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The birds and a quest to save and protect Earth
A stormy night
Have you ever been to the sea front after dark?
Tonight, ominous dark clouds loomed over the open ocean. The noise of the arcades thrived with the hustle and bustle of life. Storm Fiona had been forecast, they had warned of a risk to life but who actually listens to all the warnings? Certainly not the kids running around giggling and couples walking hand in hand.
As I sat on an old bench eating chips, I wondered what had happened to the ever present sea gulls. All I can hear is people, the sea and wind are eerily silent. Should I have heeded the warnings? and be home tucked up in bed. No, surely much more interesting to look into the eye of the oncoming storm.
Weather forecasters have been wrong before; something was coming but this was not normal natural weather. As my pocket vibrated, I knew there was more to this.
“Ashley are you at the front?” Jonah’s excited voice, shouting to me.
“Yes, it’s quiet here though”
“It soon won’t be” He then hung up.
Jonah was good at sharing half a story, I sensed my evening was about to get busier.
Jonah
As the black van pulled up, I watched as the tall handsome Jonah Wells approached. He was carrying a large case; this was not just a storm. Pulling out a large device and a map, this was going to be an interesting night.
Many years ago, it had been proposed that on this night the skies would darken, and seaside towns should hide. We investigated these prophecies, few happened but if they did, they could be catastrophic. This one was world ending bringing with it long-term famine.
Jonah’s research had shown him that Storm Fiona was not just wind but was bringing birds with it, much bigger than ravens. Other towns had told of family, friends missing after the storm. Could birds take people? Are these birds? What are they?
Sitting looking out to sea, Jonah told me his plan.
For all the research this man did, I can’t help but admire him. This was big and not something that a closed-minded human would ever have imagined. The atmosphere was going to change over the next few hours bringing with it migrating birds blown of course and birds unknown to mankind.
Jonah had contacted airport control to warn them to change their flight paths. He hoped they had listened to him as anything flying across here tonight will not stay in the sky.
Hydroxyl radicals
Picking up the device I recognised it as the machine that had been sat in the corner of Jonah’s lab, doing nothing for years. Tonight, we would see it in action. The Wells Atmospheric cleansing gun, used to pump hydroxyl radicals, a natural cleansing detergent. Unknown gases were hitting us tonight we needed to fight back before they caused major harm. Working off a huge battery we now placed it a few feet from us as the black clouds gathered.
Not knowing how long we would have to wait, the casinos were closing now. A good thing as thankfully everyone was heading home, except us. Jonah put his arm around me knowing that tonight earth would be at war and few people would realise.
As you go about your daily lives, you are unaware of the dangers or the forces protecting you. Unaware that five years ago an alien race landed, and it was Jonah that saw them off. Seven years ago, earth was nearly knocked off course in a storm that would have put us in forever darkness away from the sun. Jonah fixed that too. Ever watching what might happen next, I am pleased to know this man.
2 am
Feeling a nudge, I opened my eyes to a bright light and a cold breeze that I’ve never experienced before.
“They are here.”.
Hearing the caw caw of many confused migratory birds, I watched as Jonah started his machine. The sea was now black and as the huge birds erupted from the clouds, Jonah increased the pressure. Whirling around they were a shocking sight; they were the size of whales and not from this world.
I now realised that he had his tannoy with a language converter. He had programmed it with animal. human and alien languages. Now talking he hoped the birds would understand him. As the cawing ceased, Jonah asked them what they wanted, why are they here?
The Shadox
A deep voice was then heard.
‘We are the Shadox, We want your planet; you humans are not looking after it”
“You will have to get though me first, I’m the guardian and I don’t think you are compatible with our atmosphere”.
Joshua nodded at me to increase the pressure on the machine, allowing more hydroxyl radicals to fight them.
“You can’t take it back that easily, we have your people.”
So that’s where the missing are.
“You leave the earth alone and return our people and I will turn off this machine and yours will be safe.”
As large birds were now crashing into the ocean, they had no option but withdraw.
“What have you done?”
“It’s our atmosphere, it’s not compatible with your birds”.
Things now went quiet, the booming voice stopped, and the large birds vanished. The normal migratory birds remained, thousands of them, all pulled here tonight by the Shadox.
People return to earth
I could now hear voices, people returned. Many in the wrong place but they were back on earth and safe. We learned that they had been pulled to a large muddy field with huts. There had been huge bird people that they could not understand, and they hadn’t known where they were.
Had Jonah not intervened the Shadox had been wanting to take control. The humans were of no use to them and likely wouldn’t have survived their rule. They could change the weather as they wanted and would have brought about famine as they are not keen on rain. On their planet they managed without it so earth could too.
Over the next few weeks, the police and news reporters got involved. Things that looked like dead whales had come in with the morning tide and then the missing were talking about their experience.
This is the thing with humans, we always need to know why. Many people put the reports down as delusional. Jonah and I had retreated and were not telling the nights events to anyone. We knew what really happened, Jonah was a silent hero and wanted to stay that way.
Airport control were talking to no one, but as Jonah worked for the government they had known something serious was about to happen. Lives had been saved tonight! I looked at Jonah and knew he would save many more.
Written for Write the story prompt on Writers Unite
For more see The Mystical City
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A red car and a winner
The car
Slamming the door for affect I stormed down the road. Why would he never listen? I have dreams too, just mine don’t involve losing all our money.
It’s usually houses or extravagant holidays, today it was a car. We don’t even have a drive, where does he think he’s going to park it? Sky hook?
If you are holding a raffle, Geoff is always at the front of the queue. He never wins, for all the competitions he has entered I’m sure he has spent well over £1000, but never won, not anything of any value anyway. I hate that phrase, you have to be in it to win it, yes and it might cost you a fortune.
Sitting on a wall I watch the world go by. Everyone has their struggles, some more then others. Ignoring the buzzing in my pocket, I contemplated where to go next. The children are at school. Geoff should be working but for some reason has booked leave today, and yes me, I’ve just walked out.
Sometimes it is not easy to make a point, and I think it will be a long time before Geoff realises that he has a problem. He rarely considers the consequences. Wanting to be left alone I continued to ignore him.
Have you ever noticed elderly couples walking arm in arm? I always imagined my old age to look like that, I’m not so sure now, will I kill Geoff first? To be with someone all those years and still love them, that is special.
Competitions
I think of all the houses we could have won, we live in a three-bed terraced house. Its small but we get by. The landlord has increased the rent twice, if only we had savings. Any time we do save, Geoff spends it. Sighing I think of what could be.
I hear a car horn. Why can’t people just be quiet? Then my name. I want to be alone. Looking round I see it is Geoff, but we don’t have a car. Especially not one as grand as this, it was bright red and brand new.
Walking over to him, I’m astonished,
“What’s going on?”
“I was trying to tell you, this is ours. Only cost £500, someone had to win it.”
“Where we going to park it?”
“Stop the negatives and get in.”
How is he going to learn now? And why couldn’t we have won the house not the car?
Life
Life is one long set of challenges. I look at Geoff beaming, completely oblivious to how angry I am with him. Do I have the problem here? He believes that if he keeps entering competitions all will come good. Me, I’m a realist, I know that to get things you need to put real time and effort into it, it isn’t usually just given to you. I look at the car, maybe we could sell it. Hearing those thoughts in my head, I look at happy Geoff. Maybe for now I should just enjoy the moment and see where this leads. Maybe one day we will win the house, but how broke will we be at that point? How much more do we need to lose?
Sitting in silence I look at the countryside whizzing by, where are we going? He certainly wasn’t driving us straight home. I wonder if he has thought about needing a residents permit to park this thing. It’s a bit grand for our road and it too nice to be left in a public car park.
As he makes a right turn I am now stunned.
“Okay I walked out earlier in my scruffy joggers and an old T shirt. You are now driving us to a hotel. What is happening?”
The hotel
“I knew you might not listen to me, so I planned ahead. My mum is collecting the children later and your decent clothes are in a case in the boot”.
“And the hotel, how?”
“It came with the car. It was dropped off this morning after you left, we are now going to a proper award meal. See it was worth the gamble.”
“Only cos you won.”
“And Sue, the car can stay with my mum till we are able to park it outside our house, if ever, or till I win us a better home.”
“Oh, Geoff will you ever stop?”
Luck
Some people are just born lucky. I’m not sure if we are. Will he ever win us a house? Maybe for now I should just relax and enjoy the afternoon and the car. We’ve never had a car and the children are going to love it.
To the dear elderly couples still walking arm in arm after many years, is it just a lot of acceptance? Or a lot of time and patience? How do you do it ? I was so angry at Geoff this morning, now I’m not sure what to think other then be shocked. Things like this happen to other families, not us.
As Geoff took my arm to walk into the hotel, still in my scruffy joggers I told myself to stop the stress. To take things a day at a time and today was a good day so enjoy it.
Written for Write the story prompt on Writers Unite
For more see Just one of those days
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The peaceful field and its secrets
Quiet place
Do you have a safe place? A place that you run to when life is cruel. A place where you go and cry and scream! A place where you won’t be heard, won’t be seen. Somewhere where you can sit with your tears and thoughts and make try and make sense of it all.
My place was always the beach, but the beach I had to make the effort to drive to it. Screaming out to sea felt very satisfying and it was always empty. However, the effort to get in the car and drive for twenty minutes was not as satisfying, it was work!
In the last few years I have realised that a good cure for stress is walking. Aching legs might not sound good, but actually time alone in your own head means you can sort out and organise your thoughts. It also means you find places that you would not find otherwise. Beautiful idyllic places that need to be seen, photographed and shared. It also means that things might happen, and life might take an unexpected turn.
It had been a particularly difficult day, Georgina had again flounced out of the house yelling, and James had yelled at me as apparently our teenager’s mood is my fault. Stepping out of the house slamming the door behind me as loud as possible I sighed heavily as I realised it was raining, too late to return for my coat as would take away from my dramatic exit. I wanted an apology or concern; however, I knew I would not get that.
Walking down the close I played the events in my head, words that should not have been said and then worries for my fourteen year old. James I knew could never understand the working of the female brain. Influences of other children are not always helpful, and she prefers to listen to the advice of her friends rather than her mum. Does that sound familiar? We have all been there, as a child and then as a parent.
Walking
As I walked, I churned my thoughts round and cried, that’s something I am good at and no, no call from James or Georgina, no concern. Georginas phone was going straight to voice mail and all messages from me ignored.
Noticing a public footpath, I took it, get away from the main road and the traffic. As the path turned to mud and then lush grass my mood shifted. It lightened were things really bad? If Georgina is with friends she is not alone, even if they are giving bad advice.
Crossing a wooden bridge I entered a field. I admired the pretty flowers, natures beauty, I could smell their sweet fragrance. It was now I saw something. I replayed my latest row with Georgina. Something about a boy, she has always been one for lost souls, but this was something else. It was in this instant that I learnt when your teenage daughter is screaming at you, listen. Don’t go jumping to crazy conclusions like me.
There sat under a tree was an elderly man, a small child with what looked like my favourite warm blanket and a rather large dog. Surrounding them were a group of girls and there was Georgina.
“Mum, I’ve found a boy, can he move in? can he live with us?”
“Me, no Georgina” – and on and on..
She hadn’t elaborated with old man, lost child and their dog.
The child
“Georgina when did you find them?”
Putting my arms around the child, I could feel him shivering.
“What’s your name? and how old are you?”
The boy didn’t reply.
“Mum, can they live with us?”
“Girls can you all help me here, we need to get them and the dog home, they are frozen”
I looked at the elderly man, and asked if he was okay. He did not reply, maybe he doesn’t understand English or maybe he isn’t well.
They were both very dirty, and I could see the girls had been bringing them food. They had also made a makeshift hut out of branches to try and give them shelter and the dog, a white husky had provided protection.
Now phoning James I had to give in to defeat, we needed the car.
Conclusions
An hour later we were back home. James was phoning the police, and the boy was eating but still not talking. The girls had learnt to tell the full story to a parent who is not listening properly, and I had learnt to not jump to daft conclusions.
It now evolved that the child had been lost in the woods for two days with his grandfather who was struggling with early-stage dementia. They had wandered off while being watched by a rather irresponsible child minder. James’s parents were fearing the worst, and no one had thought to check the woodland and field about an hour away from home. The walk was quite an achievement for them and having got there, they were too confused and tired to get back home. When they met the girls, they had been grateful for their concern and food but too scared to talk to them. The girls had tried to mother them when they should have been alerting the police and telling us the full story. When your fourteen year asks if a boy can move in, you don’t imagine a lost six year old.
Leaving the house that day, my life changed. The small boy, Owen, and his grandfather are back safe with their family. Georgina and I have talked and made a pact to really listen to each other. James now realises that some things in life are bigger than him and his number one priority is his family. Losing Georgina would be devasting and Owen’s parents had cried collecting him. Their relief was felt in waves.
I sometimes reflect on that day and wonder if something had guided me to that field. Maybe Georgina and I have a connection. I’m just glad that I found them, I also now have a new place to walk, just hope I don’t find any more lost children or confused elderly people.
Since that day Georgina has walked with me, we are getting on better now and listening really has helped strengthen our relationship. Rowing is hard work; quiet understanding is a lot less stressful and easier.
Written for Write the story on Writers Unite
For more see – A Spring evening by the lake – Just muddling through life
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