Weirdness and Wendip (Book 1)

Goodbye Darkwing

Mabel's point of view. Chapter dedicated to Sam, keep on bowling.

Stan, Soos and myself clung to Beaky's feathers as we moved through the night sky, the breeze was chilly but luckily we'd wrapped up just about warm enough to combat the low temperature. If seen from below it would've looked like a giant beach ball drifting across. All in all we made good time and arrived in perhaps two hours after setting out. During the journey I chatted to Soos while Stan kept his H.V.F.A trained on any small movement in the tree canopy below us. He clearly didn't want a repeat of the Draco incident. 

"Soos do you think we've taken too long?" I asked him.

"Well you waited a bit there and they would've come out straight away if they could. Maybe we have taken a bit too much time dawg. But they'll be fine. We'd know if they weren't." His optimism always brightened my day and I smiled. 

We landed with a soft bump perhaps fifty metres from the cave entrance. Beaky had been remarkably accurate with his landing and had found a clear patch in the trees. Ten minutes later with a final puff of air Beaky was fully deflated (with a little help from me squeezing him) and we walked through the cave and up to the bubble. It was as if the bubble had gone to sleep for the night, only throbbing softer blue and green colours. We set up the lights around the base of the bubble and I undid the vacuum seal on the ashes which had been thrown out of the bubble earlier. It was then that I realised that I'd be saying goodbye to Beaky at perhaps any minute.

"Beaky." I squeaked at him trying to hold back some of my tears. I'd grown rather fond of him and really didn't want him to leave. Beaky must have seen the state I was getting myself into.

"Oh Mabel, it's quite alright. I'm not of this world and quite frankly I would stick out like a sore thumb." He gave me a big hug, squeezing me tightly for what seemed like a minute. He prodded my chin upwards with his wing. "There you go Mabel, stiff upper lip and all. Dipper, Wendy and Ford will be back in a minute anyway and you'll of forgotten all about me." He smiled at me curling the corners of his beak up. I giggled at him.

"Don't say things like that Beaky you silly billy. I'll never forget you." He turned to Soos and Stan. 

"Stan, Soos, it has been lovely meeting you all. I'm sorry to be leaving you so soon but I was honoured to be your friends." He shook both their hands and we all slumped down against the cave wall, waiting for the inevitable. We sat in silence mostly though Stan cracked a few jokes just to try and lighten the mood. It was about half an hour or so before the cave started to rumble. 

The clock's mechanism started to twirl at an alarming rate, pinging, whizzing and a t one point making an alarming grinding sound. The ashes on the floor whipped up into a tornado spiralling faster and faster whilst moving closer to the bubble. Beaky turned to me and said.

"Goodbye Mabel, I can feel it pulling me in. You be good to yourself." I passed him the rest of his feathers which had fallen off during the adventure. "Oh and tell Waddles he's a swine." He winked at me. He walked calmly to the bubbles membrane, turned around, nodded once and fell in. At the same time the grandfather clock performed a triple back flip whilst striking the hour, it cartwheeled into the bubble and the ash was sucked in as well. 

"Goodbye Beaky." I called. The bubble flashed a myriad of colours and expanded to almost twice its size, flames spat from its edges as it groaned and pressed against the cave wall. We waited for the others to return with baited breath.