Grandadâs pigeons, he thinks, just before he falls asleep.
Chapter Two
âI donât feel well,â Luke tells Mum at breakfast.
âWhatâs wrong?â she says.
âI feel sick.â
âWell, weâll just have to hope you donât get any worse,â she says. âIâve got a busy day. I canât stay at home. Iâm sorry, Luke.â
âI could stay with Grandad,â Luke says, hopefully.
âNo,â Mum says. âGrandad needs time to rest. Itâs enough for him having you after school every day.â
âHe
likes
having me,â Luke says. âHe says itâs the highlight of his day!â
But Mum is already getting the car keys and her coat.
Most of Lukeâs class are in the middle of a football game in the playground when he arrives at the gate. He stands next to Mira and watches Sam and Marek dribbling the ball like professionals. Marek scores a goal.
âWhat are you doing for your talk?â Mira asks him.
Luke shrugs. âNothing,â he says. âI forgot.â
They start doing the talks after lunch. Luke feels sicker and sicker. What is he going to do? Mira talks about going to India for her auntyâs wedding. She shows the class the sequinned sari she wore. Marek talks about the Junior League â heâs goalie. Joeâs talk is about the newts he has in his garden pond. The newts have little hands.
Luke wonders about having a pond in Grandadâs garden, with newts. The whole class clap when each person finishes. Itâs not so bad, after all, Luke thinks. Itâs fun listening to everyone.
Luke watches the clock.
Tick
.
Tick
. Nearly there.
Tick Tick
. Home time!
âIâm sorry, children,â Mrs Hill says. âWeâll have to save the last four talks for tomorrow.â
YES! Luke thinks. Now heâs got time to get a really good talk ready. He imagines everyone listening and clapping.
He tells Grandad what heâs decided. âTomorrow Iâm giving a talk about your pigeons.â
âGood lad,â Grandad says. âMaple syrup or lemon and sugar for your pancakes?â
Luke has both. So does Grandad. Luke remembers to help do the washing-up. Grandad has a sleep in the deckchair. He sleeps for ages, so Luke feeds the pigeons and lets them out for their fly around.
âIâm going to tell everyone at school about you tomorrow,â he tells them as they perch on the cage edge, ready for takeoff.
They tip their heads and look at him with their beady eyes. The pigeons fly off with a swoop of wings. Two feathers flutter down. Luke picks them up. He can take them in to show his class.
He watches the birds spiral above the gardens in bigger and bigger circles, and then veer off over the street. Maybe they are flying over the school. Perhaps Grandad would let them out when he did his talk, so everyone could see.
Luke goes over to ask him. But Grandad looks strange. His face is grey. Heâs shivering.
âGive us a hand in, lad,â Grandad says.
Luke makes him a cup of tea but he doesnât drink it.
âI think weâd better get your mum here,â Grandad says. Luke phones her mobile.
âIâm on my way,â she says. âKeep him warm. Call the doctor if he gets worse.â
Luke brings a blanket downstairs and tucks it round Grandad. He sits by him. Grandad strokes his hand. They watch the TV till Mum arrives.
She phones the doctor. The doctor says they need to get an ambulance. Grandad gets bundled into the ambulance. Mum and Luke follow in the car.
At the hospital, Luke has to wait on a chair in a corridor for ages. He suddenly remembers the pigeons. They will need shutting back in their cages safe for the night. He tells Mum when she comes back.
âGrandad needs to stay in hospital tonight,â she says. âCome and see him before we go.â
Grandad is lying in a bed. The white sheets make his face look grey.
Norrey Ford
Azure Boone
Peggy Darty
Jerry Pournelle
Anne Rice
Erin Butler
Sharon Shinn
Beth Cato
Shyla Colt
Bryan Burrough