Luke wakes up in the night. It must be nearly dawn, because the window is pale grey instead of black. He hears Mum’s feet on the stairs. Then he hears her talking to someone on the phone.
Luke climbs out of bed and goes onto the landing. There’s a lamp on downstairs. Mum comes out of the front room. She looks up.
“He’s gone,” she says softly. “Grandad’s died.’
They sit on the stairs, and cry together. When Luke goes back to bed, he lies there remembering all the happy times he’s had with Grandad.
He dreams about Grandad and the pigeons. The pigeons are carrying Grandad with them as they circle and spiral into the blue sky.
When Luke wakes up, he knows Grandad is happy, and safe, wherever he is now.
After the funeral is over, Luke goes back to school.
“We missed you,” Mira says.
“Want to play football?” Marek and Sam ask, at lunchtime.
“No, thanks,” Luke says, but he’s pleased they asked him all the same.
He sits with Joe under the tree in the playground.
“The pigeons are mine now,” Luke tells Joe. “And we’ve moved into my grandad’s house, so I’ve got a garden, too. We might make a pond.”
“I’ll help you,” Joe says. “And in the spring, I’ll give you some of my newt spawn.”
“You can come and meet my pigeons, if you like,” Luke says.
“Tomorrow?”
“OK,” Luke smiles.
Luke walks home from school. It takes him exactly twelve minutes and fifty seconds. He goes straight to the pigeon loft. His pigeons are waiting for him.
“All right, steady on,” he tells them as they push and jostle at the wire. As he unlocks each cage the pigeons hop onto the edge and spread their wings for flight.
Luke watches them. Their silver wings flash in the sunlight as they spiral in the blue sky.
Luke remembers his dream. “Happy flight, Grandad,” he whispers. He feels sure Grandad is still watching him, somehow.
Mum’s car pulls up. She calls from the gate. “Luke? I’m home.”
“Coming,” he says. “I’ll make us pancakes for tea.”