Astro Blast Simulator
and a change of
trousers), I had to
prove my bravery
by getting a snake
sidekick and
becoming a certified
ghost-hunter.
7
It’s kind of a long story. All you need to
know is that I proved how BRAVE I am.
But apparently, bravery is something you
have to prove over and over again.
I thought everything would go back to
normal and I’d never have to hear the words
‘Scaredy-Cat Sam’
again. But then we had a school trip to
the aquarium. And that was when things
really went wrong.4
It should have been a perfect day. I wasn’t
100 per cent sure what to expect at the
aquarium, but my best friend Bernard swore
it was going to be
4 But not quite as wrong as they went at the Space Museum.
Maybe I should stop going on school trips.
8
AMAZING.
Up until this point I’d had exactly three
experiences with the deep sea:
1. On my favourite show,
there was once an episode where they flew
to a water planet and met a flying space
sea turtle named Stephanie. There was
also an Evil Shark Lord
who was in cahoots with the
Ghost King5. It was a great episode. Most people would have found it TERRIFYING, but I was only a little bit scared.
5 He’s the number one-enemy in the universe, according to Captain Jane, Spaceman Jack and ME. But Evil Shark Lord is probably enemy number two.
9
,
2. The beaches in Hong Kong (where my family
is from) very sensibly have shark nets. To
keep out the sharks. My little sister Lucy
wondered what would happen if a shark
got IN the shark net, but I told her that
was impossible.6
3. When I asked Na-Na (that‘s my grandma –
she lives with us) what an aquarium was,
she told me it was like the big fish tanks
at the seafood restaurants in Chinatown,
which we go to on special occasions.
Na-Na always picks out a fish that is STILL
SWIMMING in a fish tank for us to have
for dinner. One time I named the fish, but
then it came out on a plate, so I don‘t name
the fish from the tank ANY MORE.
6 It actually sounded very possible and EXTREMELY scary. But I didn‘t
want to worry her so I put on a brave face. All part of being a big brother.
10
So I thought that the aquarium was
going to be like a giant fish tank where you
picked out your dinner. When I told Bernard and Zoe that their mouths dropped open.
‘EW!’ said Zoe.
I frowned. ‘Zoe, you eat fish. Just
yesterday you had fish fingers for lunch,’
I said.
‘That’s different!’ she spluttered. We were
on the bus on our way to the aquarium.
‘How?’ I said.
‘It just IS! Tell him, Bernard,’ she said.
Bernard frowned and
then took out his thinking glasses. He only wears them when he is thinking VERY HARD.
11
‘Well,’ he said. ‘Fish fingers come in a box.
So obviously it is a completely different
thing.’
‘Yeah!’ said Zoe. ‘And fish
don’t even have fingers.’
‘Exactly! Why are they
called fish fingers?’ I said,
wiggling my own fingers.
‘I don’t know,’ Zoe said loudly (the more
unsure about something she is, the louder she gets). ‘They just are. But I do
know you don’t eat the
fish at the aquarium.’
I shrugged. ‘Try telling Na-Na that.’
And then we arrived at the aquarium.
CHAPTER 3
alIEn eNcOUNter
From the outside, the aquarium looked a
lot like the Space Museum. It was a BIG
building and we had to queue up to go inside.
‘Hey, Sam
