Captain Kittyhawk & The Cloud Wars

Chapter 2 The Black Wind

The storm ran all night, shattering shutters and slamming signs, leaving a lot for everyone to do the next day. In the morning the towns folk looked around - the streets looked like a group of drunken giants had use the town as a play ground for the night. After breakfast, Miss Meadow came along and took the children out. Trixie's mum was busy tidying up the yard and was pleased not to have her work unmade. Trixie loved the smell of the town after a storm, a smell as fresh as newly cut grass. The children all begged Miss Meadow to return to the East beach, perhaps they all secretly believed the dog fight would still be going on. When they arrived, the sky was clear of planes so Miss Meadow suggested a sand castle building contest.

Trixie later started walking up the beach picking up drift wood to decorate her sand castle. She stopped when she saw what looked like tree log laying on the shore. Moving slightly closer she realized that this wasn't a log, but possibly a brown seal. It was only when she was an arms length away that she finally understood that this was a woman in a brown flying suit.

Trixie called for Miss Meadow who rushed over shouting,'Don't touch! Don't touch!' She pulled the body further up the beach and was barely strong enough to pull the pilot from the lapping sea. While doing this the pilots' face rolled over and everyone gasped. The face was covered in wet fur but Trixie was able to make out the pilot was a woman with the head of a cat.

'Trixie, you're the fastest. Run back to Homton and get the policeman and doctor. Tell them to come out to the beach immediately!'

'Is she dead?' asked Trixie.

'Now don't go asking silly questions, run girl, run!'Miss Meadow said, and with that Trixie sped off.

She was probably the fastest girl in her school, and Miss Meadow also realized she was sensible enough to get to Homton by herself and bring the police back. Not only did Trixie come back with PC Breaks and Doctor Meadow, but half the town followed with them. A large crowd formed around the woman, leaving Trixie on the outside wondering what was happening. The crowd talked for a while, and a bored Trixie looked up the beach and began to notice some aero-plane parts had washed up on the shore. PC Breaks gave an order and four men picked the woman up on a blanket and began shuffling towards the town. Everyone else left too, following them down the path to town.

They made their way to the large stone house just off the town square. The downstairs was the Doctor Meadows' consulting rooms, and he lived upstairs with Nurse Meadow and Bunty. Trixie insisted on sitting in the waiting room for most of the day. Everybody wanted to hear Trixie's story and she was keen to tell it. Near noon, Trixie's mum turned up and firmly said that she come back for lunch. Trixie resisted, but her mum promised her that she could return to the surgery later after lunch.

Her mum had insisted that Trixie eat the sandwiches that she had made for lunch. Trixie ate them as quickly as possible and then squirmed at table waiting for her mother. After lunch, Trixie was given a book and scone, and told that she could go and wait at Dr. Meadows' place on her own. Trixie was too excited to read but was rewarded mid afternoon when she was told that she could go in and speak to the woman.

The cat lady was lying on the raised bed in the surgery and Trixie noticed that her fur had dried out. The cat woman rolled her head towards Trixie, who was quite tongue tied for the moment as she had never seen a cat headed woman before. Her fur face was light brown like the sand, it made her blue eyes stand out.

'Hi,' said Trixie,'my name's Trix- err Beatrice Brook.'

'Hello Beatrice Brook, I'm... I'm ...that's strange. I don't remember my name.'

'Don't worry. You hit your head during the crash. Losing your memory can happen sometimes,' began Dr Meadow. 'It should get better after your bump goes down. We found the letters CH on your flying jacket.'

'So my name begins with CH?'

'Does that ring any bells?' asked Dr. Meadow.

'No, not at all,' said the cat woman.'What do you think my name is?'

'Ca, Ca, Catherine!' said Trixie.

'Catherine it is!' said the cat lady.

'What's the last thing you remember before the accident?' asked Dr. Meadow.

'Nothing,' said Catherine.'I remember being on the beach. I think I remember seeing you there,' she said to Trixie.

'Well your lucky to be alive. If Trixie hadn't spotted you when she did, the tide might have turned and washed you out to sea again. You could say Trixie saved you life!'

'Well,' said Trixie,'it was all the others really. Miss Meadow was the one that really pulled you out of the water. Most people call me Trixie by the way!'

'Well thank you, Trixie.' said Catherine.

'Your welcome!' Trixie said.

'Plus she ran all the way back to the town to get me!' said Dr Meadow.

'I guess I owe you my life then,' said the Catherine, her eyes half shut.

'I think you have worn poor Catherine out!' said Dr Meadow.'That's enough for now, time for both of you to get some rest.'

Trixie was hurried out of the surgery room by Nurse Meadow.

'Will she be alright?' asked Trixie to Nurse Meadow, who was the closest thing the town had to a nurse.

'Yes, she will be fine. She's just very tired, so give her a few days to recover and she will be right as rain, I tell you!'

Trixie carried on sitting outside in the waiting room. She felt responsible for Catherine, like she had found a stray, hurt in the street. She also felt like she had a sister in cat-ness. Trixie's mother and father had a difficult night trying to feed Trixie, and getting her to bed was nearly impossible. Eventually Trixie convinced them to give permission for Catharine to stay for a few days while she recovered. Trixie's dad went around that evening and made the offer to the doctor. Dr Meadow was glad of an excuse to get his surgery back and accepted. So it was that mid morning, her dad and the doctor turned up to their door with the half sleeping Catharine sitting in a wheelchair. Catharine was so slight that Trixie's dad was able to carry her up the narrow wooden stairs by himself.

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Over the next couple of days there could never be a more watchful nurse than Trixie was.

Several times Trixie's mother had to insist that Catharine be left alone to sleep. Trixie noticed that Catharine became particularly tired when Trixie asked where Catharine was from, or what she was doing to get ship wrecked, or if there was anyone they could telegraph on the main land, and she would never say. Catherine did recover quickly though and the next day she was strong enough to sit up in bed and eat soup and bread. Trixie tried to think of things which would jog Catharine's memory.

'What is the most wonderful thing you've seen?' asked Trixie.

Catharine sat for a moment in silence. 'I remember seeing the sunrise over the Sgurr Alasdair mountains. But I guess the thing I remember most clearly this sky palace of Eigg.'

'What's that?' asked Trixie.

'Eigg, you've never heard of it? Well above the city of Empyrean is a palace built around a huge a white airship named Elan. Elan floats high above the city, and wherever you go, you can look up and you can see the sky palace above you.'

'Why doesn't the palace float away?'

'The palace is attached to the city by a strong rope. From the city you can sit and watch baskets carrying people up and down the cable to the palace all day, and when you leave you can see the palace float above it.'

'What were you doing there?' Trixie asked.

'I can't remember! You tire me out with all these questions. I tell you what, go help your poor mother and let me sleep for a bit!'

Trixie was very keen to make sure that Catharine was as sick as possible. She felt she had made a new best friend and really didn't want her to leave just yet. Unfortunately she was about to discover that good things don't always stay the way you want it. 

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A/N Hope you are enjoying this. RK