The Inkbug That Almost Went SPLAT!!!

"Please, I want to LIVE!" (piabay.com)

Hi Everyone! Eric here. People sometimes ask us if Gael and I ever disagree about aspects of the story. That doesn't happen very often, to be honest, but here's a funny SECRETS OF THE DEEP behind-the-scenes moment for ya that will prove that *I* am actually the nice one. (Don't tell her I said that, ha, ha. Love you, honey!)

Below, I have posted two versions of the exact same scene. The first one ended up in the book (you're welcome, Inkbug). The second was the original version that Gael wanted to leave, but I didn't think it was, er, such a good idea.

Hopefully you'll remember this scene? Jake had just used a healing Gryphon feather to fix Maddox's busted-up shoulders, and then the gang all went running up into the villa to send an Inkbug message to the Order so they could get a little adult help from Sir Peter, Finderool, anybody! Once inside, here's what they found...

---

Version 1 (Eric's choice)

Then they all went back up to the house.

Unfortunately, the Inkbug’s little wooden box had been thrown across the room when the pirates had stormed through the house, upending furniture and hurling things about. At first, the kids thought the magical caterpillar had run away—or worse—until they finally found the tiny creature cowering under a bookshelf.

Isabelle managed to coax the Inkbug out of hiding onto her hand, but to their dismay, one of its antennae had been broken, leaving it unable to transmit messages. It would be weeks before a new one grew back. Nor could they fix it with one of Red’s healing feathers.

A book Jake had found in his library back at Griffon Castle some time ago had said that gryphon magic only worked on mammals and birds, not fish, insects, or plant life forms.

Izzy opened the lid of its box and let the shaken Inkbug flee back into the comfort of its home, but its injury meant that now they were cut off from the Order.

They could still send an ordinary message, but the telegraph office didn’t open until nine tomorrow morning.

​She was beginning to wonder if they’d even make it that long, for with Nixie as leverage, Davy Jones could easily force her lovesick brother to fix the orb…and unleash a second watery Armageddon.

I like "E" better! (piabay.com)

Awww... Poor little Inkbug with a broken antenna. Sound familiar? Kinda sad, right?

Well, brace yourself, here's how the original scene went. Parents, you may want to get any small children out  of the room. Mua-ha-ha...

---

Version 2 (Gael's choice)

​Then they all went back up to the house.

Unfortunately, they found the poor little Inkbug smashed amid the furniture the pirates had upended and hurled about everywhere throughout the house.

Their sorrow over the unexpected death of the magical caterpillar upset all of them, especially Isabelle, who had moved its box downstairs so she could watch for incoming messages, as Aunt Ramona had requested. But worse, the Inkbug’s death meant that now they were cut off from the Order.

They could still send an ordinary message, but the telegraph office didn’t open until nine tomorrow morning.

​Isabelle was beginning to wonder if they’d even make it that long, for with Nixie as leverage, Davy Jones could easily force her lovesick brother to fix the orb…and unleash a second watery Armageddon.

Why is she so MEAN??? (pixabay.com)

The Inkbug was just lying there "smashed amid the furniture!" SMASHED AMID THE FURNITURE!!! Oh, the horror! Gael doesn't really like bugs in general. (She's a girly girl about certain things). I don't know if she was in a bad mood or what, but she had added that charming little detail without consulting with me first.

She didn't think it would matter and that nobody would care about the silly Inkbug. "They could just get another one," she had said. Can you imagine??

Well, I thought people would care, especially our young readers. The Inkbugs have become like charming little pets over the years. They are like members of the family. True, we never went so far as to name them, but I argued that if there was no need to kill the Inkbug, then let's not.

She said, "Well, if the Inkbug is okay, then they can just call for the adults, who'll come and handle it, and the darn story will be over with a whimper -- it's gotta end with a bang!"

We went back and forth over this for quite a while. Who could've guessed the little Inkbug could ever be so important? Ultimately, I came up with the idea of a broken antenna so it couldn't transmit messages. This satisfied her, I won the argument, marital bliss was restored, and the poor little guy was granted a stay of execution, lol. This minor edit was actually one of the last changes we made to the manuscript before it went to press.

So which version do you like better? Would it have been a little traumatic to splat the Inkbug or was I wrong and you wouldn't have cared if he got squashed under the furniture? We would love to hear your opinion.

Disclaimer: No actual insects were harmed in the making of this book.

---