The First Flock

• Olivia De Araujo, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2018

The First Flock :

The five swans stared, overlooking Portsmouth. It was a dismal day; the rain was hammering down in grey sheets. “Brr,” shivered Sophia, “I can’t wait to fly south for the winter.”

“I agree,” murmured Charlie.

“I’m going to miss it here,” Victoria sighed.

“Come on, let’s go,” James spread his wings and shot into the sky.

“Wait for us,” cried Elizabeth.

They sailed through the sky in a perfect V formation. The weather was harsh, the rain like pins and suddenly, there was a huge gust of wind, blowing them off course. “Where are we?” panicked Sophia.

“I don’t know,” Elizabeth looked around anxiously, “What do we do?”

“We keep flying,” Victoria decided. “We’ll find somewhere to spend the winter.”

Nervously, they continued their journey to nowhere. They flew for days on end, desperate and unsure, until finally, where there had been storms, there was now sweltering heat.

“I see land!” squawked Charlie.

“Where?” James demanded.

The five of them glided into an unfamiliar bay, desperate to escape the heat. They were greeted by six swans. Black swans.

“Well, I never,” exclaimed Victoria, “Black swans.”

“Hello there,” the first swan smiled, “I’m Monti. These are my friends, Bindi, Marlee, Maya, Koltjac and Cygnus.”

He swam up to them, his black feathers glinting.

“Where are we?” James asked coldly.

“This place has many names,” replied Bindi, “New Holland, Terra Australis, Australia. If you’d like us to show you around, we’d-”

“We’re quite alright, thank you,” sniffed Victoria.

“Oh, well if you need anything let us know,” Bindi stammered; she wasn’t sure how to react to this outburst of rudeness.

The six offended swans swam away.

“Black swans,” Elizabeth mused, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Let's hope we never have to again,” James muttered.

“That’s not nice,” snapped Sophia.

“Besides, we need food; you sent away the only swans who could help,” Charlie added.

“We’ll manage,” Victoria assured them.

They searched around for food all day, only managing to snatch a few worms. Finally, famished and exhausted, they collapsed.

When they woke, the morning sun was blazing unbearably. They were parched, hungry and not feeling well at all. “I feel sick,” whispered Sophia.

“Me too,” agreed Elizabeth.

“We’ll be fine,” reiterated Victoria.

The day went on, with all of them feeling progressively sicker until finally, Charlie and Sophia insisted on asking the native swans for help.

“Please,” Sophia begged Cygnus.

“Oh, now you want our help,” he snapped irritably, though he agreed to assist.

Koltjac swam over and proceeded to mash something the two swans couldn't name. It formed a thick paste. “This will do the job,” he smiled.

The five swans gulped it down gratefully. “Good thing they could help,” Elizabeth voiced.

“We would've figured it out on our own,” muttered James.

“Yes, of course we would’ve,” Victoria added, “There was no need for help.”

“We never would’ve discovered a cure,” argued Charlie.

Sophia smiled, “Just goes to show, you should never judge anyone by their colour.”