Outside the mall, Slingshot and Nuts had been watching through the glass door when Speed Bump flew into the lady’s purse. They kept an eye on her and hovered above as she walked to her car.
Nuts started freaking out as the car drove away.
“Good plan, good plan!” said Nuts.
“I’d better, um, ‘go’—ahem—you know!—on top of it so we don’t forget which one it is.”
“Now, that’s using your head! Well, maybe not your head, exactly, but you know what I mean.…”
Slingshot cleared his throat.
After Slingshot was done marking the car, he and Nuts followed along, staying low so they wouldn’t lose sight of it. The pair shot around stoplights, skimmed over street signs, and ducked under bridges as the lady drove toward the edge of the city.
“Uh-oh!” Nuts suddenly shouted over the traffic noise. “She’s heading for the highway! We’ll never keep up!”
Slingshot lowered his head, lifted his tail feathers, and zoomed down next to the car.
“I can see the purse in the backseat! And the window’s open! Just a little bit, but I think I can squeeze through!”
“No, it’s too dangerous! She’s driving really fast. You’ll never time it right!” Nuts squawked.
“I have to try—Speed Bump’s my best friend! Plus he’s TERRIBLE with directions! Even if he gets out of that purse, he’ll NEVER find his way back to the forest!”
Slingshot flew furiously away from the car, which was already starting to accelerate as it approached the highway on-ramp. Then he circled around and headed straight for the back window.
With his eyes closed and the wind pushing back the feathers on his face, Slingshot flew into the window opening at full speed.
He looked around and saw the wiggling purse.
I did it! he thought.
Then he realized that only half of him was actually in the car. His bottom half was still outside, his tail feathers flapping like a flag in a stiff wind. He was stuck, his belly wedged against the top of the window.
Nuts rolled his eyes and muttered, “What have I gotten myself into?” Then, with a burst of energy, the Nuthatch flew as fast as he could directly into Slingshot’s bulging backside.
With a loud squawk, the two birds tumbled onto the cushioned seat. They smoothed their feathers and looked around. Music was blaring from the radio; the lady hadn’t seen or heard their sudden appearance.
Slingshot grabbed the zipper with his beak and pulled while Nuts held on to the strap. The purse slowly opened. Speed Bump’s head popped out like he was hatching from an egg all over again.
At that very moment, the car came to a stop.
“Houses! It’s a neighborhood!” Nuts whispered. “She’s home! HIDE!”
The three of them dove into a pile of old food wrappers under the front seat.
The back door of the car opened, and the lady reached in to grab her purse.
“GO!” Nuts hollered.
Wrappers went flying as the three birds shot out from under the seat. The lady screamed and dropped her purse. Slingshot snatched some food as he exited the car. None of them looked back as they rose into the blue.
