# III: The Rescue explained — Wet Magic

> Chapter companion for Wet Magic by E. Nesbit.

## What happens

The children visit the mermaid in her tank and learn she is a powerful magic mistress who cannot escape because she was caught with a llama hair lariat. Despite her irritable demeanor, they promise to rescue her at dead of night using a chariot. After enjoying a circus, they plan and execute a covert nighttime rescue using a muffled wheelbarrow as a chariot, cutting open the tent to free the mermaid.

## Themes in this chapter

### Adventure and Bravery

The children undertake a daring nighttime rescue, overcoming fear and logistical challenges.

### Freedom and Escape

The mermaid's captivity and the children's efforts to free her highlight the theme of liberation.

### Magic and Reality

The mermaid's magic and the practical planning of the rescue blend fantasy with real-world problem-solving.

## Character check-ins

### Mavis

Leads the rescue effort with Francis, feels frightened but determined.

### Francis

Assists Mavis in the rescue, uses Bernard's knife to cut the tent.

### Bernard

Devises the plan and provides the knife and alarm, but opts out of the actual rescue.

### Kathleen

Wants to join the rescue but is tactfully excluded by Bernard.

### Mer Princess

The captured mermaid who is irritable and demands a chariot for her escape.

## Key lines

> I can raise a storm that will sweep away this horrible place and my detestable captors and you with them, and carry me on the back of a great wave down to the depths of the sea.

The mermaid boasts she could destroy the circus and escape using her storm magic.

_Reveals the mermaid's magical power and her frustration with captivity._

> I shall await you at dead of night.

The mermaid instructs the children to come for her at midnight.

_Sets the time for the rescue operation._

> There is nothing like a circus for making you forget your anxieties.

The children temporarily forget their rescue worries while enjoying the circus performance.

_Highlights the escapism provided by entertainment._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/wet_magic_se/chapters/iii-the-rescue
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/wet_magic_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/wet_magic_se/chapters