Deep Sea Diver
Nadine Cowan
Deep Sea Diver
Written by Nadine Cowan
Illustrated by Nadine Cowan and Katie Crumpton
CHAPTER 1
It was 40 degrees in London. Aniyah, her cousin EJ, and their friend Olivia were at the local outdoor swimming pool.
“3 ... 2 ... 1 … GO!” yelled Olivia.
Aniyah and EJ dived off the side of the pool.
EJ’s fingertips pierced the surface of the water first, his body straight and his toes pointed. Aniyah wasn’t far behind.
EJ loved being in the water, and his confidence grew with each stroke.
EJ did a flip turn at the other end of the pool, but Aniyah had caught up with him. She could hear Olivia’s screams of excitement as she got to the end of the length and popped her head up from below the water.
“You won!” Olivia laughed.
As Aniyah climbed out of the pool, Olivia wrapped her arms around her like a towel.
“That’s not fair! Someone got in my way,” huffed EJ.
“It’s time to go!” Aniyah’s mum called over. “We’ve got to get back to the restaurant.”
2
3
The restaurant was a Caribbean takeaway called Blue Mahoes. It was Aniyah and EJ’s family restaurant and they loved spending time there. The children bounded through the door and headed straight for the basement.
4
“It’s much cooler down here!” Olivia sighed.
“Who wants to play the game?” asked EJ.
“Me,” Aniyah replied, laying the games board on the table.
The game was an old family heirloom – a wooden Ludi board. There were words etched on the side:
Roll double six, or double three, let’s learn about your history.
Something amazing happened every time the children played the Ludi game!
When EJ rolled a double three, iridescent smoke burst from the board and engulfed the children. Then a tornado formed a wormhole and pulled them in.
5
“What is that noise?” Aniyah said, pulling a face.
The children looked up and saw a squabble of gulls above them.
“Where are we?” EJ asked. A breeze brushed against him and hit his bare skin through a hole in his leggings. There was a terrible stench wafting in the air.
“And when?” Olivia added.
“I’m not sure, but these clothes look ancient,” said Aniyah, as she looked down at her shapeless dress and apron. Whenever the Ludi board pulled them back in time, their clothing changed too.
6
“Mmm, yes, but not too ancient,” said EJ.
Olivia looked at EJ. “Is there anything useful in your bag?”
EJ peered inside and found some coins and a metal object. He pulled out the object.
“What’s that?” asked Aniyah.
“It looks like some sort of telescope,” EJ replied, examining it closely. He rubbed a finger across its ridges, before holding it up to his eye.
Olivia nodded towards the off-white buildings cladded with half-timber. “We might still be in England. I’ve seen houses like that before.”
7