Read Online Crown Park by Des Hunt - Free Book Online Page A

“Who
do you want to be number one?”
    Jack pointed to the nearest
bird. “You’re number one. Call it out, please.”
    “One!” said the moho.
    “Very good,” said Jack. He
pointed to another bird. “Now you.”
    “Two!” yelled the bird.
    Jack’s finger moved along the
line.
    “Three!” came the call.
    Then the next. “Lots!”
    “Lots?” said Jack.
    “Yes,” said Morris. “Lots comes
after three.”
    “Then what comes after
lots?”
    Morris looked at him as if he
were stupid. “Everything after three is lots.”
    Jack rolled his eyes. “OK,” he
said. “We’re going to have to learn a few more numbers because
we’ve got to get to seven for this to work.”
    Twenty minutes later Jack felt
that the moho had finally learnt the new numbers. By then Pat was
ready to report back.
    “We can get out this way,” he
said. “There are another five chambers with narrow tunnels in
between.” He sized Jack up and down. “Chainsaw, me and the birds
will get through, but it could be a bit tight for you. In some
places the stalactites are hanging down to the ground. You might
have to break some off.”
    Jack nodded. “Are you going to
lead the way?”
    “Yes! I’ll be flitting around
calling out directions and warnings. Chainsaw is going to help me
guide people in the right direction.”
    “Great,” said Jack. “Then let’s
go.”
     
     
    Getting through to the first chamber
was easy, as there was still some light.
    Before they moved on and into
the darkness, Jack ran a test of the counting system.
    Moho One, Two and Three were
fine. Number Four started to say “Lots” before giggling and
correcting himself. Five didn’t have a clue.
    Jack pointed to the bird.
“You’re Five!”
    “Am I? It’s so hard to remember
something like that.”
    “Well, remember it now.”
    Six got the call right, and then
Jack waited for number Seven. It never came.
    “Morris! You’re Seven.”
    “Oh, I am too,” replied Morris.
“Sorry, my mind was elsewhere.”
    Jack let it go. Instead he
ushered them towards the second tunnel. That was much narrower than
the first, and Jack had to damage a couple of stalactites before he
could fit. As he squeezed through he heard oohs and aahs of wonder
from the birds in front. He soon saw the cause. The roof and walls
of the chamber were covered with glow-worms.
    Jack had seen glow-worms before,
but never this many. And more amazingly, they kept glowing despite
the noise the moho were making. He reached up and touched some.
Even that didn’t turn them off. Some of the grubs got stuck to his
hand. He moved his arm around making light patterns in the
blackness. That brought even more oohs and aahs from the moho.
    Although there were millions of
glow-worms, there still wasn’t enough light to see anything.
    “Where are you, Pat?” Jack
called.
    “I’m over by the exit
tunnel.”
    “Could you guide the moho
towards you, please?”
    “OK.” There was a break while
Pat checked the situation. “Look, guys,” he went on, “you’re all
facing different ways. Turn towards me.”
    “Which way’s that?” asked one of
them.
    “ You need to turn to your
right,” replied Pat.
    Oh,” said the moho. “I have
trouble with right and left. Is this the right way?”
    “No!” said Pat. He let out a
heavy sigh. “Sorry, Jack, but this isn’t going to work. These birds
are too… um… different.” A pause. “Ah, Chainsaw is going to—”
    A loud scream filled the
cavern.
    “What’s the problem?” asked
Jack.
    “The furry thing touched me,”
cried a moho.
    “He has to,” said Jack, ‘so that
you’ll move in the right direction.”
    That brought cries from all the
birds.
    Morris’s voice rose above the
others. “Is it true that the furry thing eats birds?”
    “Yes.” said Jack.
    The crying became more
intense.
    “But only those that make a lot
of noise and act like wimps.”
    That brought instant
silence.
    Jack smiled in the darkness.
“Good! Now let’s