred into their favorite object. Your wish will keep going if you either have possession of that object or you give it to the one who granted your wish. The magic left in the item depends on how long ago the wish granter died.”
“So, how can we find this item?” Cindia asked politely.
“I do know of an enchanted item that still has a lot of power left in it. It is a magic gem that is hidden somewhere in a rainforest. It is located just five hours north from here. Since it is on land I am not able to locate it.”
“A small little gem hidden in a big rainforest?” Cindia said. “How are we gonna find it?”
“Lucky for you—you have those magic butterflies. They will start to glow brighter and brighter the closer you get to an enchanted item. But don’t be deceived because they will also glow around something that has had a spell cast upon it,” the mermaid explained. “Where did you find those butterflies anyway?”
“They were in a treasure chest full of books.”
“Hmm, that probably means one of those books was enchanted. Were they glowing when you found them?”
“No, they weren’t.” Cindia said very disappointedly
“Interesting. Well that could mean the magic had most likely ran out of the book,” the mermaid guessed.
“How come they don’t glow around me?” Shark asked. “Did I not have a spell cast on me?
“No, you had a wish granted which is something entirely different. There isn’t time for me to explain. You must get going.”
They were trying to pay attention to as much information as they could. They knew remembering what the mermaid was saying was crucial to finding this enchanted gem. It was a lot for them to take in but luckily Cindia was like a sponge. She was great at absorbing and remembering information.
“I have one more question for you Mrs. Mermaid,” Shark said. “So if we do find the item, should we keep it ourselves or bring it back to you?”
“Well since I am still alive it would be much safer for you to bring it back to me. That way I can keep it safe for you and extract magic out of it to give more power to your wish. This would be more convenient for you because you don't have to hold on to it or worry about someone taking it.”
Both Cindia and Shark knew they had a big task ahead of them. They were worried they wouldn't be able to accomplish it but were determined to.
“We will find it!” Cindia said confidently.
“We got to get going. We have less than a week to find it,” Shark insisted.
They were about to take off but the mermaid had one more important thing to tell them. “Oh, there is something that you two must know. Beware, there are other magical creatures looking for that item,” the mermaid warned them.
Just as Cindia and Shark looked back at her, the mermaid vanished like a flash of light. Before she disappeared they were going to ask her about the other creatures looking for the gem.
“I wonder what she meant by that?” Shark said.
“Don’t worry Sharky, we can take on anything. I mean how bad can they be?”
Chapter 4: Bullery Rex
In this chapter you will meet one of the most tyrannical villains ever, and his vampire bat henchman, Hanger. To read more please purchase the book. Please enjoy the songs in the meantime.