Auby the Blue Turtle

Peekay lay completely tangled in the messy ropes of the torn fishing net on the deck of the
boat.

“Help!” he squeaked. The air outside the water felt strange and dry, and none of his friends
was there to hear him.

Suddenly, a giant shadow fell over him. A fisherman began to roll up the broken net and
stopped dead in his tracks. He carefully untangled Peekay’s wonky, mismatched antennae.

“Well, I never! A bright pink prawn?” The man looked completely puzzled. Peekay froze,
holding his breath and daring not to move a single one of his ten little legs.

The fisherman shook his head. “Looks like you’ve been sitting in the blazing sunshine far too long, my little friend.”  With a gentle chuckle, he tossed Peekay over the side of the boat and back into the sea.

Peekay hit the water and swam for his life! He called out for Forna and Auby, hoping with all his heart that they would find him, but the wide ocean around him was quiet and empty. After swimming for a long, long time, his mismatched legs grew tired, and he desperately needed to rest.

When he finally opened his eyes, he was stunned. Bobbing up and down right in front of him was a sweet little grey prawn.

“Hello. I’m Ginnie,” the little prawn said softly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Peekay,” he replied, his voice sounding unusually sad and muddled.

Meanwhile, back in the deeper waters, Auby was doing his best to comfort Forna, who was completely beside herself with worry.

“He can’t look after himself with those silly, wonky legs! What if I never see my best friend
again?” Forna sobbed.

Forna was so upset that her Mummy and Daddy gently guided her back toward the safety of the orange coral reef, leaving Auby, his Daddy and Sid planning a search for their pink
friend. 

Out in the open ocean, Peekay finished telling Ginnie all about his grand adventures and his wonderful friends. Ginnie listened closely. She had lost her own family to a fishing net a long time ago, and she knew how lonely the big sea could be.

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“Can I come with you to find them?” Ginnie asked hopefully.

Peekay’s heart did a happy little flip. “I would love that!”

Suddenly, a deep, rumbling sound vibrated through the water. The fishing boat’s engine was getting closer again!

“We have to leave straight away!” Ginnie whispered.

A long distance away, Auby’s sharp ears caught the rumble of the engine too. There was no time to lose! Knowing his best friend was in danger, Auby zoomed forward at high superhero speed, leaving a trail of bubbles behind him.

“Auby, wait for us!” his daddy shouted.

Auby looked back for just a split second, but when he turned around—boof! Something
bright pink smacked him right in the face!

“Peekay?!” Auby gasped, blinking in surprise.

“Auby, my friend! You came back for me!” Peekay cheered delightfully. He swam forward
and tried to wrap all ten of his crazy legs around Auby’s blue flipper in a giant hug.

Ginnie shyly swam up and introduced herself to Auby.

“Ginnie is coming to live with us in the orange coral reef.” Peekay told the group, and they swam back toward the bright lights of the coral reef.

When they crossed through the city gates, a streak of orange flashed through the water.
“Peekay!” Forna screamed with pure joy and relief, racing over to greet him. But as she drew closer, she stopped. Ginnie was still floating right next to Peekay, and Forna’s happy smile quickly turned into a frown. She wasn’t sure if she was happy that Peekay had found a new friend, but it wasn't long before Ginnie and Forna became the best of friends.

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All the sea creatures gathered together at the orange coral reef, old friends, new friends and families. Auby's mummy had joined them, and Auby thought to himself that he couldn't be any happier. He had so much to look forward to and so many more adventures to come. 

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