Finding the Merlion newly shorn and positive, the boy packed a waterproof bag with a few essentials for the journey such as fresh water and dried fish to eat, as well as the changes of clothes his father insisted on.
The Merlion was then fitted with the saddle he occasionally wore to give people rides around Singapore and to Johor Baru on special days of the year. The boy boarded his steed as navigator and they set off, waving goodbye to the assembled and hopeful masses.
Now, while the Merlion had laid down in despair and the boy had started to sort his problems out, pirates had taken over the waters around Singapore, controlling the traffic between the island and the surrounding countries for a large share of the goods transported.
And so the journey to the Island of the Merlions began slowly and carefully as the Merlion sought to avoid being seen by the pirate’s lookouts. The pair therefore travelled under the surface of the water, the boy using a snorkel to breathe, ready to dive deeper should the shape of the Merlion be spotted.
At one point, as the pair were passing a pirate ship, the Merlion forgot about the boy for a moment and dipped down enough for water to enter the boy’s snorkel and choke him. The boy urgently patted the Merlion’s back and he surfaced, the boy coughing and spluttering on his back.
As he stopped a call came from above: “Halt! Who goes there?”
The Merlion was then fitted with the saddle he occasionally wore to give people rides around Singapore and to Johor Baru on special days of the year. The boy boarded his steed as navigator and they set off, waving goodbye to the assembled and hopeful masses.
Now, while the Merlion had laid down in despair and the boy had started to sort his problems out, pirates had taken over the waters around Singapore, controlling the traffic between the island and the surrounding countries for a large share of the goods transported.
And so the journey to the Island of the Merlions began slowly and carefully as the Merlion sought to avoid being seen by the pirate’s lookouts. The pair therefore travelled under the surface of the water, the boy using a snorkel to breathe, ready to dive deeper should the shape of the Merlion be spotted.
At one point, as the pair were passing a pirate ship, the Merlion forgot about the boy for a moment and dipped down enough for water to enter the boy’s snorkel and choke him. The boy urgently patted the Merlion’s back and he surfaced, the boy coughing and spluttering on his back.
As he stopped a call came from above: “Halt! Who goes there?”
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