The Golden Acorn - Catherine Cooper [70]
Each night before bed Camelin tapped on Jack’s window and came for his reading lesson. Before they began Jack would ask if there was any news. He always got the same answer; there wasn’t any.
‘They’ve looked everywhere, twice,’ Camelin told him on the Friday night.
It was the first weekend since Jack had arrived that he hadn’t been over to Ewell House. Everyone was busy searching. He spent Saturday afternoon reading to Orin about the Romans. He needed to know as much as he could so he’d be prepared for his journey into the past, as long as the acorn could be found in time.
With only three days to go Jack finally perfected flying past Camelin at precisely the right time and speed.
‘Again!’ he cried as he hopped around the meadow feeling elated.
By the fifth time Jack knew they’d got it right.
‘Well at least we’re ready,’ he said thankfully to Camelin.
‘You’re a great flyer,’ Camelin replied, ‘a natural.’
‘I couldn’t have done it without such a brilliant teacher.’
Jack watched Camelin puff out his chest feathers; he knew he was pleased.
‘Come on, race you back to the house. I’ve got something for you in my bag.’
They flew at speed back up to Camelin’s loft, weaving and swerving around the bushes and trees and landing at exactly the same time on the window ledge. It took them both a few minutes to get their breath back.
‘Well at least we know we can get away in a hurry if we ever need to,’ laughed Camelin. ‘Now, what’ve you got for me?’
Once Jack had transformed and dressed he took a large bag out of his backpack and put it into the middle of his own raven basket, the only clear space he could see in the entire loft.
‘It’s a thank you, for you, for teaching me to fly.’
Camelin’s eyes grew wide; he began rocking from foot to foot in his excitement. He sniffed the air and then sniffed around the bag.
‘Are they doughnuts?’
‘Have a look.’
In no time Camelin had the top off the bag. Inside was an assortment of mini-doughnuts.
‘I wish I had an Oracular Frog. They’re the perfect pet you know.’
‘Oracular Frog!’
‘Yes, they know everything. It could take one look in the bag and tell me exactly how many doughnuts were in there.’
‘I can do that,’ laughed Jack and peeped into the bag. ‘Thirty.’
‘Wow! Thirty! How did you do that?’
‘Easy, that’s how many I asked for at the baker.’
Camelin poked his beak into the bag, brought out one of the small doughnuts in his beak, flipped it and gulped it down.
‘Mmmm! Raspberry, my favourite. I didn’t know they made raven doughnuts. Do they do anything else for ravens at the baker?’
Jack laughed and watched Camelin flip and swallow another mini doughnut. There wasn’t anywhere for Jack to sit. Camelin had covered the beanbag with rubbish.
‘You really ought to have a dustbin up here you know.’
‘What for?’ Camelin asked as he sucked the raspberry jam out of his third doughnut.
‘Because it’s getting to look like a rubbish tip.’
Camelin began speaking with his mouth full but Jack wasn’t listening.
‘Tip!’ he exclaimed as he quickly made his way to the ladder. ‘That’s it, the rubbish tip!’
He dashed down the stairs as fast as he could and arrived out of breath in the kitchen. ‘Tip!’ he managed to say to Nora, ‘Rubbish tip.’
‘What about the rubbish tip?’ Nora asked.
‘Could Pycroft be hiding there? Has anyone checked? It would be an ideal place to hide and there aren’t any trees or anything growing there. He’d find lots of things he could use to trade, things a Hag might want. There were all kinds of rubbish and broken things in her cave.’
‘That’s a brilliant idea Jack, a job for Motley and the Night Guard. If anyone can find anything in a pile of rubbish the rats will.’
Camelin flew in through the patio doors.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I think Jack might have worked out where to find Pycroft.’
‘At the rubbish tip,’ Jack explained.
‘I wonder what made you