Very unhappy, they gaze at the rock, and they don’t know what to
do next. All they can see is a school of small red fish busily
swimming around the rock. Then they hear a strange crunching and
grinding noise and when they look up they can see one of the rocks
moving! Fascinated, they watch as it gradually detaches itself
from the big rock. Now they can see that this is not an ordinary
rock because it seems to have developed eyes at the end of short
sticks! Their curiosity takes them nearer so that they can take
a closer look at this thing that is balancing on the very edge
of the big rock.
Just then there is more crunching. It gives a big heave and crashes
down with lots of hairy arms and legs flying that seem to have
appeared from nowhere. The little clownfish only just have time
to get out of the way when, with a big crash, it lands right between
them.
There were a few moments of stunned silence.
“Oh, my head, I think I have broken my head!” groans the poor
creature. “This is terrible. Am I upside down or is the whole
world the wrong way up?’
“You are upside down” says one of the little clownfish helpfully.
“Well, don’t just stand there, help me up”, says the poor thing.
The clownfish hurry to help him; one pulls on one of his whiskers
and the other one heaves and pushes at the rocky bit. In the end
they manage to get it the right way up again.
“Well, that is much better” the creature says and he is about
to scrabble away.
“Wait, who are you?” asks the clownfish.
I am “Harry the Hermitcrab”, says Harry.
“What were you doing on that rock and why are you hiding in that
thing on your back? say the clownfish in unison.
“I was having a nap on the rocks if you want to know, and I was
having the most wonderful dream. I dreamt that I….That’s funny,
I forgot now what I dreamed”. Harry the Hermit tries to remember
his dream, but the clownfish become impatient.
“Tell us what that thing on your back is,” they urge him.
“That thing on by back, as you call it”, and the clownfish know
that they have hurt his feelings now, because he sounds annoyed,
“is a most wonderful sea shell and it happens to be my house!
I always carry it on my back. That way I never get lost and I
always have a place to sleep! Whenever I feel tired, anywhere
at all, I just pull all my legs inside and I am home”, Harry explains.
Through all the excitement of Harry nearly crashing on top of
them, the clownfish have for a moment forgotten all about the
terrible thing that had happened to them, but now, with all this
talk about homes, they remember. They tell Harry all about the
big fish and how they came to be lost on the bottom of the sea
and had he perhaps seen an anemone anywhere?
Harry can see how very upset they are so refrains from telling
them to do as he does, carrying their home on their back. Instead,
he scratches his head and says, “No, I have not seen any around
here. But wait a minute, I have an idea! But I can’t do anything
about it tonight because it will be dark soon. I know of a very
nice little cave where you can spend the night and where you will
be quite safe until tomorrow morning, and to make sure you will
be alright I will sleep right outside, so nobody will come in”.
The two little clownfish follow Harry who leads them around the
corner, where he stops in front of an opening in the rocks. They
see a small cave that is just the right size for them. They both
squeeze in and the last thing they see before they fall asleep
is Harry who was standing guard in front of their cave.
When they wake up next morning they look outside, but Harry is
nowhere to be seen. Just when they start to get worried they can
hear a sound as if someone is towing a lot of buckets at the end
of a rope. Coming around the corner is a whiskery Uncle Hermit,
clattering and banging and saying ouch! as he bumps into the rocks
and behind him he sees another shell following, dragged along
by a creature in it that looks just like Harry. The two little
clownfish cannot believe their eyes! On top of the second shell
there are two anemones waving from side to side.
“Here you two, this is my sister Harriet. Harriet, these are the
clownfish I told you about who have lost their anemone. Well,
what do you think eh? Here are two anemones, one for each of you”,
shouts Harry happily.
“Harry, I told you I won’t have it; I won’t have two fish living
in my anemones and messing them all up”. Harriet does not sound
happy at all.
“Perhaps they are not big enough for us” say the little clownfish.
“They are miles too big for Harriet. Should have got rid of them
ages ago. Come on, have a look at them, go a little closer”, answers
Harry.
The clownfish swim up close to the anemone until they touch them.
But these anemones don’t like that at all. At once they shrivel
up and out of many little bumps a white sticky stuff squirts everywhere
and it soon covers everything in sight. Harriet screams: “Oh no,
they have done it again! It is all your fault Harry! I told you
they are not for fish to live in!”
“But Harriet, don’t you see how useless your anemones are? I have
told you to get rid of them so many times. Will you never learn?”
says Harry.
“They are perfectly alright and they are beautiful, and as long
as nobody comes and pokes them about they are as good as gold”,
says Harriet.
While the Hermits are quarrelling about the anemones the two little
clownfish whisper to each other: “Let’s go look for our anemone
by ourselves. I don’t like these anemones, and anyway, we want
our own anemone with mommy and daddy”.
They do not want to waste any more time or listen any longer to
the two quarrelling hermitcrabs.