The Crab Who Went to the Moon

By Gary Carse

Seagulls have broken into Shelly’s cave and she’s had to flee to the wild ocean.

After hiding in a cave for practically ten years, this socially anxious crab really needs an ally! The problem is, she hasn’t got any, and even if she can avoid being chased by fish, trapped by seagulls, or eaten alive by giants; she's still going to have to confront her greatest fear: making friends.

Where's the best place for a crab to make friends? Well, the moon, of course!

Find out inside how Shelly visits the moon, if she can overcome her challenges, and maybe even make a friend or two along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gary Carse
• Release date: Aug 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005224158

Gary Carse

Gary has been creating a wide range of children’s content for over a decade. He co-owns an animation production company, Carse and Waterman Productions LTD, where he produces original children’s IP for TV, film and online streaming platforms. You can find out more about his animation studio here: http://www.carseandwaterman.comGary has been caring for his step-daughter since 2015 and is excited to be qualifying as a Dad in September 2021 with the birth of his baby girl.He has lived and worked in the city of Stoke-on-Trent since 2008.Gary’s debut children’s fiction book, The Crab Who Went to the Moon, is an ocean story about social anxiety, friendship and being a good person (or crab, in this case). Find out more about the book here and join the mailing list to find out when it will be released (and to get free stuff!)

Book preview

Chapter 1

Who Lives in that Creepy Cave?

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The mysterious creature heard them laughing. It had an ear for that. The unmistakable sound of giggling. Of other children up to no good. They were over by the entrance of its creepy cave.

What were they doing there?

What did they want?

It lifted itself through a small hole in the cave wall and scuttled up a dark and narrow passage towards the entrance. There, it saw a group of newly hatched fish, intrigued by the creepy sand cave that lay open before them.

Even Grandpa doesn’t know what lives in there, one of the small fish said. She had speckles with green skin and bright blue eyes. He just said that whatever it is, it’ll not come out until it’s proper dark.

The sun was setting, and shadows were slowly filling the corners of the rock pool they were in.

The fish had excited grins on their faces, and just a splash of fear, too.

What could live down there?

Could they go in and see it?

Would it try to eat them?

He said it creeps around in the sand at night, the blue-eyed fish continued in a hushed tone. Eating all the rubbish that the humans chuck in here. She stared into the foreboding cave, trying to spot any signs of life. And if you listen really careful-like, you’ll hear it banging rocks together in the dark. That’s its warning sound. It means you’ve gotten too close!

Another one of the small fish let out a squeak of fear, which made her chunky brother next to her snort out loud.

But whatever it is, the blue-eyed fish said. It’s going to have to come out at some point. It’s no good living your whole life alone in a cave. Even if you are a monster!

That last word made each of the small fish catch their breath.

The chunky fish snorted again. It’s the deadly HUNCH-CRAB, init! he said, in an unusually deep voice for a kid. He dropped to the sand and hooked his fins over like the claws of a crab. You heard what Gramps said! - The HUNCH-CRAB comes out at night... TO FEED! And, it’s got one claw bigger than the other… for crushing fish bones with!

Some of the smaller fish gasped, and a little puff of brown water squirted out of one of their bottoms.

Nah, na, squeaked their little sister, a smaller fish with an oversized tail. It’s a ghost crab, init. With ‘durp’ eyes. DURP!

A wave of giggling spread across all the children and they each copied her in turn.

Durp!

Duurrpp!

DUUURRRPP!

The chunky fish frowned and started bouncing up and down in the sand. All right, all right! he shouted over to his sister. I dare you to go in then! Go in and ask it. Say, ‘all right, mate? Are you the hunch-crab, the ghost crab, or WHAT?!

All the small fish stopped their ‘durping’ and stared at their sister.

She froze for a moment. Nah, na, she squeaked. Last one to roll on their back, has to go in and ask it, init! She rolled onto her back and floated upside down in the water, followed by each of her brothers and sisters until everyone was upside down! Everyone except… The blue-eyed fish.

She was still too busy staring into the cave, hoping to spot some movement in the dark. She soon blinked and turned around to see why everyone had gone quiet.

They were all floating upside down with silly grins on their faces.

You have to go in the cave! her little sister squeaked.

The blue-eyed fish let out a timid laugh. Haha… she said. But her face soon turned white as she realised they were being deadly serious. Wait... WHAT?!

Minutes later, the mysterious creature saw the blue-eyed fish creeping through the entrance to its cave. It backed away, down the tunnel and through its hole, into a dark sandy burrow. The creature had excellent night vision, and it watched as the blue-eyed fish wandered along the twisting tunnel, feeling around with her fins, and finding the hole. She soon felt the claw marks in the sand and shivered. She looked back towards the light at the entrance of the cave. The faint sound of the small giggling fish was all that could be heard.

I think she’s going to leave, the creature muttered to itself.

Quiet! hissed a new voice. She might hear you!

The blue-eyed fish twisted her head. She had heard them! Hello? she whispered, slowly peering through the hole.

The creature backed into the corner of its sandy burrow, trying not to tread on any of the litter covering the floor.

It watched as, one fin at a time, the blue-eyed fish slid into the burrow. It could see her eyes darting about the place, clearly surprised by all the plastic bottles, metal cans, and foil wrappers it had collected in the there.

A crack in the ceiling allowed a small amount of light to illuminate the room. As she explored, she came to a sheet of cardboard leaning against the wall. It had a painting on it of a castle with crabs hiding behind the turrets. There were paints and coloured chalks on the floor beneath it, which made the fish turn her head in confusion. This monster likes to… paint? she muttered to herself.

The creature shuffled in the corner, embarrassed by someone looking at its artwork. One of its many feet crumpled a crisp packet.

*CRUNCH*

The blue-eyed fish spun around in fright. She looked directly into the corner where the creature lurked. I… I’m sorry, she gasped. I didn’t mean…. I just wanted to…. That was when she noticed the many sets of eyes watching her from the shadows. There must have been twenty or more of them, unblinking, cold staring eyes.

The creature lifted two rocks in its claws and banged them together.

*Rata-tat-tat*

"I’ve gotten too close…. The fish whispered to herself.… I just wanted to… to say hello?" she said to the many sets of eyes.

There was no reply.

After a lengthy pause, the blue-eyed fish took another deep breath. What are you —

—Are you alone? the creature suddenly interrupted in a moody voice.

The fish’s eyes flashed in surprise as she tried to work out what the ‘thing’ in the shadows could be. "Oh... Erm… Yes... My name is Gee-Gee... Hi! - Erm- Are you the Hunch Cr—" She stopped herself there.

The creature knew what she was about to say. ‘HUNCH CRAB’ - A name it had heard many times from other fish outside in the rock pool.

...Do you live here? Gee Gee corrected herself.

...Shush! Stop it... The creature muttered to itself in a voice that sounded completely different to the first one. Tell her to leave before more of them come!

Gee Gee’s eyebrows shot up. Sorry, what did you say?

Suddenly, both the creature and Gee Gee jumped in alarm, as another, louder voice came bawling down the tunnel.

OI! called out the voice. Did you find the HUNCH-CRAB then, or what?!

It was Gee Gee’s chunky brother, shouting in his unusually deep voice.

Ere, shat ap! They then heard her little sister squeaking. I told you - It’s a GHOST-CRAB, init, bruv!

The sound of giggling followed, and Gee Gee slapped a fin to her face in embarrassment.

The creature could feel its eyes warming up and sniffled a little louder than it meant to!

Gee Gee looked mortified. She clicked her tongue loudly, and without wasting another second, turned to the hole in the wall and shouted back at them. HERE! Why don’t you stick your tail in your mouth and shut up, ay?!

The sound of laughter flooded the cave as Gee Gee sighed and slowly turned back to the creature.

Sorry, she whispered. Ignore them. They only hatched yesterday.

The creature wiped its eyes in silence, but made a small sniffling noise.

Are you… ok? Gee Gee asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

The creature was taken aback by Gee Gee’s concern. It hated being laughed at, and it hated other people. However, it felt much less hostile towards this blue eyed fish and wanted to say something - anything. It didn’t have to be ‘thank you’, just a simple ‘hello’ would be fine. The problem was, the creature hadn’t spoken to anyone in a very long time. Even this simple pleasantry seemed near impossible. It looked around its burrow at the many items of litter gathered over the years. Then it grabbed the crisp packet from underneath its foot.

The packet vanished from view beneath an armour-like tin can that the creature appeared to be wearing. A couple of seconds later, it emerged with a sharp thrust and landed on the floor beneath Gee Gee’s fins.

The blue-eyed fish examined it carefully. The creature had cut and folded the packet into a completely new shape and it didn’t take Gee Gee long to realise what it was. Grinning, she placed the folded crisp packet on her head. Aw, thanks! She cried. Is this for me?

There was a pause while the creature thought about whether to reply. Yes, it said.

Thank you so much. It’s really cool!

The creature didn’t know what to do. It had never been complimented before, and it felt more of that warm, comforting sensation rising inside its chest. It definitely wanted to say something now, but sadly, its chance was taken away.

HERE! What you doing, you daft jellyfish?! asked a very unwelcome, unusually deep voice. Both Gee Gee and the creature’s eyes locked onto the hole in the wall. There they saw Gee Gee’s chunky brother, sticking his thick head into the burrow. He had clearly got fed up of waiting and followed his sister into the cave.

This was getting too much for the creature. It was bad enough that one fish had come wandering down into its burrow, but two?! Two was too much! And things only got worse from there. More of the fish began appearing behind their brother, poking their faces through the hole and looking around the burrow.

That was the moment that everything went crazy! There was only one thing the creature knew how to do in a situation like this, and what it did frightened the children so much that every one of them fled.

Even Gee Gee’s heart stopped when she finally saw the creature step into the light. It emerged from the shadows like some sort of metal monster, moonlight bouncing off its crumpled, metallic body, and sharp jagged teeth. Its red eyes were cold and unblinking. It did not roar; it screeched, a screech that pierced through the children’s heads and made them all swim away as fast as possible. The creature began kicking all the rubbish up into the water, banging and crashing about the place like a wild animal. It chased the fish out and threw balls of sand at them as they fled back up the twisting tunnel. It did not stop banging, crashing, and screeching until every one of them had gone.

That was deffo a hunch crab, like! the chunky fish shouted to the others.

Nah, na, his little sister squeaked. It was Robo-crab, wan-it?!

As they reached the entrance to the cave, Gee Gee stopped and took one last look down the dark tunnel.

…Sorry, she said in a small voice, which echoed down to the creature’s ears.

For a moment, the creature did nothing. Then, it banged its two stones together one final time.

Gee Gee gulped, held onto her crisp packet hat, and swam away.

Chapter 2

The Crab and the Talking Tin Can

The sound of panting echoed downed the dark tunnel as the metal monster, who had stopped throwing things, waited to see if the coast was clear. After a moment, it hooked its claw under its chin and lifted its own face-up, like some kind of mask?! Hiding underneath was a tiny, female crab with big round eyes and a pinkish, red shell. She did, in fact, have a hunch-back, and one of her claws was much bigger than the other! She also proved to be fast, as her ten pointy feet carried her sideways, across the sand and back through the hole in the wall. She continued to wear the metal mask like some kind of oversized helmet. It was actually an old tuna can which had a very grumpy face drawn across the front of it in red ink.

The tiny crab looked back up towards the cave entrance and scowled. Stupid fish! she said. Making out she wants to be friends with me? I hate fish! AND I HATE FRIENDS!

Then, the tiny crab did something rather unusual. She spoke again, but this time, in a completely different voice!

I know, said the other, grumpier voice. I saw everything from up here, and it was obviously a trap, Shelly! Them piggin’ fish are nowt but bullies, the lot of ‘em!

As she spoke, the tiny crab, who was called Shelly, looked up at the tin can on her head. It became clear that this ‘other’ voice was supposed to be coming from its red face! This was nothing new. Shelly had been talking to her hat (or to herself) for a long time now, which explained why so many fish had heard whispering voices from outside the cave. Down in that lonely, dark burrow, the tin can had become the closest thing Shelly had to a friend. She’d even given it a name, ‘Hatty’ - and Hatty was as grumpy as her red face suggested!

They’re just trying to make fun of you! the hat continued to say. Trying to get you to go out there, with them lot, and do dangerous stuff for them!

I know, Hatty, Shelly sighed, as she pushed her way through the piles of litter that had collected in her bedroom. Why do they all have to be such shell-holes?!

Shelly had always been a keen collector of litter. She snuck out of her cave each night, and under the light of the moon, picked up every crisp packet, plastic lid, and