Ten

Beaten by the wind, George’s wings felt bruised and heavy as he landed on Devil’s Gorge. His eyes blurry, he dragged his legs under a craggy bush and kept huffing and puffing and heaving until an urgent yell shook him.

“Don’t, Heather, we beg you! Have mercy on them. They’ve done you no wrong. What’s the matter with you? Have you no heart?”

George craned his neck and saw Heather darting across to her sisters.

“Keep your mouth shut,” she hissed. “You’ll wake them up. They’re in a trance and must stay so until...You dare say another word and you’ll be going the same way as them.”

George stiffened. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped in utter disbelief. He tried to yell but his throat had frozen. Numb with horror, he watched Heather go back to the edge of the gorge and began speaking in a drawn-out, mesmeric voice.

“Now ladies, stand on your feet. Listen to my voice and obey its command. Take slow strides and come to me.”

The butterflies did as the voice commanded and Heather moved aside.

“Good girls.” she murmured deep in her throat. “Keep walking. You’re almost there. Don’t be afraid. It’ll soon be over. Take one more stride and stay close together. Throw your heads forward. I’ll be right behind you to help you take the leap to heaven.”

With a fierce caw George whooshed out. “Stop evil creature! Stop!” he thundered and swept her away.

Heather jerked back violently and glared at him, her eyes blazing with fury.

“Treacherous black feathered creature!” she yelled. “How on earth did you find out? What evil spirit sent you to ruin my plan? Go to hell! Get out of my sight! Get out!” She screamed on and on with bitterness outrage and madness until she had no more voice left to scream and then she collapsed with a venomous hiss.

Another split second and the butterflies would fall over the edge to their death. They were standing right on the edge. George couldn’t save them from behind. A sudden sound or movement might startle them and send them toppling over. He had to be at the front so he could look at them and talk to them. “Oh God, help me!” he panted. He noticed some tufts of grass sprouting out of the rock crevice and clawed on them. George lashed his wings against the rock and yelled, “wake up Princess! Wake up, all of you and step back! Step back! Help! Help!”

The butterflies didn’t move. They stared at him and the look in their eyes was distant and cloudy.

George’s heart sank and his eyes filled with tears. “Move back, Princess Estella,” he cried helplessly. The butterflies staggered slightly backwards and through his tears, George saw a slow blink in their eyes. Encouraged, he cried. Help! Help!”

A horde of bumblebees that happened to be a short flight away, responded to his cries. One flew over to him while the others moved the dazed butterflies away from the edge.

“A pretty mess you’ve got yourself into, haven’t you, Crow? What happened?”

George hadn’t seen such a stout bumblebee before. She had a pretty face and her eyes shone with kindness.

“Gloria’s my name. Call me Glo. How can we help?”

“Take care of the butterflies. Keep talking to them until they come round. Heather forced them to sniff the sleeping weed. It will take time to wear off. Keep them safe. Don’t let that wicked ladybird get away. Her sisters are innocent. Send a message to Plato the owl. Any creature will know him, but hurry!”

“Don’t worry, Crow, I know the old owl well. Concentrate on getting yourself out of the plight you’re in.”

“I don’t think that I can,” he said. “These tufts have gone loose under my grip and I can’t use my wings; they’re bruised and...”

Before he could say any more, he felt the grass slipping away. With the last bit of strength he had, he tried to scramble up, scraping his claws on the hard rock surface, and in his despair he pulled hard on the tufts of grass which came away at the roots. Damp soil, landed on his chest and sent him plummeting onto the thorny bed of the brambles. As he lay flat on his back, wings spread out, he tossed and turned to free himself from the thorns, but they’d snagged deep in his feathers and were tearing his flesh. He gave up the struggle, let out a deep moan of pain and shut his eyes.

The bumble bees peered down and squeaked with dread when they saw the blood oozing from his sides.

“He’s dead,” one of them cried.

***

With the help of the bumblebees, the butterflies came round, feeling giddy, weak and tired, but remembered nothing of their nasty ordeal. When Glo was confident they were fit for the long flight, some of her girls escorted them back to Blossom Valley.

While the bumblebees were busy attending to the butterflies, Heather shambled about in a thick clump of grass, stunned at the unexpected turn of events, and for the first time ever she allowed tears to run down her face.

After all her hard work, the months of planning and experimenting, her dream of getting rid of the butterflies had been wrecked. Heck, she’d come so close! One more instant and it would have been over. Those precious butterflies would have gone forever, perished on the sharp thorns of the brambles and no one would have known. It would have been hers and her mother’s secret. Her two so-called-sisters, who in fact were two strays her mother had picked up, wouldn’t make it back to Blossom Valley. She’d planned something clever which would make it look as if they were the ones who had taken the butterflies out but had never made it back. They would go the same way as the butterflies and perish on the brambles. The winds would blow their remains, if there were any, away across the hills. She would then sneak back into the valley and spread the story that her two young sisters had told her they were taking the butterflies out to the cornfields for the day and had asked her to keep it a secret. A huge search would take place, the whole valley looking for the butterflies. She and her mother would be looking for the young sisters, calling their names, searching under trees and bushes and laughing silently to themselves. Their disappearance would remain a mystery for many years to come and she and her mother would have the last laugh. They’d be the happiest creatures on earth to see the spider mourn her precious Estella and the rare butterflies. And Orpheo oh, how she’d love to see him grieve for his princess! She would be there to comfort him. Of course she would. In time his wound would heal and he’d come to like her, love her and marry her. Heck! Heck! She wept, if it weren’t for that damned crow. He’s now lying dead on the thorns, but what good has that done her.

She peered through the grass blades and saw her sisters clinging to each other, weeping and an idea struck her. She cautiously walked over to them. “You must help me escape,” she said.

“How? “ The young ladybirds asked.

“Wipe your stupid tears, put on a better face and walk slowly to where the bumblebees are. Try to distract them by talking to them, asking questions about the gorge or whatever. Don’t try anything funny. Remember you’ll have to face my mother if anything happens to me. Now start moving.”

The two sisters did as they were told and, chatting cheerfully, they reached the bumblebees.

“Hello girls,” Glo said loudly. “We’re glad to see you look well. You want some company, don’t you?”

“We would like to ask you some questions about the gorge, if you have the time.”

“We have all the time in the world, girls,” said Gloria her eyes darting in all directions, recording the slightest movements all around and at the same time communicating with her girls with a series of peculiar barely-audible hissing sound that she made through her half closed lips.

Heather looked around. Her sisters were doing a good job she thought, because Glo, the fearsome bumblebee seemed quite relaxed, sharing a joke with the young ladybirds, but she couldn’t see that Glo’s eyes were still recording movements and her half shut mouth was still emitting those peculiar hissing signals.

Heather opened her wing shell. But before she let her wings out, three huge bumblebees pounced on her from behind.

“Oh no, you don’t!” shouted Glo and held her shell tight.

“Let go of me!” Heather screamed, pushing and kicking to free herself. “I was only trying to stretch my wings a bit, that’s all.”

“Ha! Ha!” Glo scoffed. “Nice try. You thought you’d fool us, you ghastly creature.

We’ve kept our eyes and ears on you in our secret way the whole time. We heard what you said to your sisters. Tie her wings shell, girls. That’ll keep her nice and still.”

“No, you don’t!” Heather screamed. “I won’t let you ruin, my five spot shell, you ugly fat monsters.”

Glo’s eyes flashed with anger. “You were about to kill those innocent butterflies in a most cruel way and you think I should give a damn about your shell? Put her in the wicker basket, girls. Keep the young sisters separate,” she whispered. “They took no part in any of this, the crow told me.”