Sky Lights

by Barclay Baker

  ‘Who is Trevor? And how can he help?’ asked Amy, hanging on Peter’s every word.

  Peter paid no attention to Amy’s question. He continued to move at a pace almost impossible for the children to keep up. The two fairies kept close by him, one above each shoulder as if they were whispering in his ears. Jack grabbed Amy and Shelley by the hands and the three of them ran along behind Peter as fast as they could. The ground was easier to move over than the road to the volcano had been but it was covered in a kind of springy heather which slowed them down.

  ‘We must be getting close to Dragon Land now,’ panted Shelley as they approached a wooded area ahead.

  ‘Hey Peter,’ yelled Jack. ‘Slow down a minute, please. Where are we now?’

  Peter turned but continued running backwards as he spoke, ‘The wooded area up ahead is Dragon Land and once we are through there we will be safe. They are probably asleep so do try to be quiet and not disturb them.’

  ‘Who is Trevor?’ asked Amy again, but once more Peter ignored her. He turned and entered the woods. Close behind followed the three terrified children, clutching hands, and trying not to make a sound. A little way behind them staggered two grumpy, out of breath, dishevelled pirates.

  At first, all seemed peaceful. It was dark in the woods but as their eyes grew accustomed to it all they could see were the shapes of trees surrounding them. They were glad of the light from the two fairies, without which they would surely have lost sight of Peter. On they trudged, stumbling every now and then, but doing their best to keep silent. Suddenly from behind them came a thud followed by aloud cry.

  Peter turned, ‘Shhh, I told you to be quiet. You will wake the Dragons!’

  ‘It wasn’t us,’ said Jack sharply. He was tired of Peter’s attitude and angry at being accused of something he hadn’t done. ‘The noise came from behind us. It must have been a Dragon.’

  ‘It can’t have been a Dragon. Never Land Dragons are silent. They are both flightless and noiseless,’ answered Peter.

  ‘Well who or what could it have been? What else lives in this awful place? Let’s hope the noise hasn’t wakened the Dragons,’ said Shelley.

  They all stood rooted to the spot, and looked and listened intently. There was no more noise and no sign of movement.

  Amy pointed ahead, and whispered, ‘Look. Two tiny red lights, just in front.’

  ‘And another two to the left,’ said Shelley.

  ‘And two more over there,’ said Jack.

  ‘These are not lights,’ said Peter. ‘They are Dragons’ eyes. That means they are awake and we are surrounded by them. Drat! I guess we will have to call on Trevor.’

  ‘Who is Trevor?’ asked Amy for the third time, but before Peter could answer her, all attention was focused on the red pinpoints of light. The six eyes became ten, then twelve and within seconds they were too numerous to count. Flames and smoke licked out from first one Dragon’s mouth, then another and another until the children were surrounded by a circle of fire, drawing closer and closer. Jack grabbed a broken branch from the forest floor and held it up as a weapon against the approaching beasts. Amy began to whimper and hid behind Jack, clinging to his shirt, while Shelley looked around for something to use to defend herself.

  ‘That branch will do you no good against the mighty Dragons,’ announced Peter from above their heads.

  ‘Have you got a better idea?’ said Jack. ‘And what are you doing up there? Come down and help us.’

  ‘I am helping you. You’ll never beat the dragons with that poxy piece of wood.’

  As the circle of red lights and fire drew in so close that the children could smell the smoke and feel the heat, one beast broke ranks and lunged towards Jack. Amy screamed and dug her nails into Jack’s arm. Jack pushed the branch towards the menacing red eyes. A flame shot out from the Dragon’s mouth and the branch was at once a burning torch. Jack kept it in front of him as long as he could before he began to feel the scorching heat creep towards his fingers. He threw it at the approaching beast. The Dragon retreated but a few steps. The three children were trapped. They moved close together, back to back and looked hopelessly in all directions for an escape route. Amy began to cry.

  ‘Help us Peter. Why don’t you help us?’ pleaded Shelley.

  ‘It’s OK. I told you that branch was no weapon against the Dragons. But I have managed to call Trevor. You are safe now.’

  No sooner were these words out of his mouth than the branches of the trees nearest to the children became as arms and the twigs, like fingers, grasped them and whisked them up into the treetops.

  ‘What the devil….’ began Jack, his limbs thrashing instinctively in all directions as he rose from the forest floor into the uppermost branches.

  ‘Hey you’re scratching me,’ complained Shelley, screwing up her face.

  ‘Better a couple of scratches from Trevor, than being torn to shreds by the Dragons,’ said Peter, smiling. ‘I told you not to worry.’

  ‘Oh Peter. You are so brave and clever,’ sniffed Amy wiping away her tears.

  ‘Brave and clever?’ said Jack. ‘Brave and clever? Don’t forget who got us into this mess. And he wasn’t very brave when we were down there fighting for our lives. He was sitting up in a branch just watching us. I don’t call that brave.’ Jack scowled in disgust at Peter’s behaviour.

  ‘I wasn’t just watching you. I gave you advice, didn’t I? But more importantly I was calling Trevor. Trevor is the tree spirit just as Rochester was the spirit of the rocks and Claudia was the spirit of the clouds.’

  Down below they could see the smoke and flames and smell the awful stench of Dragons’ breath as the monsters tried in vain to reach them. The tree branches then passed the children from one tree to the next, the twigs acting like little grasping fingers holding tight to their clothing until they reached the end of the woods. All movement of the branches stopped and the children and Peter sat there in the treetops looking out at the moorland that was the habitat of the Growzli hen.

  ‘Time to climb down and be on our way,’ said Peter smiling. ‘Let’s go!’

  Jack quickly followed Peter and shinned down his tree, but the girls, being city girls, had never climbed a tree in their lives before.

  ‘We’re stuck,’ whined Shelley. ‘Can’t Trevor lift us down?’

  ‘Nope,’ said Peter. ‘You need to show some courage. Take your time. Watch where you are putting your feet and it will be easy. Jack and I will catch you if you fall.’

  The boys were kept so busy for the next few minutes with the problem of helping the girls down that they failed to notice two unfit pirates struggling to do the same from the tops of some trees just a little way from them. Trevor hadn’t discriminated when it came to helping mortals escape from the Dragons. And the pirates, too, were now at the edge of the woods. Jukes had dropped down from the tree without difficulty and stayed behind the trunk out of sight while whispering instructions to Noddler. ‘Just turn onto your stomach and hold on to the branch you are sitting on. Your feet will reach the next branch.’

  ‘There’s a problem with that plan,’ said Noddler. ‘I can probably get onto my stomach….just about….but I won’t be able to hold onto the branch. Not with these hands.’

  ‘You have to try Nodds. You can’t stay up there forever. Come on. We need to keep close to Pan and the kids.’

  ‘Ok. I’ll do my best. Get ready to catch me then. Just in case…’

  Noddler rolled onto his stomach and for a moment managed to grip onto the branch with his elbows. The branch swayed under his weight and the movement was enough to make him lose his grip. The next thing he knew he was hurtling at great speed through the branches. He saw the ground approaching fast. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact. It didn’t happen. He heard a boing and felt himself going upwards again. He opened his eyes. He was suspended 5 feet above the ground, hanging by his braces, and staring at Jukes’s chest. Jukes put his finger to his lips, ‘Sshh. I’ve got you now
Noddler. You’re safe.’

  At last the girls reached the ground too, none the worse for their adventure in Dragon Land and the little gang proceeded on the last leg of their journey towards the special nest.

  ‘The Growzli hen is a master of camouflage and her nest is well near invisible,’ said Peter.

  ‘That’s why the clue said we have to listen for her cry. But what is her cry?’ asked Jack.

  No sooner had he uttered these words than he heard, in the distance, a distinct two part call of, ‘owz–li, owz-li.’

  ‘That’s her,’ said Peter. ‘She will be on her nest. Let’s follow the sound.’

  ‘But isn’t it wrong to disturb her nest?’ said Amy. ‘We’re not supposed to steal birds’ eggs.’

  ‘Amy’s right,’ agreed Jack. ‘Birds’ eggs are protected.’

  ‘In Edinburgh, and the rest of the world, yes, but here in Never Land we have an agreement with the Growzli hen. She always lays a clutch of five eggs, of which only three are fertilised. The other two she lays especially for the fairies to collect for fairy dust. The eggs are empty but the shells are a crucial ingredient. Tinker Bell and Duster Bell will do the last part of this task so that we do not harm the living eggs. The fairies will roll the two we need out of the nest and at the same time will bring us the clue for the source of the final ingredient. Now let’s all go together to be nearby when the eggs are collected.’ And with that he walked off once more at top speed. Amy, Shelley and Jack followed a few metres behind. A little distance away, two very tired men watched the proceedings. Soon Peter called out, ‘Mission accomplished, got the eggs and the next clue.’ He waved a broad blade of grass at them like a flag.

  ‘What is it this time?’ asked Jack. ‘How many more have we got to find. I’m really getting tired. And I’m starving.’

  ‘There’re usually just three ingredients in the mix. This should be the last one. Let’s read it,’ said Peter.

  ‘Let me,’ said Amy. ‘I want to read it.’

  She began,

  ‘Well done brave souls you will soon be through

  Here is the third and final clue

  Go to the place where the mermaids dwell

  Where Davy Jones once cast his spell

  Deep down ‘neath the ocean waves

  You’ll find the ancient smugglers’ caves

  In one of them and only one, therein lies what you need

  A water plant with magic power in every single seed

  Bring forth these seeds, bring every one.

  And when your collecting work is done.

  Before you leave that special cave,

  You’ll find the recipe that you crave,

  In a hat belonging Hook

  So please do take a careful look.’

  ‘Oh no,’ said Shelley. ‘Not more danger. This is too much.’

  ‘There should be no dangers this time. Mermaid territory is safe and they will be there to help us if we get into difficulty. The lagoon is only a few minutes’ walk from here so keep up with me while I give you instructions. The only challenging thing is….. breathing underwater. Can you Scottish people do that?’

  ‘What do you think?’ said Jack, with more than a touch of sarcasm. ‘Of course we can’t. Not without oxygen tanks and all that kind of scuba equipment stuff.’

  ‘What’s scuba equipment?’

  ‘It stands for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. I don’t suppose you have any of that here?’

  ‘Not to worry. We don’t need it,’ said Peter. ‘Celia will solve the problem.’

  ‘Celia?’ asked Amy. ‘Is she another one of your spirits?’

  ‘Yes, she will create underwater tunnels filled with air for each of you. No matter where you swim you will be inside a tunnel of air,’ explained Peter.

  ‘Can’t you go by yourself and fetch these seeds, Peter?’ asked Shelley. ‘I’m exhausted.’

  ‘The problem is that there are at least one hundred caves down there. Searching them all, even with the help of some mermaids…if I could persuade them to help that is…would take hours,’ said Peter. ‘If the four of us start searching we should find the cave in a fraction of the time.’

  ‘Oh well, let’s get the final task done and we can soon be on our way home,’ said Jack.

  ‘But I don’t want to go home straight away. I want to see more of Never Land,’ said Amy.

  Shelley and Jack each gave her a dirty look.

  ‘Don’t you think we’ve seen enough of Never Land for one night?’ asked Shelley.

  Amy knew not to argue.

  When they reached the beach, Peter gave instructions to Tinker Bell and Duster Bell to guard the treasures they had already collected. He blew into a large conch shell that was lying on the sand, and almost immediately three whirlpools formed on the surface of the ocean.

  ‘There are your tunnels,’ said Peter. ‘Dive in. They will keep you dry and you will be able to breathe. Your tunnel will follow wherever you go. Start looking in every cave. If you find one with a flowering plant, and Captain Hook’s hat, call out and we will all help to collect the seeds.’ And with that he dived beneath the waves and disappeared.

  The children looked at each other and, with some trepidation, dived into the tunnels.

  Meanwhile the two pirates settled down on the beach behind a rock. ‘There’s no need for us to go down there,’ said Jukes. ‘We can wait until they come up with the last ingredient and the recipe. Then we’ll have them.’ He rubbed his hands in anticipation. Noddler smiled, yawned and nodded.

  It was amazing beneath the surface. The children could swim as if they were surrounded by water, but they could breathe as if they were on land. Every now and then a mermaid would swim by and look at them curiously. Some even tried to touch them but the children didn’t feel threatened. This was the most exciting and pleasant part of the quest so far. They could see Peter up ahead and he was pointing to a wall of rock. There in the rock were hundreds of openings, each no bigger than a bedroom door and some quite a bit smaller. The children began going in and out of the caves not quite sure what they were looking for but hoping they would recognise it when they saw it. Most of the caves were empty, although some had the odd fish or two, and one had an enormous sleeping squid. Suddenly, about an hour after they had started searching there was a shriek of excitement from Shelley.

  ‘I think I have found it….the cave!’ she yelled. ‘There’s a hat by the entrance and a flowering plant.’

  The others gathered round and Peter confirmed it was indeed the correct cave.

  ‘Pick up some empty scallop shells,’ barked Peter. ‘We’ll need them to carry the seeds. Start harvesting. Shake the flowers until the seeds fall out. The recipe said to take every single one.’

  The children worked silently for several minutes until all the seeds were safely in the shells. ‘Right,’ said Peter. ‘I will pick up the instructions. Let’s get back up on land.’ They all swam upwards, and emerged from their whirlpool tunnels. They stepped onto the beach bone dry.

  ‘That was fun,’ said Amy, grinning. ‘Lots of fun.’

  Peter went over to where Tinker Bell and Duster Bell were waiting with the rest of the ingredients. ‘Thank you kindly for your help tonight. We can manage the remainder of the task without your help. If you wish, you can go back and join the other fairies. Before we leave for Edinburgh we will let you know and if you want to join us I am sure that, at least, Amy will be pleased to have you.’ Peter glanced at Amy and winked as he said this. Amy was sure she saw Tinker Bell stamp her feet and make a fist before flying off, but perhaps it was her imagination.

  No sooner had Shelley said, ‘I’ll read the instructions this time,’ than there was a cough and a splutter and gruff voice coming from behind them.

  ‘Oh no you won’t. Hand it over. Hand everything over!’

  All four turned as one to see Jukes, with a gun, and Noddler, with a cutlass, standing behind them. There was nothing they could do.


  CHAPTER 10

  The Search For a Family

  From the train station, Beth ran up the Waverley Steps, her brief case in one hand and a red raincoat over her arm. At the traffic lights, she crossed quickly with a real sense of purpose. Visitors and students from all around the world were heading for the gardens. They had time to sit on the benches for a morning chat, to feed the cheeky grey squirrels, to admire the floral clock or to view the castle, high on its impregnable volcanic rock. Not Beth! She was a lady on a mission.

  Her heels clicked on the cobbles as she made her way towards the steps of the imposing building which held the archives of Scotland. Feelings of fear and dread mixed with excitement and anticipation drove her towards her task. She crossed the hall, barely nodded to the doorman, checked in and settled in her allocated seat in the east wing. She took a spiral bound notebook and a pencil from her brief case.

  ‘Right,’ she said to herself. ‘Where were we?’

  In the previous six months, she had made several trips to Register House to research her husband’s family history and without too much effort she had found his ancestors back to the late 1700s. The family had been intrigued by her discoveries, learning that their great grandfather had been one of eight sons and four daughters who had not learned to write his name, but put an X mark on the register instead. Today, Beth was continuing with her recently started research on another family line, that of her mother. If what her children had been telling her was true, this had suddenly become of vital importance. Her mother, Susan Campbell, had been evacuated from London during the Blitz and taken to live with an aunt in Scotland. Shortly afterwards, her parents, Beth’s grandparents, had both been killed in a bomb blast. Very little was known about the London family and Beth hoped to put that right today.

  She typed in the number of her computer station, E10, and logged into the vast memory of the Register House marriage records. When she entered her parents’ names, Charles Campbell and Susan Black, and their wedding date in 1964, the screen immediately filled with names. She scrolled down till she saw Susan D Black in the female column. By clicking on CAMPBELL, she could view the original marriage certificate. Beth held her breath until it appeared on the screen.