'I'll help you to save them,' said Laura. She grabbed a bucket.
'We'll tip them into that rock pool,' said Scott. 'But we've got to hurry!'
'Don't touch them,' he warned. 'Even the babies sting.'
They scooped up the babies in buckets. Then they ran to the rock pool and tipped them in.
'Hurry!' cried Scott. 'The sea's going out!'
5
Laura dashed to the rock pool. Slosh! The babies poured out like rainbows.
She ran back again and again. Until her legs wouldn't work any more.
'I-can't-run-another-step!' she gasped, setting down on the sand.
'It's all right,' said Scott. 'Look! The tide's coming in!'
Laura lifted her head. It was true!
'Hurray! She yelled. 'We've saved them. We saved the jellyfish babies!'
Scott and Laura went to look in the rock pool.
'It's like jellyfish soup in there!' said Laura.
'But they're safe,' said Scott. 'And when the tide comes in, it'll take them out to the deep, deep sea-where they belong.'
'I like jellyfish now,' said Laura. 'They're beautiful, aren't they? I'm really glad we saved them. And now the jelly worker won't get them. They won't be taken to the Jelly Shoe Factory and made into jellyfish shoes.'
Scott looked very guilty.
'I was going to tell you about that,' he said. 'There isn't any jelly shoe Factory. 'There isn't any jelly workers. They don't make jelly shoes out of washed-up jellyfish.'
'How do you know?' said Laura.
'Because it's just a story. I made it all up!'
'No you didn't !' said Laura.
'I did, I did, honest!' said Scott.
But Laura didn't believe him.
'Where are my jellyfish shoes anyway?' she asked Scott.
Scott looked around. 'I don't know. I put them down when I went to get the buckets. They can't have walked off by themselves…'
Laura looked around too. The beach was empty. Then she saw a line of stars, in the sand. They led right down to the sea.
'There they are!' Scott pointed.
Laura saw her jellyfish shoes. They were bobbing about on the waves. They were heading out to sea. Scott waded into the water. 'I'm going to get them back!' he said.
Laura thought for a minute. Then she said, 'No. Let them go.'
She waved at them. 'Bye bye, jellyfish shoes,' she said, a little sadly.
'What are you going to tell Mum?' asked Scott. 'She'll be very angry!'
But Laura wasn't listening. She was smiling a secret smile. She was thinking about her jellyfish shoes having a lovely time… swimming with whales and dolphins and octopuses… back in the deep, deep sea where they belonged.