Mermaids in the Backyard Read Online Free Page A

both sisters came with it. So did Finneus. He didn’t seem shy at all now. Lindy laughed as the little sea horse bumped his head into her hand. He reminded her of her old neighbors’ friendly Siamese cat.
    “Thank you, Lindy Drylander!” Sealily cried joyfully, flicking her tail. “Thanks for helping us!”
    “Yes.” Coral wriggled closer and grasped Lindy by the hand. “We’ll never forget you.”
    As the waves pulled out and themermaid’s hand slipped out of hers, Lindy said, “I’ll never forget you, either.”

“Hey!” someone cried.
    Lindy spun around. Jessica was hurrying around the corner of the bug house. One hand clutched the hood of her raincoat to keep it from blowing off.
    Oops. Lindy realized she’d been standing there staring out to sea ever since the mermaid sisters had disappeared beneath the waves.
    “What are you doing out here?” Jessica demanded when she got closer. “Good thing I saw you before I called Sheriff Tom! I totallypanicked when I got here and you weren’t in the house.…”
    There was more, but Lindy barely heard it. She still couldn’t believe what had happened. Mermaids! She’d just met two real-life mermaids.
    Finally Jessica noticed that she wasn’t listening. “Are you okay?” she asked, looking worried. “What are you doing standing out here in the storm, anyway?”
    “Nothing,” Lindy said. “I guess I was just looking for, you know, sea monsters and, uh, mermaids.” She held her breath. If Jessica had ever seen a mermaid around there, maybe she’d say so now.
    Instead, Jessica just looked annoyed. “Stop goofing around. You could have been struck by lightning!”
    Another yell came from up by the house.Lindy looked over and saw Matthew jogging toward them.
    “What are you two doing out here?” he asked.

    “Getting wet,” Jessica told him. “What about you?”
    He grinned. “The triplets were screaming at all the thunder. I saw you guys over here, so I sneaked out.”
    Jessica rolled her eyes. “Come on,” she ordered, sounding like a bossy babysitter. “Let’s get inside before we all turn into fish!”
    Or merpeople
, Lindy thought, glancing out at the stormy sea. Then she turned and followed the others into the bug house.
    That night Lindy dreamed about being a mermaid. In the dream, she lived with Coral and Sealily and Finneus in an undersea castle made of barnacles, coral, and life jackets. Whenever she wanted to go somewhere, she called a friendly whale. Once, the whale carried her all the way to Lake Michigan.When they got there, Tara was waiting on the shore. She didn’t believe in mermaids at first. But when she saw Lindy’s shiny new tail, she laughed and laughed at the top of her lungs.…
    Lindy woke up. Tara’s laughter turned into a seagull’s shrill cry. Several of the birds were calling loudly right outside her window.
    Strong morning sunshine poured into Lindy’s new room. The storm was finally over. The sky was an endless ceiling of blue except for a few high, fluffy clouds. Everything on the ground was still wet, though. Water droplets sparkled like jewels wherever Lindy looked.
    All through breakfast, she couldn’t stop thinking about the mermaid sisters. In the bright sunshine, even the storm seemedunreal. Could she have imagined the whole adventure?
    Maybe I tripped and hit my head on a rock
, she thought, stirring her cereal. The banana slices floating in it looked like little bald merpeople peeping up at her.
I heard people imagine weird stuff sometimes when they’re unconscious
.
    “Any plans today, Lindy?” her father asked, pouring himself more coffee. “Want to come help out at the dock?”
    “What? Um, maybe.” Lindy was too lost in thought to worry about her family’s new business. “First I think I’ll look around outside. Okay?”
    Her parents traded a glance. “All right,” her mother said. “Why don’t you put on your swimsuit? It’s going to be a hot one out there today.”
    “If you’re