Chapter 3

At the crack of dawn, Captain Peter ordered the crew to search through the ship files. Half the crew walked through the dense jungle to find it the thing that could have killed them last night. A Zburator. The other half was going through library looking for anything that linked to were Oscar would be going. John was under strict orders not to look into the final bookcase.

It was then that John stared at the gloomy forest. The rusted and destroyed ship that brought John to reality. He ran to every nook and crany. Bailey was gone. He messaged the crew in the forest but they didn’t have him. Then it dawned on him. He hasn’t seen Bailey all morning. Actually, he hasn’t seen him since the attack. John prepared himself for the worst.

John leapt off the ship and into the open grass plain looking for Bailey. John didn’t leave a single stone unturned. Long shadow beckoned the night to come. Seeds blazed red. Creating an alternative universe in front of him. Night-hooters started to wake; flesh-rippers howled but nothing could find him. John started to lose hope. But then a he started to think:  Was he even here?

John gently, crept back to the ship when he saw the flash of emerald. He started a run, then the pursuit was on. He saw sea blue eye in front. He looked around. Then it struck him. John was surrounded. Sounds smashed it his brain. Jumbled words. Sentences. He thought, slow, the sounds slowed he started to understand the sound. He made out what they were saying, “We won’t attack. We will protect you.” John wondered what these things were. The ground shook. The trees collapsed. It was the Zburator. Suddenly, the wolves began the attack. John fled.

Eastern Thought Wolves were never known to be on this island. They have extreme strength. Unknow abilities. You are the only person to know of these creatures. John was over the moons to see Bailey sleeping in the corner of the underground cavern. Oscar Wedram was cared for and helped after the catastrophic engine failure. Suddenly, the emerald eyed wolf came into view. He was the leader. That was when john could see he had forest camo fir with a scar down his neck. He said, “The Zburator is close you will need this book to find your way to the ship.” Finally, he nudged it to John and he took it.

With the Thought Wolves help, the duo took Oscar Wedram back to the Socair. Peter and the crew were all manning the massive gears that activated the pumps. John yelled the what was after them. Then engines fired. The pumps roared. Suddenly, the ship jolted off the ground. John tried to get on.

But it was too late.

Benjamin             the great search

Prologue

You’ve probably had journeys on airships across the gentle waves and landed on islands to experience the odd mini-expedition. You’ve maybe been searching for unknown creatures but when you find them they are always discovered. In summer, you probably sat on the deck and had a ice-cream (that probably melted onto your hands) and many different delicacies from abroad. When you flew, the wind wrapped around your head and flowed freely around your body. When you flew, your parent probably told you not to disturb the captain or not to fiddle with the ropes. You probably raised the balloon with the ropes and let the ropes murder your hand. Travelling by skyship in the summer is not the same as in winter.

Travelling on an expedition to unknown lands is very different in the winter months. no-body knows what lives there. You should try a skyship journey when the weather is against you: heavy rain, bitter temperatures and roaring waves. You should try flying with little to no food and low fuel. You should try coping with a deadly Zburator tearing the balloon apart and destroying the vessel.

Chapter 1

We ran, legs burning. The Socair was rising out of the harbour. We were closing in fast hoping to get on before it was too late. Suddenly, the balloon rose from the lower decks gliding higher than ever before. The streets of Findochty were filled with life cheering to the crew. John and Bailey jumped up onto the ship nearly missing the hard-oak deck. The crowds gasped as we leapt. The waves started to get rough. Inside, the pumps were on full blast to inflate the balloon. Outside, Captain Peter Sherman was shouting orders to the crew and staring at us.

John and Bailey gazed down as the ship rose higher than the crest of the hill. They could see endless waves. They could hear the distant rumble of other sky ships. John or Bailey grinned as they set off on an adventure to the Fair Isle looking for the famous explorer Oscar Wedram. Inside, the cook was tidying the galley. Outside, the wind was battering the side of the hull and making it hard to keep the ship going in a straight line.

Within an hour, we were closing in on the first stop of to collect the perishables. Then the water supply for the engine. We were losing power. We were dropping altitude. Luckily, the captain pulled us away from the ground and landing safely at the bury. John sighed, “I wonder if we will find Oscar Wedram,” he muttered, wondering if he is still alive.

That night the weather turned. Wind bellowed pushing the ship of course. Rain thundered on the deck. Lightning impaled the sky.

Chapter 2

Over the next few days, the Socair sailed through endless snow storms. Rain impaled the delicate paint. A couple of hours later, the storms gave way showing the Fare Isle. Flying over the North Sea, John looked down with his lucky           binos. There was enough room to land. But the ground was too soft for the ship’s safety.

Finally, the captain looked over the stern. John was waiting for the call. Then the captain bellowed, “Coming in to land!”. Suddenly, the captain spotted what look like the remains of R2-D2. The ship of the lost explorer. Has Oscar Wedram landed here?

The engines stopped turning; everyone called to the anchor release system.  John and Bailey stared across the vast jungle and spotted the wreckage: tangled steal work, a shredded balloon and what they were dreading. To one side, a small green pasture held rare herbs. On the other side, the jungle spread for miles. But in the centre was what they wanted a large fresh water lake. In the middle of the lake was a giant hole dropping into the abyss.

Without warning, the crew scrambled of the ship. Bailey charged off. We all looked at the wreck but we found nothing. Apart from charred book and damaged machinery but no escape vessel. A few hours later Bailey came back carrying a case. John took it off him and saw Morse code: — .– (O.W).

“Let’s get the tents out and camp here,” he called, “and then tomorrow we will do the proper search of this island.” As soon as the tents were up the fire was blazing. The smoke was going north away from the island.

A shadow creeped towards the tents. A rustle. A twig snapped. A howl silenced the crew. It was close. Another howl came. John knew what it was. The worst thing that could happen. A animal that could tear you limb from limb. Rip the ship to shreds. Bailey stared into the pitch-black jungle. Right at the destroyed ship.

The Journey Through the Latīnum

On the Island of Gehenna,

I saw ferocious fires wake the dead,

the devil has control and is prepared to crush humanity.

On the island of Phoenīx,

I saw dancing trees perform into full bloom,

Flaming fruits evolve into perfect taste.

On the island of Volatus,

I heard the elegant calls of females prepared to mate,

I tuned into a night-hooter,

waiting, waiting for a midnight feast.

On the island of Sensus,

I felt the fresh fir of the fire phoenix,

I smelt liquid fire feeling flocks of foxes,

I heard horror stories of disappearances.

By Benjamin

Benjamin

Chapter 1

It was a bleak February night. A downpour of rain battered the streets of Scumvill. Water flooded the streets encasing the solitary puddle of light. Fog crept into the corners. Shadows stumbled round the damaged door.

John Papageientaucher grasped his hood. Huddled over his bag. He waddled towards the unprecedented checkpoint. As the cold wind whistled from the east, John bowed over protecting his papers.

He could see the guard stood there snatching people’s papers. Turning them around as if they were toys. He had to get through today or this order would be nothing but ash. This was one of the only defences between Scumvill and the rest of Berkeley, John thought.

“Get here boy,” yelled the guard, stamping his foot. Suddenly, John leapt into a run.

“Yes s…s…sir,” he said stammering, in front of the well-built man. “Why do you want to get past?” snarled the man.

“I…I’m just delivering this parcel sir,” John squealed.              “Papers!” demanded the man, getting this boy to move. He knew he was on top and he was determined to not let him through.

“Here th…” John said, cut off mid sentance. Whilst the guard checked his papers, John looked at his parcels.

“Go through!” growled the man, annoyed this horrible boy could get through.

Mind filled with thoughts, John strolled towards the castle. He had imagined life outside the Ghetto. But this was nothing like what he thought: grand sandstone buildings stared down at its rivals; paraffin lanterns stood on their perches; and Model Ts trundled along the smooth tarmac roads.

John fought to protect himself from jealousy. If only foreigners could be free from the Ghetto. If only he could be accepted into his home. His brother’s words rolled round his mind, keep your hood and keep your head down. Don’t be noticed.

In the blink of an eye, everything went black. John struggled to remove the bag from his head. Then he was dragged into a side street.

“Give me that, young man,” a gruff voice demanded, glaring at John’s bag, “including all the stuff in your pockets. Or I will have to do it the hard way.” John leapt for it. He was heading toward the brook but he had to go through High Street. Suddenly, he heard the gate close. It was locked. How am I supposed to get through? John thought. The only thing that confronted him was a splinted old door and a steal hatch. In the dim light he could see something. Glinting like a new car. The man raised it above his head. In an instant, John realised: it was a Longsword.

John put his hands up to try and protect himself from the blade. He looked back at the hatch; something was pouring from it. Noticing that the gap was large enough to get a boy, his size he crouched-preparing himself to jump. He looked up, the blade was edging closer to him. John had no choice but to jump. He glided swiftly through the air, smashing into the top of the tunnel. John knew he was safe. For now.

Benjamin

Chapter 2

Outside, rain hammered the fog which was creeping into all the corner and pouring under the gate. Inside, John crawled through the darkness and towards what looked like a muscle car. Rotten tank parts lay in disrepair, rusted cars gazed down at him from the darkest corner and a Spitfire rested on its battered wing. Raising towards the gates, John fell onto his knees. They were blocked by a thick layer of explosive steel. There was no way he could get through. Then he heard him.

John wiped around to see the man holding the sword. It glinted in the light but this time something was coming off it. Suddenly, he leapt into a run. Without warning, a shriek broke the sound of the man’s attack, echoing through the abandoned warehouse. From the roof beams, a creature flew past John’s face. The whitest of feathers being intruded by dirty grey; the lemon beak tore the air in two. Bracing to dive, a speckled chest illuminated the path to attack. The thing was massive. Its wide spread silver tail touched down. Then John recognized it. He thought they were extinct. The man fled, dropping the sword with no intention of picking it up. John stood paralyzed; A Peregrine Falcon was sat on his shoulder. Its talons puncturing his coat. The falcon shifted its head towards John and looked at him. He noticed something rippling down its back. A gash of red liquid poured from the back of its neck. He saw fear in its eyes. John put his arm up and it hopped over. He looked closer and noticed it was cut wound.

Then John heard it. It just spoke. It was a voice that sounded like it was crying from the building.  It sounded like space and time. It echoed around like an intergalactic space ballistic missile. Finally, he worked it out, “I need help. Help to heal this wound,” he said, “help to defeat Andromeda.” John stared back. He stared at Peregrine. Nodding his head. Then Peregrine nodded back. “There isn’t a way out of this place!” said John thinking he would have to go through the dirty tunnel.
“No we don’t. There’s a second door round back. Head that way!” yelled Peregrine. Thirty minutes later, after the long and dangerous walk, they arrived at the abandoned sugar house. There is a rumour that ghosts of the waterway haunt this building. But John knew that these were fake. He was down here in summer time watching the sheep grazing the fields. Inside, rotten sugar melted the floor boards. Outside, the wind grew stronger and the rain had stopped. Once inside, Peregrine flew up to the roof beams and fell into a heavy sleep whilst John was on guard.

Chapter 3 Benjamin

John woke with a start; the falcon glided onto his shoulder. Inside, Peregrine flew towards the casks in the far corner and John walked towards the door. Outside, the guards marched down Jumpers lane.

Peregrine knew that they were the agent so he tried to encourage John behind the barrels. Deadly voices rang around town; Peregrine let out a high screech. Then the door started to buckle.

He had no time to hide. He leapt higher than the door and landed on the shelf supporting skeletal nests. Peregrine hoped that the tarp would sustain its distorted shape. Suddenly, there was an almighty crash. The door lay bent as if it was a banana.

Out of the shadows, somebody marched in, glaring at the barrels. An extra-terrestrial shadow crept through the building. Holding their breath, silence destroyed the guard’s senses. Nothing moved. Time seemed to stop dead in its tracks. A dull light illuminated the building slicing the darkness in two. They looked towards the barrels. Then John shuffled along the shelf then a nest fell on the man’s head. John leapt onto the roof beams. The man looked back down. He marched towards a tarp and looked under. Fortunately, it was the wrong one and Peregrine was safe. Looking down, John saw the man march back towards the door. His shadow still loomed over the barrels. John felt his heart start to thump. A sensation raced down his spine. Looking back down John noticed the metallic knife falling out of its sheath. Then it fell landing perfectly on patch a of rotten cotton wool.

Risking a glimpse, John stared down at the door. It still lay bent but this time he noticed something on it. His heart skipped a beat. The general was coming towards the building. John had to get back up. He swung over to a lower beam and got onto that one. John hoped he was safe. Safe from the leader. John walked over to peregrine. Silence haunted the building over again. They can leave at night. They will leave tonight. Saving them from being seen. We have to get to the castle; the gateway is there – in the main hall. It should be easy to do it at night.

It seemed like days until them to leave, but it was probably a few hours. It was night fall. The weakest time for the lock on gate to be broken and the safest time to travel. Peregrine broke the silence be thought. He was speaking with no speech from his mouth. We must leave now or never get to the castle before midnight… John listened to his thoughts and got Peregrine on his shoulder. They set off rounds the back alleys.

Knowing were the gateway was, John check on Peregrine. His back seamed to be red than red. His white seemed to be turning a deep scarlet. He was weaker than usual. Peregrine could just fly onto John’s shoulder. On the bright side, the cut seemed to be shorter than in the warehouse but it was still heavily bleeding. How will we get to the gateway? Will we be in one hundred pieces? Will I be hung? Would my family be hung? Who knows! John was circulating these thoughts around his head.

Ignoring the fact that his parent would be worried out of their minds, He had to forget about them and carry on. Sneaking down Jumpers lane, they found the old crossing point over the stream. And at the other side they crept round the back of the sheep field avoiding any Guards. Knowing that they would guard every single corner of every field and every building, John and Peregrine took it the route through the middle of the field. John looked at every single corner of the field. But they came lucky.

Chapter 4 Benjamin

The castle moat (which has been flooded for centuries) still stood strong. John’s heart (which started to crack) realized that peregrine was going to leave. Inside the main hall, the gateway sat rusting and healing. Waiting to be reopened. Waiting for Peregrine to come. Over the years, the gate was losing it power being separated from the heart of Andromeda. The gate faced 7.7 degrees northwest aiming straight at the heart. It was then John was nearing the bridge preparing to cross. The moon’s black eye battled the darkness and illuminated Peregrine’s path to victory. The clouds crowded themselves over the castle. John notice Peregrine’s wound was growing worse. His flight started to slow; he paused every few minutes to rest. Preparing to go through the ornate gate.

As the castle towered over them, the gate’s light was destroying the night sky. Then John heard the guards, their boots banging the ground and it sounded like there was a heard of elephants. They were coming. Gliding forward, Peregrine lost it and smashed hard into the ground. There were too close to stop now. They had to keep going. John picked him up. The entire army was closing in on them. Then they got through the tall double doors.

The gate was set deep into the floor.  Its brass infrastructure rose up like a new skyscraper. Intricate details covered the gate like an infestation of amazing lotuses. John stared at the guards. His heart was racing. Waiting. Waiting for Peregrine to wake up. His eyes still stayed shut and they were getting closer. Then he opened his eyes (with distress) and knew he had to get through the gateway. Suddenly, the sight of all sights appeared in front of John. The Andromeda galaxy, spiral galaxies, planets and stars all in this one place with the river of light floored the room light an entire ocean was in the room. The spirals, hiding billions of stars; distant lights shattered into pieces; the river held this world full of worlds together.

Without warning, they were upon them. The guards were close, very close. They took their swords from the sheaths and raised them.

Peregrine let loose a horrifying screech. John just stood and watch it unravel before him. He felt the power of Peregrine. He felt that they were one powerful soul. The soldiers charged. But not at them but back into the town.

“The time has come,” said Peregrine, turning to face John. Then both of them stared into the gateway. Weirdly, the image in the gateway was changing. No galaxies were visible only what looked like a beating heart, “This is the heart of Andromeda. It needs you to come and heal it. It has been losing its power and dying.” explained the gate. Then it turned back to the normal image. The golden light grew brighter and assisted Peregrine towards the gate. “I will return!” squawked Peregrine. Then he stepped through and into Andromeda.

The stars, moons, galaxies grew brighter. Then John looked at Andromeda its centre grew brighter. Stars started to appear from nowhere. Moons made more moons. Galaxies grew bigger and better. Then Peregrine disintegrated into millions of pieces.

Then Peregrine

his peregrine

was gone.

John turned from the gate blinded by what he had just seen. Then he walked out of the castle. John walked with his head lowered. Then it rained and it rained and it rained. John was crying. He cried all night, hoping that Peregrine would return. The next morning brought something he had never seen. It was bright too bright. The sun was rising. The first time in centauries.

The peregrine would live in his heart. Flying next to him never leaving his side. Peregrine was live in his brain, soul and imagination. John felt stronger. Stronger than ever. He would pursue his dreams

Fish-hanger, sea-glider,

who dares to take your colour

like a thief?

Puffin, puffin,

where is your second mate,

who ought to free you

from your birth place?

Puffin, puffin,

why are you so courageous,

flying through the salty air?

Puffin, puffin,

How dare you let the darkness

engulf your bill like a hurricane?

I waddle to the sea like a penguin,

I dash over the horrendous waves,

I’ll dive, dive, dive into the surge; submerging myself.

I’ll leap from the water, fish-hanger, frolicking-froth.

My amber eyes locks onto the beach,

Legs extended, priming myself for impact,

Wings cease, sky-dancer, feather-flapper.

My beak’s stripes stretch seamlessly.

Sand-soaked, the Cornish chicken prepares to run.

The pupil locks onto it target,
staring into it’s future.
A ring of fire intimidatingly its prey.

It’s broad chest getting ready to run,
legs like branches getting into position,
the beak yellow like a ripe lemon.

Contaminated gold ripples down the neck,
transparent Onyx engulfs the torso,
legs like cerussite.

Grain-muncher,
day-breaker,
egg-layer.

Its unprecedented movements,
floating through the shadows,
waking the forest.