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Then she bobbed up, took a bow, and waved all five of her starfish rays at the
audience that existed only in her imagination.

“Thank you, dah-lings!” Flashy called in a dramatic voice. She threw kisses to
the fake crowd. “Muah, muah!”

Finally, Flashy gave herself a moment to relax. Acting was hard work. Ever
since Flashy could remember, she had wanted to become a famous actress.
But so far, the only real audience she ever got consisted of her best friends
Chompy the shark, Jilly the jellyfish, Buzz the swordfish, and Slick the seal.

Even they hadn’t been able to make it to this afternoon’s performance of Ro-
meo and Stariet…so why did Flashy suddenly hear applause? Real applause,
not imaginary!

Before Flashy could wonder any longer, a professional-looking sea crab and
her crew of assistants came into view from around a clump of underwater
plants.

“That was spectacular!” the crab called out, continuing to clap. “You are a very
talented young starfish,” she told Flashy.

For once in her life, Flashy was speechless. She recognized that crab—Crabella
Softshell, the famous director of Flashy’s favorite TV show, Crabmore Girls! All
Flashy could do was gasp. What was Crabella Softshell doing here?

As if she had read Flashy’s mind, Crabella smiled and said, “Crabmore Girls
is doing a special coral-reef shoot not far from here. It’s a beautiful part of
the ocean. My crew and I were just taking a lunch break when we heard you
putting on your play.” Crabella motioned at the producers, camerafish, and
makeup artists who were with her.

“Wow,” Flashy managed, finally finding her voice. “I…I can’t believe it. I love
Crabmore Girls!”

Crabella smiled. “Then you’re just the young actress we’ve been looking for!”

Flashy gasped again. “What do you mean?”

“We need some extra actors for small parts in the coral-reef scene,” Crabella
explained. “Would you be interested?”
“Would I!” squealed Flashy.

The very next day, Flashy officially began her career as a professional actress.
Even if she was just a kid playing a small part in one episode of a TV show, it
was a special opportunity that she wouldn’t have imagined in a million years!

As Flashy acted out the coral-reef scene with the stars of Crabmore Girls, her
very best friends watched and silently cheered her on. Crabella had given
them permission to visit the set, as long as they were quiet.

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