Phoebe and Shimmer

by Julie Sykes

  I’ll try and to talk to him later, she thought, glancing back at the inspector, who was still scribbling notes. I’ll make sure he knows I didn’t mean it and that I think the academy is the best school ever!

  “Today we are going to be studying the thermal springs in the west of the island,” Ms Rivers announced. “They are in a mountainous landscape that is home to the golden-spotted phoenix.”

  There was the clatter of chair legs on the floor and Mr Longnose stood up. “Excuse me, Ms Rivers, but I am a trained geologist. I happen to have visited the thermal springs. Would you like me to share some of my knowledge with the class?”

  “Certainly,” said Ms Rivers politely. “I’m sure they’ll all be very interested in what you have to say.”

  “Oh, we will! We really will!” Phoebe burst out, hoping to make up for her earlier mistake by letting the inspector see how enthusiastic they all were about learning.

  “Ms Rivers, is it usual for pupils to be allowed to shout out in your class?” enquired Mr Longnose sharply.

  “No, of course not.” Ms Rivers frowned. “Phoebe, please remember to put your hand up.”

  Phoebe slid back into her seat. Flapdoodles! She hadn’t made things better, if anything she’d made them worse!

  Mr Longnose launched into a long and boring description of how the hot springs were formed and then showed them how to greet the golden-spotted phoenix. “It’s polite to bow from the waist like so, while extending your right hand out at exactly this angle.”

  Phoebe heard Spike and his friend Johan swallow snorts of laugher as Mr Longnose folded his thin frame in half while twisting his wrist to hold out his hand with the fingers making a circle.

  Mr Longnose looked up sharply. “How rude!” he said in a displeased voice. “I am surprised you allow behaviour like this, Ms Rivers.” Picking up his clipboard, he made another note.

  Ms Rivers fixed the boys with a look that made them subside instantly. “Thank you, Mr Longnose, for all that information. It’s been most enlightening.” Although her words were polite, Phoebe could tell from the tightness around her mouth and eyes that she was not happy at all.

  When Geography ended, they went to get a snack in the dining hall before going to a library session with Ms Tansy, the librarian. Mr Longnose walked to the hall with them, asking questions of everyone as they went. Did they like the school? Did they feel safe?

  “I’m going to talk to him,” Phoebe told Zara.

  “No, Phoebs!” Zara grabbed her arm.

  Phoebe frowned. “Why not? I just want to make sure he knows students don’t feel unsafe here and to tell him how utterly amazing the school is.”

  “Please, don’t,” Zara begged. “You never think before you speak and you’ll only make things worse.” She sounded so genuinely worried that Phoebe was taken aback. She and Zara often teased each other – she would tell Zara she was too sensible and Zara would tell her she was too dramatic – but this time Zara didn’t sound as if she was teasing.

  “Come on, let’s get rainbow cakes,” said Zara, pulling her into the dining hall.

  Phoebe followed her, feeling confused and hurt. Did Zara really think she would make things worse if she spoke to the inspector?

  “Where are the cakes today?” asked Aisha as they got to the counter.

  “Didn’t you hear?” said Lauren, from Opal dorm. “The kitchen ran out of flour. The delivery didn’t get through because Mount Inferno started rumbling overnight, and the main road to the north has been closed while scientists investigate whether it’s going to erupt.”

  “Really?” said Zara in surprise. As she loved science, she often read reports about the ancient volcano in the mountains behind the school. “But Mount Inferno has been dormant for over a hundred years.”

  “I overheard Ms Rivers and Ms Nettles talking about it at lunchtime,” said Spike, joining in the conversation. “No one knows why it’s suddenly active again.”

  “Luckily no one lives on its slopes,” said Zara. “And school’s far enough away to be out of the reach of the lava if it does erupt. The big danger will be to the villages nearby on the coast. Volcanic activity can affect the tides and Mount Inferno is covered by a glacier – a massive river of ice. If it does erupt, the glacier will melt which will cause dreadful flooding.”

  “I hope it doesn’t erupt!” said Lily anxiously.

  “Maybe it’s just going to rumble for a bit,” said Aisha.

  As everyone continued talking about the volcano, Zara shot Phoebe a puzzled look. “You’re being quiet.”

  “Am I?”

  “Yes, normally if you heard news like this, you’d be waving your arms, telling us we’re all going to die!”

  “Ha ha!” said Phoebe. “Very funny.” But she didn’t really feel like laughing for once. Zara’s words from before were still stinging. While the others carried on talking about the volcano, she slipped away and went to the stables.

  Shimmer whickered when he saw her. “Phoebe!”

  “Hi, Shimmer,” Phoebe muttered.

  He blinked. “Are you OK?”

  Phoebe shrugged.

  “You’re obviously not. What’s the matter?” he asked, nuzzling her hands.

  She sighed. “Do you think I’m a doughnut?”

  “What? No! Of course not!” Shimmer looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

  Phoebe put her arms round his neck and told him what had happened. “Zara said I’d make things worse if I spoke to the inspector. Would I have made it worse, Shimmer?”

  “No, of course not,” Shimmer said loyally. He blew gently on her face. “You always say the right thing. You’re perfect.”

  Phoebe loved him for being so supportive but a tiny little bit of her brain did wonder if Zara might be right. She sighed. “Maybe I do need to think more before I speak and not exaggerate as much,” she said. “I did give the inspector the wrong idea.”

  “No!” said Shimmer quickly. “Now, you are being a doughnut! Please don’t change. I like you just the way you are.”

  Phoebe smiled. “Thanks, Shimmer.” She was very lucky to have him. He understood her in a way that no one else did. “I’d better go back in. We’ve got a library session now and no doubt Mr Long-Nosey will be asking lots more questions. I don’t like him. I hope he doesn’t write a really bad report on the school.” She caught her breath. “What if he does and Ms Nettles loses her job? Or what if it’s so bad, the school is shut down and we’re all sent home for ever?”

  Shimmer whickered as if he was laughing. “That’s more like it!” He nudged her. “But even I think you’re exaggerating now. Everyone knows how brilliant Unicorn Academy is. One bad report won’t be enough to close it.”

  Phoebe really hoped he was right.

  Ms Tansy gathered them all together around the reading tree – a giant tree that grew through the floor of the library. She seemed nervous to have Mr Longnose in the lesson with her and fiddled with her flowery, yellow-framed glasses. “Right. Today, everyone, we’re going to practise your researching skills by looking up famous inventors. I want you to start by trying to find out about Count Lysander Thornberry.”

  “I shall be fascinated to see what you find in books,” Mr Longnose said. “I know the count personally. He is a first-rate scientist and an exceptional inventor. He was the first person to successfully combine magic and science to make a rain machine.” A disapproving look crossed his face. “He might be vain with a ridiculously flamboyant dress sense but his work is undeniably brilliant.”

  Zara put her hand up. “I thought the count was a recluse and avoided people.” She loved science and often read science books and magazines for fun. “How do you know him, Mr Longnose?”

  “We studied geology together before he became famous,” said Mr Longnose, with a sniff. “The count was lucky enough to continue with his scientific work, becoming the famous inventor everyone knows today, whereas I had to give up my research and get a paid job.”

  Pho
ebe raised her hand. “Mr Longnose, if you studied geology, do you know much about volcanoes?”

  “Phoebe, that’s really not relevant,” said Ms Tansy, giving the inspector an anxious glance. “Today’s lesson is about inventors not volcanoes.”

  “No, no, it is quite all right, Ms Tansy,” said Mr Longnose, his expression losing some of its usual severity. “Volcanoes are a particular interest of mine and I completed several research papers on them before I became a school inspector. Do you have a question about volcanoes?” he asked Phoebe.

  Phoebe nodded. “We heard that Mount Inferno’s rumbling. How likely is it to erupt?”

  “Now that is a very interesting question,” Mr Longnose said. He steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “Dormant volcanoes sometimes start to show signs of activity without erupting. The rumblings from Mount Inferno may be false alarms or they may signal that an eruption is imminent.”

  “Will we be in danger here if it does erupt?” Tom from Topaz dorm asked.

  “No, although the effects will be felt elsewhere – most particularly on the coast. A serious eruption will cause all sorts of problems.” Mr Longnose looked strangely excited. “If it does happen, it will be a most interesting event to study. Most interesting indeed!”

  Phoebe watched his face curiously. He looked almost as if he wanted it to happen!

  “Now, any other questions?” he asked.

  “Why do you think it has become active again after all these years?” asked Zara.

  “Well, there are several possibilities.” Mr Longnose launched into a long rambling speech about dormant volcanoes.

  Zara listened carefully but Phoebe soon gave up paying attention. Her thoughts returned to earlier. Despite Shimmer urging her not to change, she wondered if she should try not to exaggerate so much. It was much more fun to make dull events into exciting stories but she still felt bad she’d given Mr Longnose the wrong impression of the school, and she disliked the way Zara hadn’t trusted her to put things right. She sighed. Maybe she should stick to the truth more.

  You know what, I’ll try, she decided.

  Phoebe’s decision was quickly put to the test. As the day went on, more and more reports started coming in about the rumbling Mount Inferno. It appeared there had been several mini eruptions which were already causing problems.

  “I spoke to my aunt and she said there was such a high tide this afternoon a rainbow-fountain whale got beached on the roof of her house,” Spike said at dinner.

  “And apparently the village next to ours has fallen down a huge crack that opened up in the road,” countered Johan.

  “And Lauren said that her cousin’s house was under—” Phoebe broke off. She’d been about to say underwater. But really all Lauren had told her was that her cousin’s family were evacuating from their village because of the potential risk of flooding. She sighed as she decided not to add to the story. Being truthful was very boring.

  “Under what?” said Zara.

  “Nothing,” muttered Phoebe, but as she saw everyone lose interest in her and start to look away, she suddenly couldn’t resist. “Well, she said it was under a whole sea of water!” she said, her eyes widening. “Her family lost everything – clothes, furniture, even the walls of the house were knocked down!”

  She felt a rush of satisfaction as the others listened eagerly. Adding to the facts was so much more fun than sticking to them!

  Ms Nettles rose to her feet and waited until silence descended in the room. “Students, I need to talk to you about Mount Inferno. I believe that you have heard that it has recently reawakened but I want to assure you that help is being sent to those in need and you will be quite safe here at the academy.”

  Mr Longnose unfolded his long legs and stood up beside her. “Quite right, Ms Nettles. There is nothing to worry about. However, this event is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, and for that reason I propose that the students should go on a scientific expedition to the coast. They can study the effects of the volcano becoming active again after so long.”

  Ms Nettles blinked, looking taken aback. “A field trip? But Mr Longnose, I cannot just interrupt the curriculum to let the students go off camping.”

  “Why not?” said Mr Longnose, looking surprised. “It will help further their understanding of the island. I will choose an area I believe to be free from the risk of serious flooding but somewhere they will be able to observe the effects of an active volcano at first hand. I suggest they measure both frequency and strength of earth tremors while at the same time recording the sea levels at high and low tide. I will, of course, be happy to accompany them and share my extensive knowledge of volcanoes.”

  For once, Ms Nettles seemed lost for words. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Mr Longnose.”

  Mr Longnose’s eyebrows raised. “I’m sorry, Ms Nettles? Are you saying you do not believe it is a good idea for your students to make the most of an exciting educational opportunity?”

  “Of course not!” said Ms Nettles, unusually ruffled.

  “Good,” Mr Longnose interrupted. “Then the field trip will take place. We leave tomorrow.”

  He sat back down and picked up his knife and fork.

  Ms Nettles took a deep breath, and then looked round at the agog students. “It appears there will be a field trip, after all,” she said abruptly. “Lessons will be cancelled to allow everyone to get ready. You can collect the food and camping equipment needed for yourselves and your unicorns after breakfast tomorrow.”

  The students broke into excited chatter as Ms Nettles sat back down.

  “A camping trip instead of lessons!” said Phoebe. “How awesome!”

  “I wish we didn’t have Mr Longnose tagging along though,” said Lily. “I hate the way he keeps asking questions. It’s like he only wants to find bad things out about the school.”

  “Let’s stay out of his way,” said Phoebe. “Just think – sleeping in tents, toasting marshmallows on the campfire.” Her eyes shone. “And telling ghost stories at night!”

  “I’ll pack a flute so we can have some music,” said Aisha enthusiastically. “Not my best one though in case it gets sandy.”

  “Studying the earth tremors and tide levels will be so interesting,” said Zara excitedly. “I’ll get some books on volcanoes from the library to read while we’re there.”

  Phoebe rolled her eyes. “You really know how to have fun.”

  “It is fun,” said Zara.

  “You’re nuttier than a squirrel!” Phoebe told her.

  Zara grinned. “You can talk! I’m also going to bring my detective notebook in case there’s more to Mount Inferno coming to life than meets the eye.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Aisha, frowning.

  Zara lowered her voice. “Don’t you lot think it’s odd that two really unusual environmental things happen within a few months of each other? First, the purple tornadoes and now this. We know the tornadoes were caused by someone using bad magic. Maybe that same person has caused Mount Inferno to become active in order to harm the island some more.”

  “You really think they might be linked?” breathed Lily.

  Zara nodded. “My uncle, the one who’s a detective, says you should be very wary of coincidences. We should look out for clues, see if there are any links between the two events while we’re on the coast. Are you all in? Will you help me try to solve this mystery?”

  “Definitely!” Phoebe, Lily and Aisha chorused.

  Phoebe felt excitement tingle through her. The field trip had suddenly got even more fun!

  The next morning, Ms Nettles announced that the whole school was going to be allowed to travel to the coast using the magic map to save time. Everyone was very excited – the map was an exact model of the island that stood in the assembly hall and could be used to take people and their unicorns anywhere on the island they wanted to go.

  Seated on their unicorns, Phoebe, Zara, Aisha and Lily gathered around the map with the rest of the school. Their ru
cksacks were filled with camping equipment. Zara’s was heavier than everyone else’s because she seemed to have packed half the library!

  Phoebe felt like she was going to explode with excitement. “This is so awesome!” she exclaimed. “I can’t wait to get there. Budge up,” she added to Zara. “I can’t see the map properly.”

  The map was usually protected by a magical force field but as the teachers and students crowded into the hall it shimmered and fell away. Ms Nettles sat on her unicorn, Thyme, examining the west coast of the map and discussing with Ms Tulip, Ms Rosemary and Ms Rivers where would be the best place to make a camp. Mr Longnose, dressed as usual in a dark suit, seemed to be arguing with them.

  Nudging Zara, Phoebe said, “I’ve just thought of something, why doesn’t Mr Longnose have a unicorn?”

  “He didn’t come to the academy when he was younger so he went to a different school and he’s never had one,” said Zara. “In fact, I heard Ms Tulip telling Ms Tansy that he can’t even ride!”

  “Ms Tulip won’t let him get away with that if he stays much longer!” said Lily with a grin. “She thinks everyone should ride!”

  “Ms Tulip is looking at him rather a lot,” said Phoebe, observing the riding teacher who kept glancing at Mr Longnose. “Perhaps she’s planning to get him on a unicorn while we’re at the beach!”

  Aisha giggled. “Or a donkey!”

  Lily grinned. “Do you think he’ll put on swimming shorts and go paddling in the sea while we’re there?”

  They all burst into giggles at the thought.

  Ms Nettles raised her hand for silence. “Quiet please, everyone. This is the first time I’ve used the map to transport the whole school. The magic should be strong enough but for it to work, everyone must hold hands. Don’t let go or you will be left behind.”

  Phoebe took Zara’s hand as Zara took Lily’s. Phoebe was very glad she wasn’t next to Mr Longnose. She definitely wouldn’t want to hold hands with him!