The Mousecateers stir themselves reluctantly. They are all tired after paddling, but they know they will have to keep on going. Brango makes another attempt to ring the resort, but fails. It will be a challenge to bring all the other cats here before dark.
Lucinda hears a beep on her mobile and finds a text message from her mother, Candy.
Candy writes, ‘I hope you are enjoying your adventure, Lucinda, and not giving them any trouble. Sasha tells me you are all sure to be safe in Brango’s paws, as he has a great deal of experience in outdoor adventures. Oh, wait, I see Sasha has sent me a message. They are flying a helicopter over to find you right now. Make sure you are all waving.’
Sure enough, a dull roar approaches. They turn their heads towards the insect-sized shape appearing in the sky. In almost no time, the helicopter is above them, and they are all waving and meowing, their eyes glued on it as it passes straight overhead and disappears behind the trees.
‘They didn’t see us,’ says Princess, her tail drooping.
‘Let’s get back to the raft,’ says Brango.
They have only just arrived at the raft when they hear the noise again.
‘It’s coming back!’ says Brango. ‘Wave something.’
They wave their paddles, wag their tails, spring up and down. The noise seems to envelop the bunch of exhausted cats before the copter once again vanishes behind the treeline and the sound subsides into a distant roar.
Brango looks at the downcast expressions. They must not despair.
Nero says, ‘Mousecateers, this is it. The rescue is up to us. We have prepared for this, and we have come so far. We need to celebrate our achievement. I’m sure that from here we can find a way back to the resort. Let’s go and fetch the others.’
They are all tired. Maybe the helicopter will come back. If they leave, the rescue party will not see them. Should some leave and others stay here? Would that be safe? Spin the wheel and debate the options.
They make a decision. Time will tell if this is a wise choice.
The images were generated by AI from the author’s prompts.
