part 4

But Mary had no room for words. Her fear was big as a mountain. Tears spilled and a huge sob, like a tidal wave came up from her chest.

The seagull leaned forward and she felt the big beak go under her arm making a muffled sound, then it came out again and said softly, “It’s alright, it’s alright, human chick.”

Standing beside the bench, Mary’s head was the same level as the seagull, who started nibbling at her hair, as if it was feathers needing a tidy. It tickled in a lovely way. The next sob was smaller, the next wobbled and toppled into a sigh. “P, Please, could I, could I stroke you?” she asked

“Squawk, Oh Heck!Squawk!” said the seagull, looking worried, “Er, Ok, Squuawk!”  It stood very still and stiff, looking at her out of one big bright yellow eye as if trying to be brave, making Mary think of being at the dentist. She knew then that being stroked by a human must be a very unusual thing for a seagull. Slowly, Mary reached out a finger and touched! the softest of softness, the white feathers on a seagull’s chest. But she could see the bird was not happy, so after three strokes, she stopped. The seagull let out a loud “Whew! Whew! Whew! Whew Ark !” while jumping from one pink foot to the other, flapping its wide wings and ruffling all its feathers, before smoothing everything down again, and leaning forward, asking, “What’s brought you down, Mary?”

Mary looked at the seagull, she could tell it was listening carefully. She said, “Mum. They said she’s dying!“

She thought the seagull would say the sort of thing a friend might say, to cheer her up, but instead it shouted “What? What?What?Whatwhatwhat?! What?!!!” She stepped back, scared of its suddenly fierce eyes and jabbing yellow beak.

“Why are you cross?” she whispered.

The seagull said, much more quietly, “What? Oh, Mary! I’m sorry!”

It did seem calmer, but Mary wasn’t sure she could trust it again. She said, not looking into its bright,  yellow eye,  “It’s OK”

But the seagull said fiercely, “No, no, it’s not OK! Squawk! Because it’s not true!”
Mary didn’t know what it meant, “You’re not sorry?”

The seagull jumped into the air. Mary felt warm air on her face, come from under its wide spread wings. “Mary, your Mum is fine!” It landed on the railing behind Mary. She turned, wanting so much believe it! “How do you know?”

seagull was watching the downstairs place Mary had climbed from. It said “Have you heard of a bird’s eye view?” Mary nodded. The seagull said, “Well, there’s nothing under the sky squawk we birds don’t see!”

“You’ve seen Mum?”

“Yup! Yesterday. She’s sad, same as you, but she Squawk! walked to the supermarket, talking squawk with your neighbour, one with white curly hair, same as usual. So, you don’t need to worry!” said the seagull, still looking over the railings. Mary wanted to ask more, but there was the sound of voices from below. "Oh Ho! Oh Ho! Oh Ho!" said the seagull, sounding excited

Mary peered over the edge, watching Babosa push past other passengers then, in a whoosh of wide wings, the seagull was in the air over Mary’s head. She watched it rise high above the woman below, then something wet fell through the air swish, splat patter splash! There was an angry scream and the seagull flew back to Mary, cackling with glee, "That'll sort her!" Mary giggled. Babosa was surrounded by other passengers offering wipes, though some were taking  pictures on their phones. The seagull's poo was thick as a dollop of white paint in the woman's long brown hair and coat.

When the seagull had stopped laughing, it flew over to the high rail round the outside of the ferry, then called to Mary, "You seen the island?" Mary came over and stood on tiptoe to look under the railing. There was a green shape like the back of a dragon sleeping on the wrinkly blue of the sea. The seagull said, happily, "We'll be there soon."

But even as they looked, a great grey cloud grew over the island and raced towards the ferry. "Ew!" said Mary, as a cold raindrop went down the back of her neck. Then water was falling thick as porcupine quills, bouncing off the floor all around making a deep puddle "Uh Oh" said the seagull, "Near enough for their weather wonking! Squawk!"

Mary turned to look for somewhere out of the rain, and saw Babosa, hair stuck over her face and shoulders, shouting at the top of the stairs, "You! Come back here!" The seagull stuck its feathery bum up and twirked. Babosa made a slurping sound, then began moving, very fast, seeming to Mary to be sliding towards them on the wet metal floor. The seagull said, "Don't be in a flap, Mary! You go hide by a bench, just don’t let go!”

Mary sploshed as fast as she dared over the slippery floor, and grabbed the dripping, cold back of a bench. She crouched behind it, but not too low because the floor water was going backwards and forwards as the ferry rocked on the growing waves of the real sea.

She peered round the bench - Babosa was much closer, but where was the seagull? Mary ducked down again and looked the other way. There! Flying out of the rain from over the sea, two seagulls, both carrying big clumps of something brown in their beaks. She turned back, just in time to see the seagull drop a load of slimy seaweed. It landed on Babosa's face, "Ughrgle!" Quickly the next seagull flew up and "Whoooah!" Bump! she'd trodden on another load of seaweed and slipped over flat on the floor!

Mary stood up and wind bumped her like a big invisible monster, so she staggered back, her cold fingers losing their grip on the bench. Then the seagulls were there, “Quick, squawk, let’s get you inside!” One on each side, gripping her coat as if she was a big fish they pushed through the strong wind, which seemed to be trying to force Mary towards the woman who whispered strange, ugly sounding words while squirming about on the floor.

Every part of Mary  was soaking wet. She could only snatch small breaths out of the roaring air and splatting rain. Then she was at the stairs, but the seagulls didn’t let go. “Oh!” gasped Mary, as her feet left the floor, her coat tight under her arms, she was in the air! The seagulls carried Mary over the stairs and then held her up infront of the door leading back inside. The glass was all misted up, no one could be looking out and see her. Mary kicked the metal door as hard as she could, and bashed her fists on the glass, ”Please, let me in!”

The blob of a head appeared inside the steam fuzzy glass and at once the seagulls put Mary back on the ground. Before she could say thankyou, the door was opening,  and Mary was pulled inside and light and warm air and people-sound inside were all around her. The door slammed shut and the storm noise snipped off. Someone leaned over her - the kind lady from before. Then Mary was wrapped in the lady's warm, dry jacket. "You poor wee thing! You are sopping! Alec, find a blanket and some hot chocolate! Where are your parents, they'll be worried sick? Alec, go tell someone to make an announcement!"

Mary wanted her Dad and Mum so badly then! But they were far away and suddenly she was so tired, and shivering so much that though she tried to say “Mum,” all that came out was "M M M.“ People were crowding round, now. Then Karen came, not cross, but picking her up and saying “There you are! We’ve been looking all over!” Mary closed her eyes and heard Karen say, “Thankyou for finding her! She was meant to be with her social worker! I don’t know where she has got to!” and another voice “Poor wee mite!” There was hot chocolate, and Jake saying “You alright, Mary? We were all worried sick, weren’t we Dad?” and Dale taking her out of the jacket and wrapping her in a blanket, and holding her on his lap. Then, just when Mary was going to slip into sleep, a quiet voice saying, “If you have any more nonsense from her, remember what I said, there’s a place for her in the children’s home, just say the word.”