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Comedy

03rd Sep 2021

Teenagers take crab on train to return it to the sea and ‘live its best life’

Charlie Herbert

The crab at Southend station on its way to the sea

The crab was taken on a journey from London to Southend

Heard the one about the crab that caught a train from London to Southend?

Well, it may well just make your day. It certainly changed the crab’s forever.

The crustacean was just playing it cool, even though it was facing certain death when a trio of big-hearted teenagers spotted it and decided to save its life in a stroke of good luck so good the crab probably had to pinch itself.

Sky Goodey, 14, and her two friends – Liam, 14, and Jack, 15 – decided to ‘rescue’ the crab from Barking fishmongers on Thursday in a daring mission to get it back to its home in the sea.

According to Sky’s mum, the trio got a train “up to Liverpool Street and back down to Southend”, with their new friend – a perilous 40-mile cruise to the coast.

The escapade was fraught with risk, as they had to keep taking the crustacean to the bathroom – to keep it wet and alive.

A crab on the train to SouthendThe teenagers had to keep taking the crab to the toilet to keep it wet (credit: Simon Harris)

Eventually, the group made it to Southend though, and took the crab “through the high street then to the seafront where it was let go.”

The crab at Southend station on its way to the seaThe crab at Southend Victoria station. The group then walked it through the high street before releasing it into the sea (Credit: Sue-Ann Goodey)

A true tale of heroism.

In a post on his Facebook page, ‘Man Behaving Dadly’, Simon Harris – who was on the train when the group of teens boarded with their marine friend – wrote that the trio had taken pity on the crab in a “spur of the moment” decision, having seen it in a London shop.

There had been some concern over whether ‘Hope’ had had its claws ‘clipped,’ therefore making it impossible for the crab to survive in the wild.

But fear not, it was later confirmed that the crustacean’s claws were fine.

Live long and prosper crab.

And as for Sky, Liam and Jack? They can sleep peacefully at night knowing that a crab is forever indebted to them.

And if Hope meets a lover, the teens may now be responsible for generations of crab to come.

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