From "The Moon Coin" by Richard Due. Illustrated by Carolyn Arcabascio

Lily and Jasper, having broken into their uncle's home and turned on the Tesla generator, watch the flying seahorse, Oscar,—along with the rest of the birdfish—come to life...

Covered in varying shades of bright red plumage, he couldn't have measured more then ten inches fully stretched out. All along the reef were mounted more of the small golden perches, each occupied by equally strange-looking creatures, though the rest were more bird-like—or were they fish? It was hard to tell. Their wings were short for wings, and their fins were long for fins. And their mouths, though wide like fishes' mouths, were hard like birds' beaks. And now, with the Tesla generator supplying electricity, they had begun to twitch, their heads jerking in little jolts as the airborne electric current pulsed through their bodies.

The red seahorse untucked his head. Still quivering, he stretched out his stubby wings and began testing them in short, rapid bursts.

All along the reef wall, birdfish were testing their wings.

Oscar opened his beak and let out a loud burble-squawk. He shook his head, ruffled his feathers, and opened his eyes wide to take stock of his surroundings, eventually settling his blinking gaze on Lily and Jasper. This appearance of wise scrutiny was completely at odds with his birdbrained nature. And yet. . . .

Lily nudged Jasper. “Oscar knows things,” she whispered.