The Golden Acorn - Catherine Cooper [44]
‘I’m starving,’ he said when he saw the cake.
‘See. I keep telling everyone. It’s hungry work being a raven.’
‘Jack didn’t have much breakfast unlike some I could mention,’ said Elan looking directly at Camelin.
They were both allowed two pieces of cake, which they ate greedily.
‘What are we going to do now? We haven’t got a ball to play with any more.’ Jack said when he’d finished.
Camelin was working his way around the table making sure they hadn’t left any crumbs.
‘Don’t be so mean,’ said Elan. ‘Leave some for the sparrows.’
‘But they’re my crumbs!’ exclaimed Camelin in horror. ‘I’m not allowed on the bird table so why should they be allowed on the picnic table?’
‘I thought it was only starlings you didn’t like,’ said Jack.
‘Starlings and sparrows,’ confirmed Camelin. ‘They’d steal the crumbs out of your beak if you let them.’
‘Take no notice of him Jack,’ continued Elan. ‘He’s got a problem about most of the birds that come in the garden.’
‘What’s wrong with sparrows?’ asked Jack.
Elan sighed, picked up the tray and left Jack to hear all about sparrows from Camelin.
‘They’re stupid,’ he began. ‘They get all nervous because they think a wolf might jump out and eat them up.’
‘Wolf!’
‘Yes,’ confirmed Camelin. ‘Centuries ago Dagbert, king of the sparrows, was eaten by a wolf and the story’s been passed down from sparrow to sparrow for generations.’
‘But there aren’t any wolves left in Britain.’
‘You try telling a sparrow that!’ replied Camelin. ‘I told you they were stupid.’
Jack would liked to have heard more about Dagbert and the wolf but Camelin decided it was time to continue with Jack’s lesson. He shuffled over to the broom and kicked it away from the table.
‘Ready to try a small glide now?’
Jack had been having great fun playing football but this was different. He’d no idea what to do. Any instinct he should have, as a bird, hadn’t appeared yet.
‘Watch me,’ said Camelin as he spread his wings and glided gracefully onto the ground. ‘Now you.’
Jack’s claws gripped the table. His spindly legs shook. He spread his wings, took a deep breath and stepped off the edge. He wobbled rather than glided to the grass and had to skip a couple of steps so he didn’t topple over as he landed.
‘That wasn’t too bad was it?’ he asked.
‘You’re going to have to do a lot better than that,’ grumbled Camelin.
‘Well I can’t get back up on top to have another go. Someone kicked the broom away.’
Camelin looked around the garden.
‘I know. Follow me.’
They went down to the rockery by the hedge where Camelin had his secret cave. There were large rocks dotted around the raised bank but the far side had a vertical drop into the flowerbed.
‘This is perfect,’ croaked Camelin.
Jack had to agree. The top of the rockery wasn’t as high as the picnic table.
Jack felt a bit more confident practising gliding from here. It would be easy to climb up the rocks and the landing would be soft if he crashed.
Stepping off wasn’t easy, but once Jack plucked up the courage to leave the highest rock he managed to glide down with his wings outspread. His landing wasn’t very graceful but it was only his second try. After half an hour he’d improved considerably. Camelin showed Jack how to use his wings for assisted hopping. They practised on the lower branches of the fir trees by the picnic table. Soon Jack was able to hop from the grass to the branch, onto the table then glide back onto the grass.
‘This is great. Can we go higher?’ he asked.
‘No problem,’ replied Camelin.
Jack was on the second branch when Nora and Elan came out to check on his progress.
‘What are you doing?’ cried Nora. ‘Stay there, I’ll come and get you.’
It was too late. Nora’s cry startled Jack. He lost his footing and his concentration. He croaked loudly as he toppled off the branch.
‘Jack!’ Nora shouted.
Instead of plummeting to the ground, he spread his wings instinctively, then raised and lowered them powerfully. He rose rapidly into the air.
‘Look, I’m flying!’ he croaked excitedly.
He fell even faster than