The purple lightning crackled one more time at the very tip-top of the Faraway Tree, and then—SPLASH!
A great wave of soapy water came tumbling down through the branches, soaking Alfie, Dad, Moonface, and Silky from head to toe!
"Dame Washalot!" Moonface spluttered, shaking suds from his round face. "She lives up above and does her washing ALL day long!"
Before Alfie could even wipe his eyes, a large, cheerful woman in a blue apron came sliding down a branch like it was a water slide. She had rosy cheeks, strong arms, and was carrying the biggest washing basket Alfie had ever seen.
"Oh my bubbles and buckets!" Dame Washalot exclaimed. "You're the Guardian boy, aren't you? The one with the Infinite Brick?"
Alfie felt the brick pulse warmly in his pocket. "Yes, but how did you—"
"No time for explaining!" Dame Washalot grabbed Alfie's hand and Dad's sleeve. "The Land at the top—it's gone all topsy-turvy! The Water World has flipped UPSIDE DOWN, and poor Aquaman can't fix it! He needs someone who knows about swimming!"
Alfie's eyes went wide. Swimming! He'd been learning freestyle, backstroke, AND breaststroke at his holiday program. But could that really help a superhero?
"Hold your noses!" Dame Washalot commanded, and she tipped her washing basket over all three of them.
Alfie expected to get wet again—but instead, they tumbled UP, spinning through warm, sparkly water that somehow didn't fill his lungs at all!
WHOOOOSH!
They landed on something solid—except EVERYTHING was upside down! Alfie was standing on what looked like the bottom of a swimming pool, but above him, instead of sky, there was another pool! And another one sideways! Pools were EVERYWHERE, going in every direction like a crazy water-park maze!
And it was all made of LEGO.
Every single tile, every diving board, every splash of frozen water—all shiny, clicking LEGO bricks!
"I can't swim in THIS!" Alfie gasped. "LEGO doesn't move like real water!"
But then he saw him.
Aquaman was trapped in the centre of the largest pool, spinning helplessly as the LEGO water kept shifting and changing around him. His golden trident was just out of reach, stuck to a diving board that kept flipping between dimensions!
"The pools won't listen to me anymore!" Aquaman called out, his voice echoing strangely. "They keep CHANGING! I can't find the rhythm!"
Dad scratched his head. "Rhythm? Like music?"
But Alfie understood immediately. His drums teacher always talked about rhythm—the steady beat of arms and legs working together!
"Aquaman!" Alfie shouted. "It's like swimming strokes! You have to find the PATTERN!"
He looked at the crazy, shifting pools around them. One was bubbling like a spa. One had waves crashing sideways. One was completely still like a mirror.
"Dad, I need to get in there!"
"Mate, it's LEGO—"
But Alfie was already running. He took a deep breath, positioned his arms just like his coach taught him, and DOVE in with a perfect diving entry!
SPLASH!
To his amazement, the LEGO water moved! It wasn't like real water—it was bouncier, clickier—but if he found the right rhythm...
"Freestyle!" he called out, his arms pulling through the strange liquid. He kicked his legs in steady beats. Click-click-click-click!
The pool LISTENED! The tiles started arranging themselves, following Alfie's movements!
"Now backstroke!" He flipped onto his back, arms wheeling in perfect circles. The upside-down pool above him began to slowly turn right-side up!
"Breaststroke!" Dad cheered from the edge. "Do the froggy kick one!"
Alfie pulled his arms wide and kicked like a frog—CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!
The diving board flipped, and Aquaman's trident shot free! The hero grabbed it, and golden light spread through the water world!
"You found it!" Aquaman laughed, swimming to Alfie's side. "The rhythm of the tides! You're a natural Water Guardian!"
The pools began settling into beautiful, orderly lanes. Alfie's heart was bursting with pride.
But then Aquaman's smile faded.
"Young Guardian... this chaos wasn't an accident. Someone BROKE my dimension on purpose." He pointed to the horizon, where the water turned dark and cold. "And they left something behind. Look."
Floating in the distance was a LEGO figure—completely black, with no face, no features... just emptiness shaped like a person.
"It's called the Hollow," Aquaman whispered. "And it's been hunting across dimensions. Hunting for YOUR Infinite Brick."
The dark figure slowly turned toward them.