The Tunnels Below by Nadine Wild-Palmer (best short novels of all time .TXT) 📕

his beak and hands; bits of the surface of the wall fell away and more light began to fill the caves, revealing scores of black figures high on their perches. One of them seized Aubrey and brought him tumbling down.

“What has got into you, boy!” screeched Jacques d’Or. Countless members of the Corvus Community took to the air and began flapping about the cave in a fluster, trying to black out the light to stop the egg cells from cracking.

Cecilia watched for Jacques d’Or as he ascended towards the bright light, becoming almost invisible, turning away from it, shading his eyes to see. He was utterly blinded; it was like watching someone lose a super power. The Nest was a hive of commotion. Cecilia ran over to Kuffi amid the chaos and pushed his egg cell across the floor and shoved it hard into the tower. It made a cracking sound but didn’t break. She looked at him through the cell.

“Stay there, I’ll be back,” she said.

The Divers were already trying to get loose. Cecilia ran over and found one of the discarded spears, and handed it to Jestyna, who began cutting the others free.

“I need you to break Luke and Kuffi out too,” Cecilia shouted against the noise.

Jestyna ran and threw her spear with all her might at the egg cell holding Kuffi and it shattered into a thousand pieces. Then she did the same for Luke.

The Corvus Community were frantic. They didn’t know whether to block out the light or to seize the prisoners. Cecilia ran to the base of the tower where Hunter was chained. She looked at him and he did not respond. She began to pull at his collar and she managed to tug it off, but still he did nothing.

“Come on, Hunter!” she screamed into the cacophony of cawing. The message to break out of the egg cells spread up and along the tower like wildfire and soon everyone was gnawing, pecking, scratching and thumping their egg cells all at once. More and more light flooded the space as the members of the Corvus Community pecked at the prisoners, trying to stop them from fleeing.

Jestyna let out a piercing screech and Adriene followed suit, howling high into the rafters, and the remaining members of the Corvus Community that were still on the ground took to the air, petrified. Jacques d’Or was bewildered: he flew out of the streaming light and snatched Cecilia from behind in his arms and took to the air. The Corvus flocked towards the light. It was a pandemonium of Corvus and colours. Jacques d’Or struggled through the fray, higher and higher, Cecilia in his clutches, nearing the highest point of the Nest. Cecilia snatched at his waistcoat pocket, clinging on for dear life as she felt him release his grip and just let her go. She scrambled to grab hold of Jacques d’Or, and when she grasped his whistle the connecting chain snapped off, sending her plummeting towards the ground. As she gathered speed, the air passed through the whistle and she caught a glimpse of Hunter running from his spot below to catch her. Cecilia’s body landed on him with such a force that he fell to the ground.

Jacques d’Or raged towards them in a wild fury and Cecilia blew hard on the whistle. Hunter snatched at Jacques d’Or’s legs and pulled him out of the air.

“Hunter!” Jacques d’Or screeched. But Hunter gave him no time to speak, bounding off into the Black Forest, dragging Jacques d’Or behind him by the wing, which was locked in his jaw.

Cecilia lay stunned on the ground as the chaos around her began to fade to nothing.

28Quite a Tumble

When Cecilia woke up, she was battered and bruised but surrounded by many friendly faces gathered around her bed. The room was warm and cosy and she knew instantly that she was back safe in Jasper’s cubby. As she stirred she saw Kuffi and jumped into his arms.

“Kuffi!” she cried. “You’re all right!”

“I’m fine, little thing. Barely a scratch on me!” he said gently, his whiskers tickling her cheeks.

Kuffi ushered the faces out as soon as Cecilia began to ask questions.

“Where’s Luke? Is he OK?”

Kuffi sat on the edge of the bed and began to speak.

“It worked, Cecilia. You brought back the elemental sphere, freed Mr Sparks who has been returned to his home and is happily lighting the lake.” Cecilia looked around; it was much brighter.

“When you’re ready we will go and see Lady-Bird and Luke…”

A voice harped in. “No need, Koof, I’m right here!” Luke swaggered over to the bed and held up his hand for a high-five.

Kuffi turned back to Cecilia. “When you are up to it, you and I will head back to where we started and see if we can get you home, safe above ground with your family where you belong.”

“Wait, what are you saying, Koof?” Luke blurted out.

“Quiet down, both of you, and let me explain. While I was trapped in that egg cell, I discovered I still had in my possession the book you bought at Market Square. You remember? Before things took a turn for the worse?”

“Yes, yes it was a diary,” Cecilia added.

“The Diary of a Button Collector, in fact. When it was quiet and there were few distractions at the Nest, I would take it out and read through it. I read it from cover to cover. It was fascinating. I learnt a lot about the world—or should I say, universe, in which we live, that I didn’t know. Anyway, I digress,” said Kuffi, waving away some invisible gnat with his furry hand. “The Diary of a Button Collector was written many years ago, so it must have been lost on the heap that is Edwina’s enchantingly charming bookstall for quite some time. It is all handwritten so things are quite hard to decipher, but I had quite a bit of time on my hands so I didn’t let that put