‘Right you are, then.’
‘Just look at it! Why would you ever think I wouldn’t want to keep it.’
‘Oh, no reason, really,’ purred the cat. ‘Only it seems pretty desperate to try to make a deal with you, that’s all.’
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
‘A what?! Oh, come on—you’re having me on?’
Arthur stared at the fish and then at the cat and back at the fish again.
‘Honestly?’
‘Yep, it’s true.’
‘What sort of deal?’ he asked, bewildered. ‘And why can’t I hear it?’
‘No idea, but it keeps going on about some kind of box thing. It’s quite hard to understand him, actually—he has a really strong fishy accent. Apparently, this box fell into the lake last night during the white light, and hundreds of men came looking for it afterwards. If we agree to let him go, he’ll take us to it.’
‘The white light? You mean the fish saw it, too?’
‘What did I just say?
‘Well, yeh, but…’
‘So, you have to decide and decide quickly because he says that he can’t breathe.’
‘Oh right,’ said Arthur, suddenly feeling terrible. ‘OK, fine—I guess.’ And gently placing the fish back in the water, they watched it floating lifelessly in front of them.
‘God, you don’t think that it’s…?’
‘No idea.’
‘Well—go on, ask him then!’
‘What, ask him if he’s dead?’
‘Yes!’
‘Don’t you think that’s a strange question to ask someone?’
‘No!’
‘Fine!’
‘Also, why can’t I hear you talking to him? Is this why you don’t like fish? Because you can speak with them?’
‘Me? No! I don’t like them because they taste like mud. And actually, I’ve never talked to a fish in my life. Well, at least not until this one started just now.’
‘Cat, there’s something really strange going on, isn’t there?’
‘Really strange!’ agreed the cat. ‘And it says it just needs a moment to get its breath back.’
Before long, the fish wiggled its fins and began to swim in little circles. Finally turning in their direction, it poked its head out of the water.
‘He says he’s ready. And that the box isn’t far. Apparently, we’ll find it under an uneven stone in the middle of some long water grass, which isn’t very deep.’
‘What do you reckon? Do you think it’s really telling the truth?’
‘No idea, but good luck finding it because I’m not going down after it.’
Arthur grinned. The cat absolutely hated getting his fur wet, and he remembered how he’d showered him several times with the garden hose when he was younger.