The True Colours of Coral Glen

by Juliette Forrest

  I closed the door and padded over to the table, sitting with care. There wasn’t one part of me that didn’t ache.

  Skaw made his way past Mum’s empty breakfast plate and peeped over the edge of the table at Moonzy. “By the way, where did the skull come from?”

  “Remember the gap in the wall at the cave’s entrance? Found a hoard of bones inside it. Thought the skull would be more useful than a sternum. Or a clavicle. Or a fibula.” Moonzy shuddered. I could tell she was trying hard to forget what she’d seen.

  “Just wait until Lyart discovers it was your quick thinking that helped to rescue him,” I said, smiling. I was looking forward to seeing him again and it would make Moonzy so happy.

  The front door opened.

  I whipped Skaw away from the table’s edge and wrapped him in the tissue. I leapt up and plonked a bag of carrots over Moonzy’s head. As Dad walked into the kitchen, I yanked my sleeves down to cover my bruises.

  “Oh, we’re awake, are we?” said Dad, carrying his phone in one hand and a book in the other. “Met Mrs Shellycoat outside – she brought you this.” The plastic cover squeaked under his fingertips. “And she said to say hello.”

  It must be the book on the wrecker bird! I was poised to leap up and snatch it when Dad placed it on top of the bread bin.

  “I got a call from the vet, about a black cat which had been found without its collar. That’s where I’ve been.” Dad slipped his coat off, hung it over the chair and sat.

  I searched his eyes for bad news.

  “It wasn’t God.” Dad rubbed his face wearily.

  I breathed out.

  “This poor fellow had been found in a ditch, badly injured, and didn’t pull though.”

  I hoped Miss Mirk hadn’t laid a finger on God. I wished I could tell Dad I was certain she had the cat, but it would only stir up trouble between us. I was going to have to find solid proof Miss Mirk was hiding him.

  “You OK?” He raised his head up.

  “I’m sad for whoever lost their cat.” I rested my chin on my hand.

  Dad nodded. “Don’t be too downhearted – we’ve still got hope.” His beard had grown even thicker and darker, as if he was trying to hide behind it.

  I offered a weak smile.

  “I promised your mum I’d do a shop. Want to come? We could go for a stroll along the beach afterwards?”

  If Gran had been here, that’s what she would have suggested we do. Walk and talk and let the sea breeze blow any sadness away. My heart filled with a longing to see her.

  I stared over at the library book. Time was running out to find the wrecker bird. Tonight was Halloween and there was still a chance I could talk to Gran.

  “Think I’ll stay and read instead,” I said.

  Dad’s shoulders lowered in a way that meant he wasn’t expecting my answer. “Right then. OK. I won’t be long. Please don’t go off anywhere – you’re still grounded – and could you tidy away the breakfast things?”

  I nodded.

  Dad got up and grabbed the tissue Skaw was bundled up in and a peppermint teabag wrapper. The bin lid clanged open as he flung them in. He tied up the bag, which whistled as he pulled it out.

  “I’ll do that, Dad!” I didn’t want Skaw to be crushed. I wasn’t sure how much a vet would be able to do for a worm.

  “Has the real you been kidnapped by aliens and replaced by an extremely helpful robot?” Dad exaggerated the astonishment on his face.

  “Very funny.”

  Dad froze and then cleared his throat. “Now I know it really is you. Who else would leave a skull in the vegetable rack?”

  The carrots had slid off Moonzy, who was now in full view, grinning at us.

  I shrugged. “It was for Halloween.”

  Dad clenched his jaw. “Your mum had a word about you going out for an hour or two tonight with your friends. I’ll think about it; however, I’m not promising anything. Do you understand?” He put on his jacket and checked his inside pocket for his wallet. “I’m away now. Want to move the head upstairs before Mum gets back, so she doesn’t lose hers when she sees it?”

  I didn’t even hear the door closing behind him.

  I pounced on the book.

  “Oh no!”

  Moonzy’s skull popped up, sporting celery-leaf hair in a pixie cut. “What now?” she asked.

  “Mythical Birds of the World. Wrecker birds don’t even exist.” I chucked it on the table. It skidded across the surface, upsetting an empty cup.

  Moonzy and I heard a mumbling noise.

  “I’d better let him out.” I tipped my head in the direction of the bin bag.

  “Shame,” muttered the skull under her breath.

  I marched over and undid the grey ties. My nose wrinkled as I searched through the rubbish for Skaw. Eventually, I found the tissue and brought him out. I unwrapped it, releasing him from his soggy, tea-stained prison.

  “Have you no’ learned a thing? If a bird, animal or object is mythical, it absolutely, positively exists,” said Skaw.

  I wiped the tea leaves and spaghetti sauce off my hands and then kicked the bin bag for good measure. More of its contents spilled on to the floor. “It’s just we’re so close. I couldn’t bear it if we couldn’t find the bird.”

  Skaw drew himself up to his full height. “Having a hissy fit isn’t going to help.”

  I threw the spilled rubbish into the bag.

  Moonzy launched herself off the vegetable rack and skidded to a halt under a chair. I picked her up, placed her on top of the book, and started to clear the table.

  “I understand exactly how you feel, Coral. I could burst with excitement at the prospect of finally seeing Lyart tonight! And if I thought it wasn’t possible I’d EXPLODE, which would be really messy.” Moonzy spun four times on the spot.

  “Go and no’ do that!” Skaw puffed his cheeks out. “Feel as if I’m back at sea.”

  Moonzy continued on. “Let’s not dwell on everything that could go wrong. Let’s believe something wonderful is going to happen.”

  “Would you stop with the airy-fairy claptrap? We need to get cracking.” Skaw busied himself looking up the chapter the wrecker bird was in. Moonzy flipped the pages with her teeth and then flattened them by bouncing on the book. Once she’d scooted off it, Skaw started to read out aloud.

  “Wrecker birds were kept for their ability to sense bad weather approaching. The famous Scottish explorer Lachlan the Boneless kept two in a cage on board his ship and would release one if he suspected conditions at sea were changing for the worse. If the bird circled overhead or returned to ship, a storm would be fast approaching and the boat would sail to safety. If the bird flew in a straight line, the ship would follow, knowing the waters ahead were calm. On his last voyage, Lachlan ran out of food and feasted on one of the birds. When the surviving bird was released, bereft at the loss of its companion, it led the sailors straight into an approaching cyclone and all were lost at sea. It is said the bird only appears after a death and sings to bring comfort to all those lost in grief.”

  “Maybe not a bird you can encourage into the garden with breadcrumbs?” offered Moonzy.

  “We still don’t know where to find one.” I lobbed the butter into the fridge. Returning to the table, I pulled the book towards me. On the right-hand page was an illustration of the creature. Small, with a plump Vintage Aubergine chest, it had a crown of tiny Marquis Orange–tipped fan-like feathers on its head. Its Saffron Thread eyes were framed by an Ebony King eye mask and its tail was long and shimmered every colour of green imaginable.

  I sat up. I’d seen those exact same tail feathers before. I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off them as they had waved around on Miss Mirk’s hat.

  I jabbed my finger at the picture. “The bird! It was on my neighbour’s head at Gran’s funeral. Not the actual bird, but those feathers were. Miss Mirk has been stealing missing posters of pets and buying cat food when she doesn’t have one, and I’m certain she’s hiding God.” />
  Moonzy’s jaw dropped, clattering on to the table. Skaw and I had to give her a hand to reattach it.

  “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” she said finally, waggling her mandible.

  “We can’t!” I wailed.

  Skaw banged his head off the pepper mill.

  “Why not?” Moonzy asked in a higher-pitched voice than mine.

  “If Miss Mirk catches me in her house, she’ll call the police, and Mum and Dad have enough going on without having to visit me in prison.” I put the pepper out of the reach of Skaw and jumped to my feet. “Every Friday evening Miss Mirk goes to the bingo. I’ll plead with Mum to let me meet my friends and she’ll persuade Dad it’s a good idea. We’ll sneak into Miss Mirk’s house, find the wrecker bird, search for God and then come here, so Mum and Dad think I’m home – and then we can climb out my window and take all the objects to the graveyard.”

  “If I’d hands right now, I’d so clap.” Moonzy widened her eye sockets.

  “No’ to bring a downer to the proceedings, but there’s the small matter of getting in to her house?” Skaw parked that thought with us.

  That’s when I remembered what I’d spied as I’d put God’s poster through her door. “The latch on her front window was open,” I said triumphantly.

  “Ta-da!” Moonzy danced on the tabletop.

  “It seems we have a chance at getting our hands on this bird after all.” Skaw blinked as though pleased, and just for a second there was the hint of a smirk on his lips.

  I was sure he’d be thinking about escaping from the graveyard with Muckle Red, except Lyart, Moonzy and I wouldn’t let this happen. If Skaw knew how horrendous Muckle Red really was, he might not be so eager to leave with him.

  Even though we now had a clue as to where the wrecker bird might be, the thought of having to see Muckle Red again wasn’t a good one.

  The Hallow moon near filled the whole sky, its light intensifying all the colours around us. It was hard not to be amazed at the hedge which glowed Electric Eel and the weeds as they flickered Acid Green: something the skull and the worm failed to notice.

  A crowd of kids dressed as ghosts, monsters and witches stampeded past, shrieking at the tops of their voices. Moonzy, Skaw and I shrank into the shadows.

  I checked my watch. Mum and Dad had given me exactly two hours before I had to be home. For a while, I wasn’t even sure Dad would agree to it, but Mum told him I’d been shut inside all week, which wasn’t healthy for a girl of my age, and that she was certain I could be trusted.

  If I messed this up, there would be nobody left at home to fight my corner.

  “I’m no’ going in first.” Skaw glared at me.

  “Listen, Skaw, you’re the smallest. If you slip in and the coast is clear, it means I can push the window up and we can get the wrecker bird.”

  “What if that gargantuan cat of yours is lying in wait?”

  I flapped my hand in the air, dismissing his concerns. “You’ll be fine. He’s a really fussy eater.”

  “Come on, Skaw! Miss Mirk is an old lady. The worst she can do is hit you with her handbag or run you over with her shopping trolley. What’s the problem?” Moonzy ground her teeth, impatiently.

  Skaw snorted. “Every single time we think it’s going to be easy, it turns out to be a total nightmare. And do we even know if she’s at the bingo?”

  My eyes avoided his. I couldn’t be certain Miss Mirk had left the house as Mum had called me to the dinner table.

  Skaw flushed Red Riding Hood. “This is the last time I’m sticking my neck out for you two. Do you hear me? The very last time.”

  Moonzy winked at me. I checked the coast was clear and opened the window a quarter of an inch for him to wriggle through. He halted to mutter something I once saw scribbled on a toilet wall in school, and then disappeared behind the net curtain. A few seconds later, the worm popped up. “All clear,” he mouthed through the glass.

  I flattened my hands against the window and pushed it up. As the gap at the bottom widened, I worked my fingers underneath it. The window began to slide open and then jammed.

  I picked up Moonzy and squeezed us through, my head emerging from the net curtains. My rucksack wedged itself and I had to wiggle from side to side, kicking my legs.

  “Be careful! If the pot with the witch’s tears breaks, we’ve had it,” warned Moonzy.

  “It’s well wrapped up; don’t worry.” Landing in a heap, I let go of Moonzy, who smacked into a table leg.

  “It’s like watching clowns at work,” muttered Skaw as I scowled at him, before tucking the worm into my hat.

  The moonlight cast its glow, strong as laser beams, into the dining room.

  Moonzy tugged at one of the laces on my high-tops with her teeth. “Um. Coral, you need to check this out.”

  I followed her over to an antique cabinet which took up the whole of the wall. Glass eyes stared out at us, wide and unblinking.

  Tripping over my shoelace, I stumbled and knocked into the cabinet’s door. A seagull swung backward and forward on a piece of string. Sitting on its back was a hedgehog wearing a flying helmet and a checked scarf that stuck out at right angles.

  Underneath it, a badger, holding a withered bunch of flowers, shimmered ghost-like, in a coat made from dead cabbage white butterflies.

  As I stepped back in horror, something in the bottom left-hand corner caught my eye. A Jack Russell dressed in coat-tails and a battered top hat, with a monocle and walking stick. I opened the cabinet gingerly and reached for its collar to find Nip engraved on the tag.

  My rucksack dropped to the floor, hitting Moonzy, who squealed.

  It was the same dog that had been on the missing poster at the bus stop.

  “Who would do something as twisted as this?” Skaw fidgeted on my hat.

  “Miss Mirk – she’s the one who has been stealing the pets.” I thought back to when I’d clocked her dragging a bin bag into her house in the middle of the night. It could easily have been full of stolen animals.

  Moonzy’s teeth rattled.

  “I hope she’s no’ stuffed the wrecker bird – otherwise we’re all stuffed.” Skaw couldn’t stop himself from trembling.

  I paused, taking a deep breath. “Moonzy? Skaw? We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for God; no matter what has happened to him, I want him out of here.”

  “Of course,” said Moonzy, nudging my foot.

  “Goes without saying.” Skaw wriggled into the fold of my hat. “Let’s go. It pure gives me the dry boak in here.”

  The skull crunched over a carpet of dead flies to the door and poked her head out. “All clear!”

  We left the room, listening for signs of Miss Mirk, but the house was quieter than clouds.

  There were four doors leading off from the hallway, all of them closed. Moonzy jabbed her head in the direction of the one nearest to us.

  I crossed over and gripped the handle. After counting to three, I turned it and swung the door open. The walls were plastered with missing pet posters, including the one I’d made for God.

  I prayed we’d be in time to rescue all these poor creatures from Miss Mirk.

  Moonzy, Skaw and I slunk down the hallway, checking every nook and cranny, calling out quietly for God and scouring the place for the wrecker bird. When we reached the last room, the door creaked as it opened.

  Hundreds of cages were stacked on top of one another. Trapped birds trilled, cats arched their backs, dogs whined, a parrot flapped against the bars and a snake, with eyes like coin slots, flicked its tongue at me. Lizards froze, guinea pigs squeaked, goldfish darted behind algae-covered rocks and a tortoise hid its head in its shell.

  I worked quickly, searching each and every one of the crates and tanks. Reaching the last row, panic began to rise in my chest. I couldn’t spot God anywhere. Were we too late?

  An almighty yowl came from a cage lying on its side on the floor. I hurried over to it and dropped to my knees. Midnight Oasis Black fur stuck out f
rom between the thin metal bars. The cat’s tail was short and stumpy.

  “Godfrey!” I threw myself at the cage, sticking my fingers through the gaps to stroke him. He purred, his chest rattling like an old car engine.

  Moonzy hurtled towards me, dodging a paw that flashed out of a cage to bat her. Skaw clung on to her eye socket for dear life.

  “You found him!” she said.

  “He’s alive, Moonzy!” I grinned at her. “Any sign of the wrecker bird?”

  “Nothing yet.” Skaw hesitated and cocked his head, as if something had caught his attention.

  The front door slammed shut and a light clicked on in the hallway.

  We all stared at each other.

  Skaw slipped through the bars of a hamster’s cage and wiggled into a soggy pile of shredded newspaper. Moonzy dived into a fish tank, where a terrapin scrambled on top of her head. I glanced around; there was nowhere for me to hide.

  I threw myself flat on the ground.

  Miss Mirk strode along the corridor, the floorboards creaking with every step. As she passed the doorway, God hurled himself against his cage, making it clatter.

  The light above us blinked on. Miss Mirk entered the room, standing still, straining her ears for the same noise, which had attracted her attention in the first place. All the animals fell silent, sensing the impending danger.

  The snake in the cage next to my face uncoiled and sped towards me.

  Miss Mirk stepped forward. There was a rustling noise, as though she was digging through her handbag for something.

  The snake lunged, snapping at my nose. I jerked my head back, smacking into a cage with a crow inside it, that cawed.

  Miss Mirk put the light off and the door closed softly behind her.

  I let my breath out and got to my feet as quietly as I could, not wanting to cause any more squawks, squeaks or growls.

  Skaw popped up from the pile of paper; his eyes as large as marbles. As I frowned at him, a shadow flitted behind me. Before I could utter a sound, a cloth was pressed against my face. My head went woozy and the ground rushed up to meet me.