The shark zoomed excitedly backwards and forwards, counting the boxes as they tumbled on to the sea floor.
“One, two, three,” the shark cackled, in a voice that was becoming more bubbly and more crazy as each box thudded onto the sand. “
Four, five, six…!”
Inside the dimly lit ship Maddox was working frantically. He just wanted to finish and get back to the beach.
He was now worried his mum in a panic, would be calling the police, the coastguards and the air sea rescue helicopters to hunt for her missing son.
Finally, Maddox heaved the last of the boxes out of the side of the ship and he heard the shark still counting.
“That’s twenty-seven boxes,” bubbled the shark, “only one more to go!”
Maddox glanced quickly around the bottom of the ship, but there were no more boxes.
He stuck his head out of the hole in the side of the ship and shouted down to the shark.
“No – that was the last one!” He called out.
At this, the shark flew into a rage, snapping his teeth furiously.
“You’re cheating me,” he howled, “you’re keeping a box for yourself!”
“I’ll go back and check that again,” Maddox called out and started hunting everywhere in the ship. As he went into the strongroom to check for the last time, he heard the door clang shut behind him and the key turn in the lock.
He was trapped!
How was he going to get out?