by Joan Lennon
They rushed over to Eo as he began to stir and groan. For a moment he just lay there, peering blearily up into their anxious faces. Then, suddenly, his expression changed. He lurched forward and grabbed Hibernation Gladrag by the robe.
‘Where’s the Professor?’ he croaked frantically. ‘Is he safe? Is he alive?’
Gladrag tried to point while not getting throttled at the same time. ‘We left him up there. On the high ground.’
Eo instantly let her go and scrambled to his feet.
‘Show me!’
‘Steady!’ warned Market Jones, as the boy swayed a little, but Eo shook off his hand.
‘Show me,’ he repeated.
They led him up the beach, across the dune grass and on to the high ground. The returning water hadn’t come this far, and the nest was where they’d left it, tucked in among some rocks.
And Hurple hadn’t moved. He still lay there, apparently lifeless, looking like nothing more than a scruffy scrap of fur.
Eo reached out a hand as if to touch him, but then pulled back with a moan.
‘No. No. Why hasn’t he woken up? I did everything I was supposed to. Why isn’t he OK?’
Then, suddenly, the Professor began to twitch. His four paws jerked and a muttering sound came out of his mouth.
‘He’s having convulsions!’ wailed Eo, looking up at the others, stricken.
Hibernation Gladrag put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. ‘No, no. Look! He’s having a dream!’ she said kindly. ‘And if it doesn’t include chasing rabbits, then I don’t know my ferrets as well as I thought!’
As Eo looked down again, Hurple stopped twitching and heaved a great contented sigh.
‘He caught one!’ Eo whispered, smiling. And now he’ll be ready for a proper sleep.’ He picked up the still-unconscious ferret in his two hands and carefully decanted him into his battered bag. Then he laid the bag in the lee of the rocks and tiptoed away.
‘He’s going to be fine,’ he said to the three G. And now I want my parents, please.’ He sat down on the grass, took a ragged breath and burst into tears.
This disconcerted them almost more than anything that had gone before, but fortunately, help was at hand.
Two handsome gannets plummeted out of the sky, overshooting the figures on the hill by several metres. This meant that by the time they had landed and then shifted into human shape, they had also been able to acquire some robes. As they homed in on the weeping boy one of them pulled a handkerchief out of one pocket and a small fish out of the other. There was only an infinitesimally short pause before the handkerchief was offered and the hugging began.
Hibernation Gladrag, Market Jones and Interrupted Cadence strolled politely away, grateful to give the family group a little privacy. They headed back down the slope to the shore.
‘He’s got that hairstyle, did you notice? Like the girl had,’ Interrupted commented. ‘I do like it.’ His own hair was relaxing out of its tight coil, and he ran a hand through it. ‘I wonder if…’
Market looked sideways at him speculatively and then nodded. ‘Could work.’ The two fell behind their Head a little.
‘You don’t think I’m too, you know, old?’
‘Nonsense! What do you think, Hibernation?’
‘Hmmm? Oh yes. Very nice.’
Market winked at Interrupted, and they caught up with her.
‘That was quite a kerfuffle,’ Market said.
Gladrag shook her head solemnly and tutted.
‘Haven’t seen that much fuss since you were a child, Hibernation, old girl,’ Market continued.
‘Really?’ said Interrupted. ‘How intriguing – tell me more!’
Gladrag tried to chuckle carelessly, but a close observer would have noticed the faintest trace of a blush on her cheek. Market certainly did.
As they reached the water’s edge, he started to laugh.
Interrupted giggled.
Gladrag muttered something under her breath and stepped abruptly forward. At the lip of the surf she melted, belly-flopped into the waves and seal-swam away. Her friends hooted even louder…
… and bubbles of answering mirth breaking the surface marked her path.
Tide Table
30 October
G Beach ebb mid-morning
First Tide
(Adoms world) ebb to full mid-morning to late afternoon
Second Tide
(Jay’s world) full to ebb late afternoon to late evening
30-31 October
Third Tide
(eighteenth century) ebb to full late evening to early morning
Fourth Tide
(Ice Age) full to ebb early morning to late morning
Fifth Tide
(time of Circe) ebb to full late morning to late afternoon
Sixth Tide
(time of dinosaurs) full to ebb late afternoon to midnight
1 November
Seventh Tide
(the Dry Heart) ebb to full midnight to early morning