Welcome to Story Quest, a weekly podcast where we bring your stories to life!
In this episode we bring Amber’s story, The Deep Blue Sea Dungeon to life.
If you have a story idea, you could be like Isabella and have it turned into a Story Quest. All you have to do is send us your story idea here. We know you have the best imaginations and together we can create the most brilliant stories!
That’s just what Amber did. You can listen to the story they suggested come to life below, plus they tell us all about the inspiration behind the story at the end.
Listen out for brand new Story Quest episodes every Thursday!
You can read along to The Deep Blue Sea Dungeon below!
The Deep Blue Sea Dungeon
Smudge was a water pixie which is kind of like a tiny magical mermaid but the thing about water pixies is that they are TROUBLE! Not really bad trouble, just mischievous, fond of playing tricks. Tricks like turning all the jellyfish pink, switching the whelks shells for buckets and chasing the fish in circles until they were too dizzy to swim. Small stuff.
The trouble was no one ever wanted to play with her (wonder why) and she complained about this to a small lobster who wasnât quick enough to get away from her.
âWant to play some pranks on the prawns?â she called.
âEr⊠No thank you!â said the lobster trying to scuttle away.
âNot YOU as well! The clams have clammed up on me, the dog fish went into their doghouse to hide, and the mermaids wonât even talk to me!â
âYeah, that is probably because you hid all their shell brushes and they ended up with hair like a seagullâs nest. You KNOW mermaids are fussy about their hair!â
It all came to a head when she made the mistake of pranking the Sea King himself. In the dead of night she sneaked into the sea castle and hid all his clothes. Night time was BRILLIANT for pranks. As a finishing touch she added a moustache to his top lip. Giggling she sneaked away.
The next day the Sea King had to take the council meeting in a very silly swimming costume 0âthe only garment left – which didnât fit very well to mention the whole moustache thing. He was furious.
âIâve got enough on my plate with the pesky pirates â if you put one foot wrong Iâll get them to take you with them!â he roared at Smudge.
This was true. Pirates had been plundering not only the boats on the water but the deep seas below and the kings fortunes, and all the riches of the undersea kingdom had been stolen.
âIf you canât behave you canât stay here!â
Smudge huffed and puffed and went off in a sulk. Well if they all thought she was going to be naughty all the time⊠She might as well be REALLY naughty. And maybe have some fun!
In the deepest part of the ocean, hidden away from the light of the sun, lay the eerie deep blue sea dungeon. This mysterious place was a labyrinth of dark, shadowy caves and tunnels, each winding deeper into the cold, silent depths. The walls of the dungeon glistened with a strange, wet sheen, and peculiar luminescent algae cast an otherworldly glow, flickering like ghostly candles in the murky darkness.
Strange, twisted shapes loom in the shadows but itâs not something many have seen because the Sea Dungeon was OUT OF BOUNDS! And it was out of bounds because of what was inside.
The legend speaks of a creature so fearsome that even the bravest of sea creatures dare not speak its name. It is said that its eyes glow like fiery embers in the dark, and its long, serpentine body is covered in scales as hard as armour.
Adventurers who dared to enter the deep blue sea dungeon spoke of eerie lights floating in the distance and sudden shadows that dart through the water, always just out of sight. Some say they have heard the sorrowful wail of the monster, a sound that fills the heart with dread and the urge to flee. Yet, the creature remains a shadowy enigma, its true form hidden in the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon, waiting in the silence for those daring enough to seek it out.
Annnnd that was going to be Smudge wasnât it. You can see where this story is headed.
Monster Schmonster!â Itâs just another way for the Sea King to stop anyone having fun!â she scoffed as she took out of her pocket a slim set of keys, made from the finest fishbone. Sheâd stolen them from the Sea King whilst he was telling her off. Everyone had been too distracted at the sight of his swimming costume and moustache they hadnât even noticed. She just couldnât help being naughty!
Unlocking the vault like door⊠slowly⊠she crept inside.
It was dark and damp with only the smallest flickers of light showing the way. Excitedly she crept in⊠further and further into the gloom. Something twinkly caught her eye. Shiny coins â jewels â gold and silver plates and cups â this wasnât a dungeon, it was a treasure trove!! She gasped in delight to see the precious things and ran her hands through the shimmering piles.
But then.. What was that? A slow creaking sound.
Then a THUD. And another THUD⊠And with a rumble and a thunderous shake of the floor something large appeared in the dim light.
MONSTER!!!!!!
It was indeed a monster. And never mind Monster Schmonster â it was bigger than a ship with glittering scales and very very long teeth.
Smudge swam for her life â the monster in pursuit â fortunately she could cast some charms to evade him but as they left the dungeon she knew that she had to get it away from the Sea Kingdom â but where? There was only one option â to go up to the surface â Sea Sprites HATE leaving the water â it plays havoc with their magical powers⊠but there was no other option.
The monster was roaring with great steamy bubbles shooting out of his snout â he was getting closer and closer⊠She held her breath as the shimmering surface appeared and with a woosh soared into the sky â the enormous creature just inches away snapping at her this way and that!
UntilâŠ
Smudge was surprised to see that the creature seemed to have paused⊠and turned⊠Something had caught its eye. In the distance she could see ships â the dastardly pirates! There were lights and noise and singing and jeering could be heard in the distance.
With a growl and a hiss, the creature slowly turned and then dived back down â
Smudge began to smile. The pirates wouldnât be smiling for long.
Sure enough in a few moments the sound of shouts and panic could be heard and calls of âAnchor up!â and âWeâre going down!â and âI donât want to be dinner for a sea monster!â It was pandemonium. Well. For the pirates.
The creatures of the Sea Kingdom didnât miss a thing â theyâd been terrified at the sight of Smudge being pursued and could see the pirates hadnât been as lucky. They watched in delight as the ships began to flee, with the ripple of the sea monster behind.
âYouâve saved the Sea Kingdom from the pirates!â they cheered and even the Sea King had to thank Smudge, although he DID ask for his keys back and said it was still quite naughty to steal them.
But of course that wasnât the end of it â Smudge told them all about the riches deep in the dungeon, forgotten for centuries, guarded by the monster and they rushed to see for themselves. It was a thousand times more than anything the pirates had taken from them and so they cheered and feasted and the kingdom became prosperous once more.
I canât say Smudge turned over a new leaf and totally stopped being mischievous⊠but she did find that if youâre nice to people they are generally nice to you back, and thatâs quite a good feeling.
And the pirates? Well as far as I know theyâre still out there being chased by the monster. Turns out pirates are more interesting than piles of treasure. Tastier too!
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