It had the tiny, mean eyes of a rat and the snarling mouth of an alligator.
Of course, just because it looked like a nasty piece of work didn't mean it was dangerous. After all, sharks on the Planet of Whimsy might be whimsical, arty creatures. They might be pets!
Then again, this shark had come from behind her. So it was probably more likely it was from Volcomania than Whimsy.
She realized she should stop calling it a shark.That was an Earthling word. It might be called something quite different here. She wouldn't feel as frightened about it if it were called, for example, a teddy bear. Oh, look at the nice teddy bear, she would think to herself.
Although, even if it were called a teddy bear, she still wouldn't like the look of those sharp, pointy teeth.
"Nicola," said Katie. "Don't look now, but there is a horrible shark swimming right next to you."
"It's not a shark," said Nicola. "It's a teddy bear."
"Huh?" said Katie.
Whatever the creature was called, it suddenly swam ahead, moving straight and fast like an expertly thrown dart.
"Shimlara! Greta! Watch out behind you!" called Nicola.
The shark stopped.
"Oh no," said Katie quietly.
It swam back around to face them, as if it were squaring up for a fight.
Now Nicola saw that it didn't look that much like an Earthling shark at all. It had a curved horn in the middle of its forehead. A horn like you might see on a rhinoceros.
It didn't make it look any friendlier or more teddylike. In fact--
"Watch out!" screamed Katie.
The shark-rhino was swimming straight for Nicola.
Katie grabbed Nicola's arm and dragged her out of the way. Nicola heard the creature's horn clink against the glass of the bubble protecting her face.
"It's coming after you!" cried Shimlara. "Swim!"
Nicola and Katie swam as if they'd just heard the starter gun for the most important race of their lives.
Greta and Shimlara took off, too. The frantic flapping of their mermaid tails created a washing-machine effect.
As Nicola tried to see through the whirlpool of frothy white water, her eye was caught by something.
The little arrow on the inside of her scuba diving suit's glass bubble had turned red. She had less than five minutes before her air ran out.
CHAPTER 18
Which would I prefer? thought Nicola.
Option A: a vicious underwater attack by a shark-rhino?
Option B: running out of air in the claustrophobic Underground Sea?
Option C: painful, possibly fatal, decompression sickness from swimming too fast to the surface?
NONE OF THE ABOVE,screamed Nicola silently.
She looked up and saw she couldn't swim to the surface even if she wanted. She would just bump her head on the top of the tunnel and the shark-rhino would have her cornered. She knew that she should have been breathing slowly and calmly to conserve the last precious drops of oxygen but it was impossible. She was breathing in giant, panicky gulps.