by Des Hunt
With a shock, Jack realized it was Pat. The little bat was squeaking with fear. Jack looked away, disgusted with his friend. How could he attack the bat in the middle of a disaster?
He turned back to voice his feelings, and that’s when he noticed that Chainsaw was working to keep Pat above the water. He wasn’t trying to eat him at all. He was trying to save him.
By then the water had reached its peak and had started flowing back. Soon it was shallow enough for Jack to move forward and help. But now the receding water was pulling the pair out into the lake. The gap was widening.
A shout came from behind. “Look out!” screamed Fluoro.
Jack turned to see that waves had bounced off the sides of the bay and were coming at him. Once again he was up to his thighs in water. Worse still, the rushing water was pulling him towards the lake. There was nothing he could do except go with the flow.
Out into deeper water he went, fighting to stay afloat. And still the water kept moving, dragging corpses and rubbish out of the bay and into the main part of the lake.
Bit by bit the flow lessened and Jack’s feet touched the bottom. Chainsaw and Pat were now a long way from shore. The cat was struggling to keep them both afloat. But it was too much for him. Gradually he stopped moving until both animals were floating motionless in the water.
Chapter 10
Jack gazed out over the lake with unseeing eyes. He felt he should do something, but his mind wouldn’t work anymore. So he just stood and stared at the water.
It was Emily who spurred him into action. She swooped down crying, “Come and help me! We’ve got to save them.”
Before Jack could reply, she was gone, flying out to where Jack had last seen Chainsaw and Pat. She soon spotted what she was after and flew down to the surface. Her claws extended into the water and grabbed something. With three powerful wing beats, she lifted into the air dragging a black shape.
It was Pat. His wings were hanging down like black wrapping paper. As they cleared the surface, Jack could see that there was still something left behind. It had to be Chainsaw. Maybe he was still alive.
Jack plunged into the water and began swimming.
Swimming through all the rubbish would have been difficult for a strong swimmer, which Jack wasn’t, and after a couple of minutes he knew he wouldn’t make it. He was turning back to shore when a lump of floating pumice hit his head. Thinking that might be the answer, he grabbed it and stuffed it under his chest.
Yes, it worked! With his body supported by the pumice he now had a chance. Then he saw that there was pumice all around with some bits as big as his body. He chose a chunk flatter than the rest and kicked towards it. Soon he was lying on it and powering his way back out into the lake, the ancient slab of pumice working just as well as a modern surfboard.
Emily saw what was happening and turned to meet him. She dropped down and dumped Pat on the front of the surfboard, alongside Jack’s head.
“Look after him,” she ordered. “I’m going back to help that other furry thing.”
“He’ll be too heavy,” said Jack. But she had already gone.
Pat’s breathing was a mix of gurgles and hisses. One of his wings lay over Jack’s face making paddling difficult. Pat tried to fold it away, but no longer had the strength.
“Are you all right, Pat?” Jack asked.
“I think so,” squeaked Pat. “Having a bit of trouble with the flying apparatus, though. It won’t retract the way it should.”
Jack stopped paddling and sat up on the pumice. “Here, let me help.”
Together they managed to get Pat’s wings stowed away. Now the bat took up hardly any room on the board. “How’s Em doing?” he asked, raising his head. “I can’t see that far.”
Jack looked up to where Emily was trying to lift the cat out of the water. “Not very well,” he said. “Chainsaw’s too heavy for her.”
“We must help,” said Pat.
Jack went back to paddling. Ahead of them, Emily was trying once more to lift Chainsaw. Again she failed. After hovering for a time, she flew a short distance away. There, she dipped into the water and came out lifting a block of pumice.
Emily struggled back to Chainsaw. There, she dropped the block and grabbed hold of him once more. This time she managed to get his front half high enough to lower it onto the pumice.
For a heart-stopping moment it looked like he would slide off. But then Chainsaw did what he did best. He dug his claws in. They gripped and the sliding stopped. For the time being he was safe.
Now Jack had some hope that they might be able to save his friend. He forced his aching arms to paddle faster.
“Go, Jack, go,” urged Pat. “You can do it.”
Emily arrived and perched on Jack’s bottom. She started whistling in time with his paddling. Pat joined in with his squeaks. Then from the shore came the doof-honk that completed the rhythm. Jack glanced behind and saw that everybody was lined up along the shore.
That was the moment when he knew they would be successful. How could he fail when everyone was behind him?
The welcome when they made it back to land was incredible. Hundreds of birds had come to the shore. Even some pelicans had flown in and were now sitting on the water forming a lane down which Jack paddled his surfboard.
As they touched land, a huge cheer went up. Honks, quacks, whistles, croaks… every noise that could be made by a bird echoed around the bay.
“What a wonderful rescue!” said Lucy as she led the welcoming party forward.
“Yes,” agreed Godfrey. “Well done! Well done!”
Fluoro said nothing. He simply stepped forward, squeezed Jack’s arm and nodded his thanks.
“It was Emily,” said Jack. “She did all the thinking. All I did was paddle.”
“But a girl sometimes needs a bit of muscle for support,” said Emily.
“Don’t forget what Chainsaw did,” said Pat quietly. “I’d be at the bottom of the lake if it wasn’t for him saving me.”
Everyone looked at Chainsaw. If any cat looked less like a hero, it was him. He was lying on the pumice looking like… well… like a drowned cat. Jack moved over and patted his head. Chainsaw looked up and gave a little meow of appreciation.
“We need to dry you off,” said Jack.
“And you too,” said Fluoro. “I think we should get back home, before it gets too late.”
Then everyone was aware of how dark it had become.
Lucy looked around at the assembled birds. “We need to find a roost for the night,” she said.
“Not here” added Godfrey. “The Source might speak again during the night.”
As if on cue a great rumbling came from the lake.
“Yes,” agreed Fluoro. “And tomorrow I suggest you head well away from here. The Source is going to become so violent that it will be dangerous to be anywhere near it.”
“All right,” said Lucy. “We’ll head east a bit.”
Fluoro shook his head wildly. “No! Not east. That’s the worst direction to go. The wind will carry the eruption in that direction. West is the only safe area and even then you need to go a long way.”
There were cries of dismay from the moho.
“What’s the problem?” asked Fluoro.
Morris stepped forward. “The west is adzebill territory,” he said. “We can’t go there.”
Godfrey looked up at Fluoro. “You’ve seen what the adzebills do to moho. Which do you think would be worse for them? Staying here or going to the west?”
Without hesitation Fluoro replied, “Staying here. If they are anywhere near the lake seven days from now they will die for sure. In the west, at least they have some chance of survival.”
“OK,” said Lucy taking control again. “Then tomorrow we will go to the west.”
Again there were cries from the moho.
“It’s all right,” said Lucy. “Have no fear when the Luce Crew’s near. We have everything: brains, wisdom, an eye in the sky, and a nose. No
adzebill can ever match that.”
Chapter 11
Jack was back on the lounger in Fluoro’s home. How he got there, he couldn’t say. One moment Lucy was raving on about how wonderful her crew was, and the next he was back in real time.
Fluoro was also there, lying back on the recliner. Chainsaw was on the ground licking himself dry. That’s when Jack realized that he too was wet. He turned to Fluoro. “How do you explain this?” he asked, wringing some water out of his hoodie.
Instead of answering, Fluoro got up and moved to the back of the shelter. He returned carrying a kerosene lamp that glowed with a flickering flame. He held it near the ground. “We’ve had a heavy shower,” he said.
Jack looked. Yes, there were signs that rain had come in.
“But you’re dry,” said Jack.
Fluoro grinned. “That’s because I placed my chair in a sensible place. The rain didn’t get in here.”
Jack let it go. Maybe the man was right and the water did come from the sky.
“The important thing,” continued Fluoro, “is that you get home quickly and get changed, or your health will suffer.”
“Can I come and see you tomorrow?”
Fluoro was slow to answer, causing Jack to think he was going to turn him down.
“I suppose so,” Fluoro said eventually. “I swim in the AC baths every morning. You can join me there if you wish. Anytime between ten and eleven is suitable.”
“I’ll be there,” said Jack. He leant over and patted Chainsaw’s head. “See you tomorrow, Chainsaw. And stay out of trouble overnight. I don’t want to have to rescue you again in the morning.”
The only answer the cat gave was a slurp as he added more saliva to the fur on his belly.
Jack had changed and put his clothes in the washing machine before his mum arrived home. She was exhausted to the stage of falling asleep on her feet. She sat at the kitchen table with her head in her hands.
“Do you want me to make dinner?” Jack asked.
She gave the faintest of nods.
Jack chose the easiest dish he knew: baked beans on toast. It was also one of his favourites.
Five minutes later the meal was on the table. He gave his mother a shake. “C’mon, Mum, dinner’s ready.”
For a while they ate in silence.
“Dave rang,” said Anna. “He asked after you.”
“When’s he coming home?” asked Jack.
“He’s got a compulsory break in three days time. He’ll be here for a couple of days then.”
“When will he have enough money for his own truck?”
Anna gave a tired sigh. “I don’t know, Jack. Maybe a year. Maybe two.” Another sigh. “The trouble is, the more we save, the more expensive they get. Sometimes it seems like we’ll never get there.”
Jack wanted to discuss it further, but knew this was not the time. Instead he went back to eating.
Before long Anna dozed off again. Jack woke her and helped her into bed. After cleaning up the dishes he too went to bed where he was soon deep in a dreamless sleep.
Sunday morning. Jack arrived at the AC baths shortly after ten. He didn’t have his togs with him because his ears were playing up. The internal buzzing was so bad that at times he couldn’t hear anything from outside.
Fluoro was swimming up and down the big pool. After a couple of laps, he paused on the turn to scan the surrounds. He spotted Jack and using hand signals invited him into the water. Jack shook his head and pointed to his ears. Fluoro gave a nod and returned to his swimming.
Four laps later, he hauled himself from the pool and walked over to Jack.
“Your ears playing up?”
Jack nodded.
“Have you ever had them checked?”
Jack shook his head.
“Well, I think you should.”
“Yes, Dr Fluoro, anything you say.”
Fluoro looked at him sideways. “I’m serious, Jack. The way you mix up words means there’s something wrong in there. When you get to school on Tuesday, go and see the nurse.”
Jack didn’t answer.
Fluoro stood. “Think about it while I have a shower. I’ll meet you out front in quarter of an hour.”
Walking the streets with Fluoro was an unusual experience. Never before had Jack been the centre of so much attention. And lots of it unfriendly. People in cars blasted the horn and either shouted abuse or made rude signals with their hands. Pedestrians crossed the road or walked in the gutter to avoid being close.
Yet, it didn’t seem to upset the man. All he said was that you learnt a lot about people living rough, and much of it was not nice.
Chainsaw was waiting for them at the edge of Crown Park. He meowed loudly at them as if something was wrong. They soon found out what it was. Fluoro’s home had been ransacked. All the storage holes dug into the cliff had been emptied onto the floor. Both the mattress and La-Z-Boy had been cut open and now had springs sticking out in all direction. The lounger had been dismantled so that the insides of the pipes could be checked.
“The Bennett brothers,” said Fluoro as they studied the damage. “They were looking for my treasure.”
“Too right, Freakhead,” said a voice from behind.
Jack turned and saw Brian and Liam Bennett appearing from behind a bush.
“And did you find it?” asked Fluoro in his crazy man mumble.
“No! But you’re going to tell us where it is,” said Brian.
Fluoro lowered his head to look at the ground. “Yeah, all right,” he said
Brian and Liam’s eyes went wide. Clearly they hadn’t expected it to be so easy.
Liam was the first to recover. “So where is it?”
“It’s not here,” replied Fluoro.
“We know that, Freakhead,” snarled Brian. He took a step forward. “Tell us where.”
“It’s not like that,” mumbled Fluoro. “I’m going to have to do some things.”
“When will that happen?”
Fluoro looked uncertain. “It might take a while.”
“No, it won’t,” said Brian. “You’ll have it done by tomorrow.”
“All right,” said Fluoro studying the ground again. “Three o”clock tomorrow and I’ll have it sorted.”
“You’d better,” said Brian, “or nasty things will happen to you.”
They left.
Jack and Fluoro watched them go in silence. When Jack was sure they were out of hearing he said, “You’re not really going to give them stuff, are you?”
“Oh yes I am,” said Fluoro with a smile. “I’m going to give them the greatest treasure I know. I’m going to give them knowledge.”
“I don’t think they’ll be happy with that.”
“Oh yes, they will. At least they will be at first.”
Jack smiled with anticipation. “What are you going to do to them?”
“That, young Jack, will be revealed tomorrow,” said Fluoro with a chuckle. “Right now, we need to clean up this mess and have some lunch. Then, if you feel like it, we’ll go back and see how the Loose Screws are getting on.”
Chapter 12
Fluoro and Jack landed on a moa track leading up the side of a hill. The trees alongside were not as tall as those closer to the lake, and the songs of the birds were quieter. The loudest noise was the doof-honk-whistle-squeak from further up the path.
“Spot on,” said Jack. “Sounds like we almost landed amongst them.
“Did you ever doubt my navigation?” said Fluoro.
“Yes!” replied Jack.
“Well, you shouldn’t have. I could have got even closer except I didn’t want Chainsaw landing in the middle of the moho and scaring them.”
Chainsaw was already running up the track, impatient to catch up with Lucy’s crew. Jack and Fluoro followed.
Godfrey was acting as tail-end Charlie. Between him and Lucy at the front were the moho. While the Luce Crew were marching in perfect time with the beat, the moho were finding it difficult
. Not one of them could get it right. A couple were marching to the rhythm, but not with the right feet. Others just couldn’t get the hang of it and kept bumping into the bird in front.
Overhead, Emily was flitting around making sure that none of them wandered off into the bushes. When she spotted Jack and Fluoro, she glided down to land on Jack’s shoulder.
“Good to see you, humans,” she said. “And you too, Chainsaw. I could do with some help.”
“What’s the problem?” asked Fluoro.
Before she could answer the ground lurched sideways. It only lasted a moment, but it was enough to have the moho screaming and running off into the scrub.
“That’s the problem,” said Emily, rolling her eyes. She gave a mighty sigh, before taking to the sky to round up the frightened birds. Chainsaw ran off after her to help.
“They’re really quite stupid animals,” said Godfrey. “If it weren’t for Luce’s obsession with purple, I for one certainly wouldn’t be here helping them.”
“What would you be doing instead?” asked Fluoro.
Godfrey gave a sad little sigh. “That’s the thing, Mr Fluoro,” he said. “Nowadays there is nothing else to do. That’s why I came along. But I’m really not up to it anymore. Not in mind, nor in body. I would have been quite happy staying back at the lake with The Source. I’m still giving some thought to going back.”
“Not a good idea,” said Fluoro. “These earthquakes mean that a major eruption is close. We need be further away, not closer.”
“We’ll see, Mr Fluoro,” said Godfrey. “We’ll see.”
While they’d been talking, Emily and Chainsaw had got the moho back on the track.
“OK,” boomed Lucy from the front. “Are we all set to—” She’d spotted Fluoro and Jack. “Oh, hello, humans. Good to have you back.” She thought for a moment. “Godfrey, now that they’re here, you can come forward and help me. Jack and Fluoro can take the rear. And, um, Chainsaw can help Em with the moho.”
