Chapter 2

” I, I, look out the window!” She says, “See for yourself,”  

She’s pacing up and down my room. I draw the curtains ever so slightly and peer down the Black Sea’s main road. “Nothing,” I say

I need to find this ‘Crocamander’ if she claims to have seen it, it could be after her. I grab my Wellington boots and throw one of the abandoned  jackets at her. “We need to find it,” I sigh, “ummm?” 

“Jules,” she nods.

We walk together down the seafront. I’m starting to regret opening my window for Jules if I didn’t, she may have been swallowed by it. A shadow bolts into the darkness of the pier. The sky is  fading a dark grey and a storm is brewing. Jules turns to face me and gulps. I point down towards the pier and all of a sudden we’re running. 

When we get to the sand we turn to look around. Then I realise all of the stalls have been knocked over and some where missing a piece. The deck chairs from Mr Brown’s Barbers and Sunny Side Souvenirs are half way down the street and the local newsagent’s boarded up. Shuffling behind me, I see something. “Jules? Did you see that?” I ask… ” THERE! I saw it again! Tell me you saw it!”

“Umm..” she gulps, “Turn around … slowly,”  I turn.

A human like shadow lurks in the distance. “That’s just Mr Paul grabbing something from…” I stop. Mr Paul doesn’t walk like or gurgle like that. I creep backwards and grab Jules’ hand. I have only known her for an hour but her hand comforts me like someone I’ve known my whole life. It’s picking up speed . “Umm… Boy. Runnnnnnn!” Jules says. We’re runnung and all of a sudden I feel a gust of wind as it pounces upward. “JULES!” I scream, pulling her away and we both look at it. It scurries away into the shadows. “Boy?” She says, re-gripping my hand.

“Leo,” I correct.

“Was that the-” she says me interrupting.

“The Crocamander? I think so…”

We walk back toward the aquarium, with horror in our eyes…

Do you remember you visit to black sea? No? Yes, well that’s because it would have been called Sunny Side Sea. You probably stayed in Mr Crab’s inn and had your dinner at Miss Susan’s Fish and chips. Remember? In summer?

In summer the waves roll calmly and the sun beams down like a torch. In summer dogs run freely, their owners frolicking behind. You would have seen tourists all over: dads with huge camouflage backpacks, with their ham butties, yogurts and crips; knitting clubs gossiping about the absent members scarf; teachers cluelessly following maps looking for the next bathroom stop and sale men singing, “BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!” The breeze would have blown ever so slightly and the clouds would have packed their bags and left. 

But in winter… you probably forgot Sunny Side Sea ever existed. That’s because it would have changed… It changed from ice cream in the park and to locked doors and closed curtains. From sun shine to hail and snow. From busy crowds to abandoned streets. Even locals avoid leaving the shelter of their homes : they say they have reasons. Sunny side sea os a different place in the winter: it’s the black sea.

 Hi, my name is Leo Goldfish, but most people call me L. I work at Sunny Side Sea Aquarium. My job is ‘fish feeder’. My mum, when she was alive, told me it would be hilarious if I worked with fish when I grew up. That was my last memory of her. Anyway, enough of that, I sleep in a small storage room, with an old single bed, a dusty set of drawers and a security TV. I like my TV because it allows me to keep an eye on everyone up to no good. 

I ended up working at the aquarium when I was four years old. Back then my job was ‘sale man’. I was sent outside and had to wave plastic nets in the air singing ” COME TO SUNNY SIDE SEA, WHERE ARE PRICES ARE CHEAPER THAN CHEAP!” 

I was put in an orphanage when my parents died, apparently. My boss, Mr Meen, says I was too naughty for an orphanage so they sent me here. I was confused when Mr Meen told me that I don’t remember orphanage life. I mean I was three. All I could remember was my name: Leo Goldfish and that I was hungry. 

I am twelve now and follow a strict routine: make sure to feed the fish! Sometimes I get no sleep at all because of my job. The Australian Coral Sharks have to eat from four till five so I end up throwing a ball up and down. Someone once told me it is illegal for a child to work but I love being at sunny side. 

In summer, schools come visit us on trips. They often ask why I’m not at school but I’m to busy for school, plus I plan on working here forever. Summer is out busiest season. In winter nobody comes. 

*Knock, Knock, Knock*

A girl keep banging on my window.

“Let me in!” I hear a voice say on the cameras. The aquarium is closed so I simply ignore her. Finally, I give in. “Hello?” I say. With no reply, she slips in. Searching for a box or something big she taps on my drawers. “Hide me. In there,” she demands. I look at her confused. I open the drawer and gesture her in. Wait!

 Before I carry on, I am going to tell you about the legend of Sunny Side… During the winter of 1890 folks claim to have felt a colder breeze than normal. They say a strange cry was heard from the coast. Curious, Marry Jennings went down to explore, only she never came back. Old locals claim to have seen a large, slimy crocodile, while other say it’s all  bonkers. Legend has it that this ‘Crocamander’ came for revenge. Revenge on the family that killed her hatchlings. Whatever she came for she means business. 

“Wait,” I say shutting the draw, “why?”

“I saw it!” She says sweat dripping from her head.

“Seen what and why are you sweating? I reply

“I saw the big, slimy green thing, now let me in and you hide too!” She demands.

I stop. The Crocamander? It hasn’t been seen in over 50 years and I didn’t even think it was real! I am suggesting all the green slimy things I know till the last thing possible…

“The Crocamander?” I mumble.

The cow that jumped over the moon

I’d like you to imagine a cow, 

but not your ordinary cow, 

Your cow

I’d like you to picture this cow and CONCENTRATE!

Keep it in your mind like you would a promise from your mum and dad…

Now please fill in the survey:

Does your cow prefer white or black?

How well does your cow know the rhyme ‘hey diddle diddle’?

Did your cow win the most beautiful cow at the fair?

What is its normal purchase semi-skimmed or full fat?

What is your cow’s octave range?

Is your cow a Liverpool fan or a… c… i… t… y … fan?

Does your cow live in a barn or a field?

Has your cow been to that place were we did that thing underneath you know next to them people?

Is your cow an appropriate age to cry when hungry?

When was the last time your cow had a chocolate cake with a coffee drizzle and a hazelnut swirl with a vanilla and sprinkle filling?

Is it true?

Can I too be friends with your cow?

Can I too hold it in my mind like an untold promise desperate to be told? 

Can I?

My lucky coin by Harley

On Monday, I found a rusty one pence coin abandoned on the edge of the path holding on for dear life.

On Tuesday , I walked to the park reuniting with my younger days, a spring in my step as I danced.

On Wednesday, I saw a honey been land on a solitary tulip blowing in the early morning air.

On Thursday, I touched a granite memorial and took my thoughts back to what it would be like…

On Friday, I tasted a sweet vanilla ice-cream as it dripped on my hoodie I let out a small giggle.

On Saturday, I heard the whistle of the wind as it brushed past my window singing good morning to all who would listen.

On Sunday I dreamt of my week and I woke up laughing in realisation of all the memories I had made.