Captain Kittyhawk & The Cloud Wars

Chapter 5 in the belly of the beast

Photo: Flying boat 

Trixie went back to her bedroom and began to sob into her pillow. Dad offered to go down to the bakers to find her favorite treat for tea. After a few minutes Trixie realized that while mother was distracted downstairs, and dad was out, she had some time. She got out the best writing paper her grandmother had bought for her birthday and wrote a note. Leaving it in an envelope on her pillow she went to her bedroom window. The bedroom window slid open, to show the tree in the back yard. Trixie climbed down the tree down to the ground.

Hompton was an old town with lots of hidden back ways. Hidden ways which kids like Trixie knew very well. The soldiers were moving slowly, constantly checking numbers to make sure no one got left behind. This gave Trixie time to get down to the docks. The harbour was filled with five huge sea planes. Trixie had never seen anything that big. The largest plane was up against the dock, with its huge doors open. Trixie had been in a few sea planes in her life. She knew the sea planes had lots of little compartments and tiny rooms where she could hide. Her plan was clear, get onto the plane and rescue Cathrine before it took off. Her biggest problem was getting past the guards. The town's boats and sea planes were crushed together on the other side of the jetty. Jumping from one boat to the other let her get past the guards on the dock.

As she climbed along the back of one sea plane someone came along the jetty. Trixie jumped down as the soldier looked out. Trixie froze while the man looked out at her. The soldier started to turn when Trixie knocked something, it clanked and Trixie grabbed it. At the sound the soldier turned back. Trixie bent down and froze holding the cold metal lump in her hand.

At this point a voice shouted.

'Oi what are you doing?'

Trixie froze her heart beating like an engine spluttering.

'Nothing sergeant, I thought I saw someone out there,' said the soldier. There was a pause.

'It's nothing, get back to work, we've got orders to move out before the tide changes. The whole Anendale navy is going to be here soon, so get back into the flagging ship.'

'Sir, yes Sir,' said the solider and they left.

Trixie was smart, it could be a trick so she gave herself a moment to look at what was in her hands. It was an old gun, cold metal and very heavy. Thinking it might be useful Trixie put it in her shoulder bag. She made her way to the last boat next to a ladder, which went up the side of the jetty. She climbed up and peeked over the top. Everyone seemed to be busy. The tail of the sea plane held a large gun turret. Next to the turret was a small open hatch. Trixie held her breath checked no one was coming and ran over the jetty and dived into the hatch without looking. The inside of the sea plane was all bear worn metal. The hatch led to a very short passage, which to her left lead to the gun turret to the right down a long passage down the spine of the sea plane. Trixie could hear soldiers' boots stomping down the metal walkway. She looked around and saw a small door way to a room marked 'store'. She tried the handle, it was unlocked, so opening the door she looked in. It was tiny and full of brown hessian sacks.

There was an empty sack on the floor, so having a good idea, Trixie pulled one over herself like she was about to have a sack race, then dropped down to the ground with the others. This was just as well, the door opened practically the same second she stopped.

'In there,' a voice shouted. Someone came in.

'Well you certainly know how to treat a woman,' Catharine's voice said. Trixie's heart jumped, this was more luck than she could hope for. All she had to do was wait until the guard left, untie Cathrine, then they could both escape.