ROOSTLINGS · STORY 08
The Egg on the Ledge
By Lars & Luc · Ages 3–5
Hana and Kite travel to the Lighthouse for a rescue involving an egg on a ledge. The aim is to get everyone home.
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Morning at the Roost. Ivy rolled the ball to Pebble. Pebble sat down on it. "Pebble," said Ivy. "Up." Pebble stayed down.
Hana was up in the Lookout with Kite, counting gulls. "Six." Kite bobbed his head. "Seven." Up came Dax and Waffle. "Eight," said Dax. "That's Waffle," said Hana.
Obi looked under Pebble. Maple looked too, from up high. "Still there," said Obi. "She's keeping it," said Ivy.
Ding-dong-DING! Hana stood up. Kite went up and round the Lookout once. Pebble did not.
"Roostlings! The Bell!" called Fig. "Up and out!" called four kids. "An egg has rolled out of a nest on the Lighthouse ledge," she said. "It's in the gutter, where the rain runs. The mother can't get to it."
Up to the Bell went four kids and three friends, and they sang. Pebble sang from where she sat. "Ivy and Pebble, push and pull!" Hrrmph! "Hana and Kite, see and fetch!" Tik-tik!
"Dax and Waffle, run and find!" Chirrup! "Obi and Maple, reach and lift!" Hmmmm. "Little ones. Big help!"
"An egg in a gutter," said Fig. "Too high, and no one can see it. That's a high thing." She looked along the row. "Who's the one for a high thing?"
"Hana and Kite!" "Kite, you'll see," said Fig. "Maple, you'll reach. Ivy and Pebble, you stay. Pebble's busy." Ivy looked at Pebble. Pebble sat.
Down the Slide. Wheee! And go!
Maple put Obi on his neck and went, one big step at a time. Hana ran ahead. Kite went up, and over the Town.
The Lighthouse was tall and white. At the top, at the rail, stood the Lighthouse-keeper. Under the rail went a wide ledge.
On the ledge sat the mother. Feathers, a round eye, and a beak, shut. Her arms were spread out wide over three eggs. Three. Not four.
"It rolled," called the Lighthouse-keeper. "Into the gutter. I can't see it, and she won't leave the others." Hana went up the stairs, round and round.
At the top, the Lighthouse-keeper stood by her. Hana held the rail, both hands, and looked over. Gutter, all the way round. No egg. "Kite, will you see?"
Tik-tik! Kite bobbed his head. "That's a yes!" He went round the top once, and bobbed at the corner, by the pipe. "There," said Hana. "By the pipe."
The Lighthouse-keeper reached down. Her hand stopped one Obi from the egg. At the Roost, Fig saw it in the big glass. "One more. A small thing. Dax and Waffle, down you go."
Waffle came first. "My net's in the shed," called the Lighthouse-keeper. Dax looked at Waffle. "Waffle, will you find?"
Chirrup! Waffle's tail fanned. "That's a yes!" In she went. Out she came with a mop. "Not that one," said Dax. Out again, backwards, with the net on its pole.
The pole was too long for the stairs. Obi held it up and waited. "Maple, will you reach?"
Hmmmm. Maple's neck came down. "That's a yes!" Up went the pole. Maple reached. The Lighthouse-keeper caught the end.
The Lighthouse-keeper let the net down. Slow. Slow. Up it came. In it, the egg. Not a crack. Hana put one finger on it. Warm.
Down went the net again, by the nest. Hana did not know her name. So she said please. "Please, will you take it?"
The mother reached out one arm. Slow. She took the egg and tucked it under her. Down came her arms. "That's a yes!" said Hana. "All home."
"Four," called the Lighthouse-keeper. "Thank you." Down she came, with a tin. "Ginger cookies." Everybody had one. Waffle had the mop. Hana waved. "Ring the Bell, and we'll come."
Up the Lift. Creak. Clunk. Pebble and Maple hauled the rope, and up came the basket. Pebble hauled sitting down.
"Big Book, open." Fig found the page with the eggs. "Three true things about the Oviraptor."
"One," said Hana. "Her name means egg thief, and that was a mistake. The eggs were her own. I'm glad I said please."
"Two," said Obi. "Ones like her were found sitting on their nests. Arms spread out wide, keeping the eggs warm, like a bird does."
"Three," said Dax. "She has a beak with no teeth, and feathers." Fig shut the book. "Written down. People found the bones, and looked, and looked."
Pebble stood up. Under her sat the ball. Ivy picked it up. "Warm," said Ivy. Pebble's frill came down.
"Ivy and Pebble, home. Hana and Kite, home. Dax and Waffle, home. Obi and Maple, home. And Fig makes nine. All home."
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