World War II

by Katrina Charman

  A dark shadow filled the doorway, and Francis’s hopes vanished. It was the boss.

  The boss scowled at the monkeys and held up a small cage. The soldiers helped him to usher the monkeys inside, which was no easy feat. They twisted and wriggled. Jacky almost made it out of the cage at one point, but the boss slammed the door shut in the monkey’s face.

  Francis’s heart sank as his friends were forced to accept defeat. He stomped his feet on the ground in anger, at the boss, the interfering soldiers, and himself. This was all his fault. He shouldn’t have encouraged the monkeys to go through with the plan. They should be safely on Monkey Hill with the rest of their family, playing and swinging without a care in the world.

  Who knew what the boss might do with them now. Francis hoped that Jean would ensure they came to no harm, but he already knew that she had little influence over the boss.

  The boss set off at full speed, carrying the monkeys back toward their enclosure. Francis followed, keeping to the shadows with the map held tightly in his beak. The boss reached Monkey Hill and disappeared around to the enclosure’s back entrance. Francis debated whether to go after them or remain where he was. His instincts told him to wait.

  A few heart-pounding moments later, the boss emerged. He wrapped his patterned bathrobe tightly around himself and stalked off into the night. When the coast was clear, Francis approached the monkeys’ enclosure. “Chiney?” he whispered. “Jacky? Are you all right?”

  There was a horrible silence. Francis became aware that he couldn’t see any monkeys. Usually they slept on top of the crags and ledges of Monkey Hill, but it was deserted.

  Suddenly, a voice rang out. “Over here!” Jacky shouted.

  “Where is Chiney?” Francis asked. “And the other monkeys?”

  “They’re right here,” Chiney replied, swinging through the air to land beside Jacky.

  Francis looked up at Monkey Hill as heads and tails appeared from beneath the crags and ledges.

  “They were hiding?”

  Chiney nodded. “They thought they might be in trouble.”

  Francis’s head drooped. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean for you to get caught.”

  “It was our fault,” Jacky said. “We forgot about the soldiers. They are staying at a house on the edge of Regent’s Park until they are called up for service. They sometimes patrol at night.”

  “Do you have the map?” Jacky asked. “I dropped it when the soldier grabbed me.”

  Francis nodded. “What are you going to do now?” Chiney asked.

  Francis sighed. “I’ll have to find another way,” he said.

  He bid the monkeys a sad farewell and took the longer route back to the giant pandas’ enclosure. He couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in Ming’s face. What was he going to tell her? That there was no hope of getting the message to Bletchley in time for it to make a difference?

  He moved his bad wing slightly up and down, testing it to see if it might be healed enough for him to fly. It felt stiff but not too painful. He moved it higher, then faster, then…

  “Argghh!” he cried out as a bolt of red-hot pain shot through his wing. He lowered it in defeat, holding it close to his body. He wouldn’t be flying anywhere soon.

  There was a high-pitched trilling noise from the giant aviary. Francis froze, afraid that the boss had returned. He might not want to hurt the zoo animals, but he wouldn’t think twice about disposing of a pigeon.

  “Up here,” a voice trilled.

  A beautiful bird, almost twice his size, peered out from behind the mesh covering her enclosure. Francis hopped closer, staring through the mesh in awe. It was the same bird that had watched him earlier.

  “What are you?” he whispered.

  “Toca,” she replied, ruffling her feathers proudly. “A toucan.”

  She was unlike any bird Francis had ever seen, with black feathers as dark as night and a bright yellow chest. Her beak was a vivid orangey-red, as thick as a banana and curved with a black patch on the very end. Francis thought that with a beak like that she could likely scoop up an entire bag full of seed in one go.

  “You’re… beautiful,” Francis said, feeling his face warm.

  The toucan smiled back shyly, fluttering her wings. “I hope you don’t mind,” Toca said. “But I overheard your conversation with the monkeys. I’d like to offer my help.”

  Francis frowned at this. How much had she heard? And what did she know about the mission or the dangers it held? “Help with what?” he asked innocently. “My friends and I were just out for an evening stroll.”

  The toucan cocked her head and narrowed her eyes at him. “I am more than just a beautiful bird, you know. I am no fool.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting you were,” Francis stuttered.

  “Maybe,” she said slowly, “we could help each other out? Your plan was never going to be successful with monkeys. As cunning as they are, they don’t have the wing power to get very far.”

  She raised her wings up and down, as if to prove her point.

  Francis couldn’t think straight. It would certainly solve all of his problems. With her wingspan, Toca could likely fly to Bletchley and back within a few hours. But… why would she offer to do this so readily? What was in it for her?

  “What is it that you want in return?” Francis asked out loud. “What do you know of my plan?”

  “You’ve been here long enough to know that animals gossip,” she said. “There has been talk of little else but the war pigeon and his heroic quest to deliver a message. As for the why, I could lie to you and say that I care about the humans’ war,” she said. “But all I really want is to be free. To spread my wings and soar across the sky again. You understand that, don’t you? I haven’t been able to fly more than a few feet in so very long.”

  Francis could indeed understand. These last few days being confined to the ground had been almost unbearable. He couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to know that you would never have the chance to fly again… to really fly… to soar across the land and sea without a care in the world, and go wherever the wind took you.

  But he didn’t know this bird or if he could trust her or her motives. He only had one capsule, one message, and one chance at making sure it got to Bletchley. As desperate as he was, he had to use his head and remember his training.

  “All right,” he said finally. “But we need to make sure we are better prepared so that this time, nothing can go wrong.”

  September 19, 1940

  Ming paced back and forth in front of her bars, waiting for Francis. She paused every time she heard the faintest noise or saw the tiniest movement.

  “Where is he?” she muttered under her breath.

  “Maybe he left the zoo?” Tang suggested.

  The weather that day had been hotter than the last few weeks, and the night brought little relief from the humid air. Tang sprawled out on the concrete floor, trying to cool down.

  “Francis wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” Ming snapped. “Besides, he left the capsule with us. He would never leave that behind.”

  She continued pacing. What if Tang was right? What if Francis had decided to give up on his mission? To leave her and the message behind. It had certainly caused him no end of problems. She shook her head at herself. There was nothing more important to Francis than his mission.

  She froze as another thought entered her mind. What if they had been caught, or injured? What if Francis needed Ming’s help?

  She glanced at Tang and made a decision. She couldn’t wait around any longer.

  She swiftly turned and ran at the metal door at full speed. She slammed into it hard, but barely made a dent. She staggered back as her head throbbed and her ears rang with a strange vibrating noise.

  “What on earth are you doing?” Tang and Francis cried at the same time.

  Ming spun around quickly—too quickly—to see multiple Francises standing in front of her. They swayed to and fro as t
hough they were on a swing.

  “Francis?” Ming squinted, trying to see straight.

  “Francis is back!” Tang laughed.

  Francis hopped through the bars. “Are you all right? I think half the zoo heard you crash into that door.”

  Ming felt her face grow hot beneath her fur. She’d been so worried about Francis that she’d gone and given herself a minor head injury.

  “I’m fine,” she said quickly, not wanting to dwell on her foolishness. “You were gone for so long that I thought—”

  “She thought you had abandoned us,” Tang interrupted dramatically, rolling himself onto his back with a groan. “It’s so hot. Why don’t they give us a pool? The penguins have a pool. The sea lions have a pool. Even the monkeys have a pond to splash in.” He pulled at the thick fur covering his belly. “We’re not made for these kind of temperatures!”

  Ming ignored him.

  Francis cocked his head at her. “You thought I would leave without saying goodbye?”

  Ming lifted a shoulder. “Maybe,” she said. “What happened?”

  Francis’s expression darkened. He told Ming and Tang about the monkeys being captured and the boss bringing them back to the zoo.

  “At least I know that the boss is a spy for the enemy and—” He gasped suddenly. “What if Jean’s in on it, too?” He seemed to think for a moment and then shook his head. “No, of course that doesn’t make sense. She could have already stolen the message. But the boss… there’s something I don’t trust about him. Why would he work in a zoo if he hates animals? He’s obviously a Nazi spy.”

  “A Nazi spy?” Ming repeated, wondering if she wasn’t the only one with a head injury.

  “But…” Francis continued, seeming to have lost his mind. “Jean was with him. Maybe she is in on it, or he’s been fooling her this entire time?”

  Tang gaped at Francis. “In on what?” he asked, looking at Ming.

  “Francis,” Ming said gently, “Jean helped you. She is good and kind. You know that. And as for the boss, he’s not the most pleasant of humans, but I’m sure he isn’t a spy.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” Francis spluttered.

  “He can’t be all bad if Jean is his daughter,” Ming continued.

  “There’s no explanation for it,” Francis said. “Wait—did you say she’s his daughter?”

  Tang nodded slowly.

  Francis made a face. “But she’s so… and he’s so… and why does she call him ‘sir’ if he’s her father?”

  “When the war started, many of the male keepers were sent away to join the fighting forces,” Ming said. “The boss only remained because he is too old to be enlisted, and so the other keepers were replaced by volunteers—mostly women—and Jean was one of them.”

  “Oh,” Francis said in a small voice. “I suppose that makes sense. I still don’t trust him, though. He’s thwarted all of my plans.”

  “Well,” Ming asked, “what are you going to do now?”

  Francis perked up a little. “I’ve found a new recruit,” he said.

  The next evening, once the zoo was closed, Francis prepared to set his new plan into action. Ming’s nerves tingled inside her as she worked up the courage to say something that she’d been wanting to ask Francis all day. Now, as he squeezed through the bars, she had run out of time. It was now or never.

  “I want to come with you!” she blurted.

  “What?” Francis spluttered.

  “What?” Tang echoed. “Not again, Ming. It’s not safe for you.”

  “I want to come with you to the aviary,” she said. She took a breath and looked Francis in the eye. “I’d like to be free again,” she said. “Just one last time.”

  “I would love your help, Ming, but the door is locked. How will you break out?”

  “She could always bang her head against it again,” Tang suggested dryly. “As that worked so well last time.”

  Ming shot a look at Tang as he chuckled to himself.

  “Maybe there is a way,” Francis mumbled. “I’ll be back.”

  He disappeared in the direction of Monkey Hill, and Ming felt her stomach drop. “He’s not going to come back this time, is he?” she said quietly.

  “Why do you always think everyone is going to leave you?” Tang asked. “I never have.”

  Ming snorted. “That’s because you have no choice. You’re stuck with me.”

  “Who left you?” Tang asked.

  “My family,” Ming replied. She felt a sob build in her throat and wiped at her eyes, turning so that Tang wouldn’t make fun of her again.

  After a pause, he said, “They didn’t leave you, Ming. You were taken from them. It was the same for me and all the other animals here. Most of them were taken from their homes. But we can build new homes, new families. Like you and me… and even Francis. We can be each other’s family.”

  Ming didn’t know what to say. She had never heard Tang talk like this before. Never thought that he might feel exactly the same way she did. She had been so lonely that she had ignored him, and it turned out that he was just as lonely as she was.

  “I’m back!” Francis puffed.

  There was a giggle from the other side of the door and scratching at the metal. Then there was the distinctive sliding noise as the bolt was released and pulled across. Ming placed a paw on the handle. It slid open easily. There in front of her sat Chiney and Jacky, looking very pleased with themselves.

  “I asked them to escape again,” Francis explained. “One last time.”

  Ming paused at the door. “Tang, come with us.”

  “No, I think I’ll stay here and catch up on my sleep,” he said. “But I’ll be here when you get back.”

  Ming looked at Tang for a moment, her breath caught in her throat, then she gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Tang,” she replied.

  September 20, 1940

  There was something in the air, Francis thought, as he, Ming, and the monkeys headed for the giant aviary. It was like the moment before a storm broke, when you could feel it building, the atmosphere buzzing. He hoped it meant that soon, everything would be all right. He would have done all he could to ensure that the message was delivered and his beloved country was safe.

  Francis had spent some time talking with Toca earlier that day, keeping to the shady spots so that he wouldn’t be spotted by any humans. He had gone over the route with Toca again and again until she knew it as well as her own beak. He had warned her about the pillboxes and told her to stay away from the humans as much as possible, instructing her to fly over less-populated areas. Aside from her size, the one thing that differentiated Toca from Francis was her coloring. Nobody noticed a dull gray pigeon flying in their midst, but a toucan would be a little harder to ignore.

  “Are you all right?” Ming whispered as they neared the aviary.

  “I need this to work,” Francis said. “The attack on London could be imminent. This may be our last chance, and I’m not sure I can entirely trust Toca, but what other choice do I have?”

  Ming glanced up at the sky nervously. “Francis, what will happen if the enemy succeeds? What will become of us here in the zoo?”

  Francis paused, forcing the words out. “If they blitz London?”

  Ming nodded, her eyes reflecting the fear that he felt twisting deep in his gut.

  Francis couldn’t think of an answer that could put Ming’s mind at ease… or his own. If he told her the truth, that the Nazis had the power to destroy everything and everyone in their path, he knew she would never sleep again.

  He forced a smile and said, “It won’t come to that.”

  They reached the aviary. It was a large brick enclosure with a huge net draped from towering posts that hung over it like a circus tent. It was filled with an array of exotic birds, some bigger than Toca—cranes with magnificent spiked yellow crests upon their heads, and hornbills—then smaller birds like kookaburras and bright blue-and-yellow sunbirds. Most of them were perched atop bran
ches and ledges within the aviary, their heads nestled beneath their wings as they settled down to roost for the night. Toca, though, stood guard at the aviary’s entrance at the side.

  She had her back to them as they approached and spun round, startled when Chiney giggled nervously.

  “It’s only us,” Francis reassured her, feeling as on edge as Toca looked.

  Toca waited for Chiney to pick the lock. Unlike Ming and Tang’s enclosure, this one had a heavy wooden door with a simple bolt, secured with a metal padlock.

  “Chiney’s becoming a pro at this,” Ming observed as the lock clicked open within a few breaths.

  “Why is the panda here?” Toca asked, eyeing Ming suspiciously.

  “I—I’m here to help,” Ming stuttered.

  Toca waited patiently for a while, then turned to Francis as the door remained closed. “Now what?”

  “Don’t look at us,” Jacky replied. “We only said we could unlock the door. We’re not strong enough to actually open it.”

  Francis felt as though he had been shot out of the sky all over again. How could he have been so stupid? Of course none of them would be able to open the door. The monkeys, skilled as they were, were slight things. Even an entire troupe of them couldn’t haul the heavy oak door open to let Toca out, and Francis couldn’t exactly pull it open with his beak.

  “Ahem,” Ming cleared her throat beside him.

  “Not now, Ming, I’m trying to think.”

  “AHEM!” Ming coughed again.

  “Ming, I really can’t—” Francis slapped a wing to his head. “Ming, you could open the door!”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” she said, rolling her eyes exactly as Tang would have done.

  “I told you I was here to help,” she said to Toca.

  She didn’t wait for an apology. She gripped the handle with her paws, opening the door as quickly and quietly as she could.

  The aviary was older than many of the other enclosures and in disrepair. The hinges on the door had rusted and crumbled away in some places. Francis winced as it screeched and screamed its way open as if in protest.