Adventure 2016

Chapter 21: rain of fire

Bright spotlights shone from the end of the pier. Their beams danced in the night sky, and swept across the sea. In time with music. A drum beat played through huge speakers relayed to the crowds on the beach and the prom. Lasers joined the spotlights, forming shapes and patterns in blue and green.

James looked out to the sea. The firework boat was out there, somewhere. It occurred to him that if the pigeons didn't manage to pull it under the pier, then the Green Hands Gang would have nothing to worry about.

"There!" Wilf called. "Did you see that? A boat near the end of the pier. I saw it in the spotlight."

"I saw something too," Queenie said.

They waited for another sweep of the spotlights. Sure enough, a beam flicked down to the sea and it was clear. The dark shape of the boat, and in front of it a flock of birds. The pigeons.

"They're pulling it under the pier!" Wilf shouted. "It's almost under!"

"Come on starlings!" James said. "Where are you?"

He felt something touch his shoulder. Not a hand but Notail. Claudia bounded after her.

"We've got a problem," she said. "The Empress of the Six Dials. Her cats are nearly here. We need to stop them from getting on the groyne."

"I'll see to that!" Zen ran down the groyne toward the beach, to the fence that protected them.

"He'll need help," Claudia said. "There's lots of cats."

James thought for a second.

"Wilf, Abie," he said. "Take your catapult and some super soakers to protect the way onto the groyne. Queenie and Fred, go with them. Keep the cats out of here. We don't need the catapult here yet, as the boat is too far away."

The children grabbed the water pistols, the catapult and a couple of bags of water bombs and hurried to help Zen and the rats.

The music was getting louder, the beat had quickened. More lasers and lights were moving in time, all together now, into the climax.

"Come on starlings," James said. "The fireworks will be starting soon!"

A squawk sounded. The radio.

"James, the firework boat is getting closer," Elf's voice came through, sounding worried. "I can see it from here. No one else has noticed, but it is being pulled by pigeons, they have a rope. Over"

"I think you're going to have to get off the pier," he said. "It's too dangerous."

Another sound joined the music. It came from above. Wings beating, lots of wings.

"Starlings!" Spencer shouted."They're here!"

The birds flew over them, rushing out to the sea. Thousands and thousands. Black against the stars. Like a fast flowing river of shapes. More joined from the either side, merging with the main river.

"James? Can you hear me?" Elf's voice. The radio.

"Yes!" he said. "They're here. The starlings."

"I can see them," Elf said. "There's so many. What are they doing? Oh my! It's working! The boat has stopped. No, it's moving away!"

The lasers and lights were pointing straight up now, ready for their final crescendo. The spotlights and lasers in tandem. Not much time left.

Then he could see it. Just a dark blur to start with, hard to see after the brightness of the display.

"Can you see that?" Ella asked.

"Yes. And it's getting closer. Get the catapult ready."

There were hisses and cries from behind. The cats! The sound of a water bomb hitting the fence. A child's voice called "Yeehar!". James thought it might have been Wilf.