Aneira stepped off Mrs O’s back onto the branch they had landed on, in the very old tree where the owls held their Owl Parliament. The tree branch was about as wide as her bed at home and felt very solid even though they were so high up. Aneira bowed quickly towards Wise Owl. She didn’t know if you were meant to bow at Owl Parliament but she knew people bowed when they met the human queen, so it seemed like a good idea.
Wise Owl chuckled.
“Welcome…
my…
child…
to…
the…
Owl…
Parliament.”
Mrs O was right, Wise Owl did speak very slowly! This could take a while.
“I have explained our problem and that the Moon has gone out,” said Mrs O.
That must have been what all the hooting had been about. Aneira was relieved as explaining what had happened all over again plus how slowly Wise Owl seemed to talk might have meant it would be morning before they actually found out how to turn the Moon back on!
Aneira turned to Wise Owl.
“Yes, I am very sorry about the Moon but Mrs O said you might be able to help and tell us how to get the Moon back on?”
“Yes… I… know… how… to… bring… the… Moon… back… on.”
Aneira found herself hopping on the spot with impatience as Wise Owl spoke.
“But… first… I… must… finish… the… last… owl’s… question.”
So Mrs O hadn’t got them to the front of the queue then. She hoped this question didn’t take too long.
“Come,” said Wise Owl to a small owl the colour of lightly toasted bread.
The small owl flew forward and said in a very high-pitched voice, “My question is about the fact that most owls only come out at night-time. I love sleeping in the day and flying at night. I have noticed that there are other animals who live like us too. I just wondered if there was a way of describing animals like us who wake up at night?”
“Ah… yes… young… one… an… interesting… question.”
Wise Owl paused to think.
“This is taking too long,” thought Aneira.
She knew she wasn’t an owl and Mrs O had been very kind to help her try to fix the Moon but if they didn’t find out how to do that soon, she was going to be in a lot of trouble. Aneira thought back to the book she’d been reading with Mum before bed.
Mrs O turned to her. “Did you say something, dear?”
“Nocturnal,” Aneira said louder. “That is the word for animals who sleep during the day and wake up at night.”
The small toast-coloured owl looked at Aneira and jumped up and down in excitement.
“Knock-turn-al,” said the small owl, trying out the word.
“This… is… correct.” Wise Owl confirmed.
“Thank you, thank you,” said the small owl and flew back to its place on a lower branch.
Aneira smiled and suddenly felt much more confident.
“Excuse me, Wise Owl. I wondered if we could ask our question now as it’s quite important. I think Mrs O has explained that I accidentally made the Moon go out. We were hoping you could tell us how to turn it back on,” said Aneira boldly.
There was a moment of silence and Aneira wondered if she’d done the wrong thing. She hoped Wise Owl wouldn’t be angry and would answer her question. After all, she definitely hadn’t fallen on Wise Owl’s head.
After a moment, Wise Owl opened her beak to speak.
“You… must… take… a… journey… to… the… Moon… itself.
Only… the… one… who… caused… the… Moon… to… go… out… can… be… the… one… to… bring… it… back.”
Aneira was confused. “But how do I bring it back and how do I land on the Moon?”
“You… do… not… need… to… land… on… the… Moon.
You… need… to… get… close… to… the… Moon.”
“But what do we do when we get there? How can I turn it back on?”
“The… Moon… is… a… night light… it… can… be… turned… on… like… any… light.
You… must… go… quickly.
The… Moon… must… be… back… on… before… dawn… or… it… may… be… lost… forever.”
The other owls started hooting and flapping their wings in agreement.
“Right. Well, that was sorted much quicker than I expected. Climb on my back dear, it is time for us to go,” said Mrs O.
“But what about the Moon? We still don’t know exactly how to get it back on,” blurted Aneira.
“Wise Owl will always tell an owl exactly what they need to know. If these are her instructions, we must follow them,” said Mrs O.
Aneira climbed onto Mrs O’s back as Wise Owl closed her eyes and the other owls carried on hooting in encouragement. Even without her hearing aids, Aneira found it all a bit loud. It reminded her of sports day at school. Maybe she could convince Mrs Allen to add a flying on the back of an owl race next year. That was a race Aneira might actually have a chance of winning.
“Don’t worry, dear,” said Mrs O more quietly now, “Wise Owl gave us a clue in what she said, we just need to work it out. Now hold on tightly.”
With Aneira safely on her back Mrs O took off and they both left Wise Owl and the hooting Owl Parliament behind them.