by Mary Kelly
They bent down again to take a closer look, moving as carefully as they could so as not to alarm it.
“It’s still not flying away,” said Evan. “I think that’s really strange. Maybe it’s broken its leg or something.”
“Oh no,” said Hannah, her voice an urgent whisper. “Evan, the poor robin – I’ve just realized it’s completely stuck.
“What do you mean it’s stuck?” asked Evan, frowning.
“Look,” said Hannah. “It’s standing on a piece of cardboard and it can’t move its legs. It must be stuck to the cardboard in some way. And there – do you see? Its tail feathers are stuck down, too. It must be caught in some type of glue.”
Evan reached out to touch it, to see if he could help.
“No!” said Hannah quickly, reaching out to stop him. “I think we should get help.”
“Then let’s run back to my house,” said Evan. “It’s closer. Mum will know what to do.”
Evan looked at the robin one more time, memorizing the exact spot where they had found it. Then he and Hannah took off, racing down the snowy pavement, their coats flying out behind them. Luckily, Evan’s house wasn’t far away, but they still arrived panting for breath at the door.
Hannah noticed the holly wreath hanging on the door and the fairy lights in the window. But she couldn’t think about Christmas now. All her thoughts were focused on the robin.
They burst through the front door.
“Mum! Mum!” called Evan, running down the corridor without stopping to take off his shoes. Hannah realized they were trampling snow all over the carpet, but it didn’t seem important right now.
“In here!” replied his mum, from the kitchen. “You took your time coming home from school,” she added, as they came through to find her. “Have you been enjoying the snow?”
She looked up as Evan and Hannah burst into the kitchen. Evan realized she was tidying up after cooking. There was flour everywhere, and his little sister, Poppy, was sitting on the kitchen counter beside his mum, playing with a piece of pastry.
“What’s the matter?” asked his mum, taking in their flushed faces, their brows creased with worry.
“Oh!” began Hannah. “We’ve found a robin…”
“…and we think it’s stuck,” finished Evan, still breathless from their run. “It’s out by the privet hedge at the end of our road. It’s on a piece of cardboard. It can’t move and it keeps calling out, as if it’s really distressed.”
“Right,” said Mum, immediately springing into action. “Let me come and take a look.” She wiped her floury hands on her apron, lifted Poppy down and went briskly to the hallway. As she put on her warm fleecy coat she had a quick look out of the window. “It’s snowing really heavily now,” she noted. “We’ll have to wrap up warm.”
She passed Hannah a spare scarf, gave Evan a woolly hat and zipped Poppy into her snow suit. “Let’s all put on boots, too,” she said. “Your shoes look sopping. Hannah, you can borrow an old pair of Evan’s. They’re just under there,” she added, pointing to the shoe rack under the stairs.
Hannah pulled out the boots while Mum helped Poppy into hers. “Red boots,” said Poppy proudly, stamping up and down on the floor.
“They’re lovely,” said Hannah, smiling at her. She thought Poppy looked a little like a robin herself, in her red snowsuit and boots.
“Red’s her favourite colour,” said Evan. “Because of her name.”
“Poppies are red,” said Poppy, very seriously.
“Just like you,” added Hannah.
“Righ … house keys, phone…” said Mum, tapping her pockets. “We’ve got everything. Let’s go.” She turned to Hannah as they went out of the door. “Do your parents know where you are, love?” she asked.
“No,” said Hannah. “Although they’ll just think I’m here as usual.”
“I’ll ring them as we go, then. I don’t want them worrying.”
They hurried out on to the street, Mum managing to carry Poppy in one arm and use her other hand to phone Hannah’s mum.
Evan was glad of his woolly hat. The snow was coming down in thick, fat flakes now, and it was deep enough to cover the tops of his boots. “Oh no,” he said suddenly. “You don’t think the robin will be buried under the snow, do you?” He looked really worried.
“It was under the hedge, remember?” said Hannah. “I think it’ll be sheltered there – at least a little bit.”
“Where did you find it?” asked Mum, when they reached the hedge.
“It’s just here,” said Evan. “I remember because it was near the street lamp.”
“See robin! See robin!” cried Poppy excitedly.
“Hush now,” said her mum, jiggling her about on her hip. “Oh yes, I see it.” She put Poppy down on the ground. “Evan, hold on to her hand, will you, while I take a look, and can everyone stay back? I don’t want to alarm the robin even more.”
Evan kept a tight grip on Poppy as he felt her strain forward, longing to get closer to the bird.
“Want to see!” she cried.
“The robin is really shy, Poppy,” said Hannah, keeping her voice to a whisper. “We have to be really quiet, or it’ll get scared.”
“OK,” said Poppy, doing a stage whisper back.
Mum was crouching down low next to the robin.
“What do you think, Mum?” asked Evan. “Can you see what’s happened to it?” He glanced over his mum’s shoulder as he spoke, taking in the robin’s tiny body against the blanket of snow. Its black eyes were still shining brightly and it let out another little chirp.
His mum stepped back before answering, to give the robin some space. “You’re right,” she said. “It does look like it’s stuck to that piece of cardboard. It seems really nervous, too.”
“What do we do now?” asked Hannah.
“I think we should phone the RSPCA,” said Mum. “I’m sure they’ll be able to help. They have trained inspectors who specialize in rescuing animals.” She moved further away from the robin as she spoke, and the others followed her.
“I hope someone will be able to come out,” said Hannah, looking anxious. “It’s getting quite late.”
“It’s all right,” said Mum soothingly. She was looking up the RSPCA on her phone. “It says here it’s a 24-hour helpline.”
“Wow!” said Evan. “I never knew about that. That’s like an emergency service for animals.”
They waited while Mum’s call was connected. Evan began making a mini snowman for Poppy, to keep her occupied.
“Hello,” said Mum, as she was put through. “I’m calling about a robin we’ve found near our house. It seems to be trapped on a piece of sticky cardboard. We were wondering if you’d be able to come and help?”
Everyone waited while Mum listened to the reply. Hannah felt relieved when she saw Mum’s face break into a smile. “That’s great,” she said, giving their address. “Yes, yes, I’ve got that. Thanks again.”
She put down the phone. “Good news,” she said. “They’re going to send out one of their inspectors to take a look. In the meantime, she says we mustn’t touch or approach the bird.”
Hannah nodded. “I understand,” she said, taking another look at the robin. It was reassuring to be able to see it, but she knew they had to keep their distance.
“Did they say how long it would take for an RSPCA inspector to come?” asked Evan.
Mum shook her head. “Only that they’d be as quick as they can. I’ve given them our address so they know where to go.”
Evan was still looking anxiously at the robin. “Hannah’s right,” said his mum. “The robin is sheltered under the hedge, at least. And there’s nothing we can do now except wait. Let’s all go inside and wait there with a hot chocolate. The mince pies will be ready soon, too.”
Evan and Hannah exchanged glances.
“If it’s all right, Mum,” Evan said, “I think Hannah and I would like to stay with the robin. I promise we won’t go near it. It just feels wrong to leave it alone.”
“Please,” added Hannah. “We’ll be warm enough now you’ve wrapped us up in extra hats and scarves.”
“OK, if you’re sure?” said Mum. “I can see it means a lot to you. I’ll ring your mum again when I get back and let her know what’s happening. But make sure you come in if you start to get too cold.”
“We promise, Mum,” said Evan, smiling at her.
His mum gave him a quick hug. “Well done for finding the robin,” she said to both of them. “Come along, Poppy. Let’s go in.”
“Want to stay, too,” said Poppy, gripping on to Evan’s hand.
“No, love, it really is too cold for you,” Mum said, scooping Poppy up in her arms. “And it’s very important we go in and check on our mince pies. We don’t want them getting burnt.”
Poppy nodded. “Check pies,” she said, very seriously.
“We’ll bring you some out when they’re ready,” said Mum, as they headed in.
“Thanks, Mum,” Evan called after her.
“I hope the RSPCA inspector gets here soon,” he said, after they’d gone. “We’re OK in our coats and hats, but the robin must be freezing.”
“It’s got its feathers,” Hannah reminded him. “They’ll be keeping it warm. And it would be out in the cold anyway, at this time of year.”
“That’s true,” said Evan, feeling cheered at the thought. They waited in silence for a little while, then Evan looked up, smiling, to see Poppy and his mum coming back towards them. Poppy was clutching a little basket of mince pies.
“Pies!” Poppy announced proudly.
“Thanks, Poppy,” said Hannah, passing one to Evan and taking another for herself. “They look delicious.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come and wait inside?” asked Evan’s mum, giving an exaggerated shiver against the cold.
Evan shook his head. “No thanks, Mum. We’re fine, really.”
“OK. I’ll keep an eye on you from the window.”
As his mum and Poppy headed inside again, Evan realized how quiet it was out in the dark. No one came along the street and the air was thick with falling snow. The only sound was the cheeping of the tiny bird.
Evan and Hannah soon finished their mince pies, and Evan was glad of the warmth it gave him. He felt guilty though, at being able to keep his own tummy full while the robin was stuck out in the snow.
“I’m glad we’re waiting out here with the robin, aren’t you?” Hannah asked him.
“Yes,” agreed Evan. He turned back towards the robin. “We’re not going to leave you,” he said to the little bird. “We’re going to stay right here and look after you.”
As they waited, a cold wind whipped around them, sending the snow in giddy spirals to the ground. Hannah blew on her gloved hands to keep them warm, while Evan flapped his arms and hopped about like a bird.
“I wish I knew how to reassure the robin,” said Hannah. “It’s hard when we have to keep our distance.”
“I know,” agreed Evan, “but I’m sure the RSPCA were right on the phone – we’d only upset it by going closer.”
They could still hear its faint chirps and the robin seemed to be watching them, following their movements by tilting its head.
“Help is coming, little robin,” said Hannah, softly. “We’ll get you out of here.”
She looked over at Evan as she spoke. “I know it can’t understand me,” she went on. “I just wanted to do something to reassure it.”
“Maybe it’s just good that we’re here,” said Evan. “We can make sure nothing comes to attack it, like a cat or a dog.”
There was the sound of a car and they both peered around the corner, only to see a neighbour pull up and park in one of the driveways.
“Oh!” said Hannah, disappointed. “I thought that was going to be the RSPCA.”
“I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” said Evan.
He looked back at the robin to check how it was doing.
“I can’t believe how tiny it is,” said Evan. “Robins seem bigger when they’re flying around. Now I’m looking at one standing still, it seems so small and fragile. Do you think it’s a baby?”
“I don’t think so,” Hannah replied. “I’m pretty sure baby robins are all speckled and brown. They don’t get their red breasts until they’re older.”
“Maybe it’s a mother. I hope she hasn’t got a hungry nest of babies waiting for her.”
Hannah couldn’t help smiling a little. “Evan! No bird is going to have a nest in the middle of winter. They won’t start until spring.”
“Oh,” said Evan, feeling foolish. “I suppose it would be a bit cold for baby birds. And hard for their parents to find food for them. It’s funny, all the things you never think about. And I should know more about birds, really. My granddad loves birdwatching. He’s always trying to get me to go with him, but I’ve never been that interested before.”
Suddenly, they heard the sound of car tyres slowly crunching through snow. Both Hannah and Evan looked up, their eyes dazzled for a moment by the beam of headlights. A large white van was drawing up, with RSPCA written on the side in large letters.
“Oh, they’re here! They’re here!” Hannah whispered excitedly, not wanting to startle the robin.
They both raced over to the van as it pulled up alongside the kerb. A woman jumped out, wearing a sturdy pair of black boots, dark navy trousers and a dark navy jacket, with an RSPCA logo on its pocket. Evan could see her curly brown hair, poking out beneath her cap.
“Hi,” she said, smiling and holding out her hand to them. “I can guess who you two are – you must be the children who found the robin? I’m Courtney, the RSPCA inspector.”
“Yes,” said Evan, shaking her hand and feeling very grown up. “I’m Evan and this is Hannah. We found it on our way back from school. Shall I show you where it is?”
“Please,” said Courtney. “Have you been waiting out here in the cold for me?” she added, as they walked towards the hedge.
Hannah nodded. “We wanted to stay with the robin,” she said, “but we made sure we kept our distance.”
“Well, you did the right thing,” said Courtney, “and I’m really glad you called us.”
By now they’d reached the hedge, and Evan lowered his voice to a whisper. “There it is,” he said, “right next to the hedge, on the ground. It’s standing on a piece of cardboard and we think it must be stuck to it. It can’t move its legs at all!”
Courtney bent down to get closer to the robin, moving very gently and quietly. The winter sun had faded by now, so Courtney took a torch from her pocket and shone it at the robin’s feet. “Oh,” she sighed. “I thought it might be that.”
“What is it?” asked Hannah. “What’s it stuck to?”
“It’s a glue trap,” she said, still examining the robin. “The robin’s lost some tail feathers – you can see them caught in the glue here – and I’m afraid these ones are going to be damaged.”
“That sounds horrible!” said Evan.
“It is,” Courtney went on. “People use glue traps on mice and rats, but they’re not very humane. The animals get their feet stuck in the glue and then can’t escape. And the trouble is, other animals get stuck to them, too. I wish people wouldn’t use them – or at least not just throw them out like this.”
She walked over to her van and pulled out a cardboard box, lined with a towel. “I’ll have to take the robin back to the RSPCA centre to treat him,” she explained. “It’s not something I can do here. I need a controlled environment and it’ll be less stressful for him at the centre.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to get it out of the trap?” Hannah asked anxiously.
“I hope so,” Courtney replied. As she spoke, she very gently lifted the robin, still attached to the cardboard, and placed it inside the box.
Evan watched it all, breathlessly. “How will you do it?” he asked, as Courtney closed the lid.
“We’ll use oil to unstick the robin,” Courtney explained, carefully carrying the box back to the van. “The oil is bad for the bird’s feathers, but it’s the only way to remove them from the glue. Then we use washing-up liquid to clean the oil off the feathers.”
Evan and Hannah glanced nervously at each other. Both were thinking how hard it was going to be, watching Courtney drive away with the robin, not knowing if the little bird was going to be OK or not.
“I really hope you manage to free it,” said Hannah, tightly crossing her fingers as she spoke.
Courtney smiled at her. “It doesn’t look as if too many feathers have been damaged, so hopefully this little guy is going to be OK.”
“It’s gone quiet now,” Evan pointed out. “It was chirping a lot when we first found it. Do you think that was a distress call?”
“Probably,” said Courtney. “It was lucky you heard it. And it’s a good sign, too, that it was still calling. If the robin was really weak it wouldn’t have been making any sound at all.”
Evan nodded, grateful for the reassuring tone in her voice.
“And it’ll be all right in that box?” asked Hannah.
“These are the boxes we use to transport animals to the centre,” Courtney explained. “The towel will stop the robin from slipping about. And see here,” she added, pointing to the little holes along the side, “these are for ventilation so the robin has fresh air to breathe.”
“That’s good,” said Hannah, trying to smile. “Is it far to the centre?”
“It is quite far. It’s not ideal to put the robin through a long journey, but it’ll need treatment if we get it out of the trap, so the centre is the best place. First we’ll have to make sure we’ve got rid of the oil, as it stops a bird from being able to regulate its temperature properly. It may not be able to fly for a little while either, until all its feathers grow back.”
