THE SMITHS OF SHIPWRECK ISLAND

Theo Whittingham, 11

King Edward School, Banff

Far away in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, lies a tiny spec of an island. So tiny in fact, that this rugged rock appears almost invisible. If it weren't for its glinting peculiar inhabitants, the astronauts on board the International Space Station would never have stumbled upon them let alone brought them to the attention of overhead satellites. But as fate would have it, these unique creatures, sealed off from the rest of the world for centuries, were now mesmerising the scientific world with their craftsmanship. How did a cluster of hermit crabs become the only creatures ever known other than humans to smelt metals and fashion shells made of gold and silver? Since the discovery, scientists have been puzzled by the creative nature of such simple crustaceans.

The strong currents and treacherous hidden rocks surrounding the little island had its disadvantages that's for sure. Sea snail shells rarely washed up and the hermit crab inhabitants had to make use of whatever they could find. The crabs would beachcomb their way around the coastline, searching through the usual sea debris of seaweeds, cuttlefish bones, dead pieces of coral, sometimes dead seabirds but often plastic trash in recent years. But from time to time something fantastic would happen. A big cyclone would stir up the ocean depths, sending a fury of treasures from submerged shipwrecks from long ago. Amongst the old pieces of timber that were strewn across the sand, would lay hundreds of shiny metal coins. Silver reales and gold doubloons, pearls and pretty gems, broken pottery and strips of fabric would pepper the beaches.

The scientists guess that the crabs discovered smelting by accident when molten lava from beneath the tiny island, rose up through cracks in the rocks and melted handfuls of coins that had been resting on top. Somehow after that, the crabs taught themselves how to melt the coins into shell-like dwellings. Now when the sun shines brightly overhead, the hermit crabs of Shipwreck Island dazzle for miles around. Bright flashes of light bounce off their gleaming shells as they go about their day.

Who would have imagined that the precious cargo of those magnificent merchant ships of the 17th and 18th centuries, lost beneath the waves so long ago, would see the light of day once again. Their stormy stricken voyages from South America or India would prove to be very happy accidents for the homeless hermit crabs of Shipwreck Island.