“Ottoo, and do we really have to go there?” He cried.
“Emile-boy, you heard the boss. An order is an order,” replied Otto adamantly.
They crouched behind the walls, hoping no one saw them, even though a large number of people were milling about. They were seen by almost everyone, but no one attached much importance to them. What was so special about a pair of pigeons sitting on the castle wall?
The only one who was bothered by the inconspicuous birds was the princess, that is, a 9 to 5 princess, who squinted in disgust against the sun. Today she was assigned duty on the terraces above the Hunyady Hall and it just had to be so terribly hot today. And now the pigeons! When she’d applied here, she’d naively thought that being at the castle every day would be very romantic and inspiring, that she’d be sharing knowledge and a love of history to the people, not that she’d have to play policeman at the crossroads and navigate those dullards, or comb the carpets, and now she’d have to scare off the pigeons too!
“The first afternoon visitors are entering the castle grounds,” came over the walkie-talkie.
She sighed and sat down on her improvised throne instead. The last of the pre-lunch visitors hadn’t even left yet. There would be no time for lunch again. Oh well, such is the lot of princesses.
“Okay, Emile-boy, on three. One…”
“Can’t you go?”
“You’re not scared, are you?”
“Certainly not. It’s just that I’ve always been better at guarding…”
“Alright, I’ll go over there and take a look. Be right back,” he said, and he flew down to the sheltered area between the two observation decks. The princess on guard didn’t even look up, bored with life. Otto was back in a minute.
“And it didn’t even hurt, Emile-boy, see? Next time you go, or you’re out of the Nest. Anyway, I think that this place suits our plan just fine. We can get to the loft of the Hunyady Hall from that hallway, so I think we can go report to the boss.” They flew off.
“They’re finally gone,” thought the princess. Who knows if that belonged to the last visitors or the pigeons. She contentedly read her book and waited for someone to take pity on her and come to relieve her for lunch.
“Boss, it’s just like you said! This place suits us perfectly! You really know your stuff!” Emile enthusiastically flew over to the boss.
“Of course, I need to know it. I don’t lead the Pigeons for nothing,” the plump pigeon calmly retorted. “How’s the rest of the team, Otto?”
“We’ve been increasing the intensity of raids on the entire castle for over a week now, zero regularity. They have no idea.”
“Are you sure they spotted you where they were supposed to?”
“Indeed. We’re taking cover at the Hunyady Hall, attracting attention elsewhere. Johnny flew inside on the second floor the day before yesterday, Craig into the cave before that. The gatekeeper had to go chase him out. We still have a few things planned and next week the operation Rooster can begin.”
“Great job, guys. I’m satisfied. Don’t forget to keep me updated, our client is an esteemed gentleman. And, Otto, send word that the shipment is on its way.”
….
The princess was once again sitting on her improvised throne, just like a week ago. She was getting tired of it. She had managed to read all the books she wanted, so she had no choice but to aimlessly browse the internet. What else was there to do at work?
Suddenly, a message dinged in the group chat. She rolled her eyes. She didn’t like group chats, yet she always read them devotedly anyway. Someone had asked what the firefighters were doing outside the castle. “Hmm, so drama it is…” She thought. It suited her just fine. Something was finally happening. She needed to brighten her day. Yesterday some pigeon attacked a colleague, today the fire department. Ding. Apparently, a parrot had escaped from the zoo and now the fire department was chasing it. “Lol.” Sent.
While the princess laughed, the pigeons took the opportunity to stealthily enter the loft. Not that the princess hadn’t noticed them, but why bother when there were more interesting things going on. Too bad…
“Sir Ster, I am pleased that you have accepted the invitation to join us here, at the Nest. Thank you for your trust in this delicate matter. I assure you that soon the painting will be under our protective wings.”
“Thank you, I rely on your organization. As you know, the painting is invaluable to me. The title ‘A Hawk Attacking Poultry’ may not reveal much, but that painting is of my great-great-great-great-great-great-great…grandfather. You see, he was a very important dignitary in Antwerp, not just any rooster. That’s why it saddens me so much when he’s portrayed as a wimp. He was a hero that some hawks wouldn’t just take a chance on. It was created by his enemies to destroy him. But our clan is proud, we won’t just give up, we’ll fight on!”
“Whoah! And where did your grand ancestor fight?” Emile asked excitedly.
“Well, you know,” stuttered Sir Ster “he.. he won rights for the roosters in Europe. And he left a legacy to his descendants to fight on against those who oppress us. And you know, our clan is proud, we don’t just give up and…”
“Of course,” interrupted the chief of the Pigeons, “that’s perfectly clear to me. And even if it weren’t, it wouldn’t change our agreement.”
“All right, boys, here we go,” whispered Otto, striking a match. The other pigeons followed him. Suddenly, the whole loft of the Hunyady Hall lit up. Matches were struck and the flock of Pigeons flew out quickly.
The Princess looked up at the sound. Could something interesting be happening around
her, too? So many pigeons! Something was wrong with that. She quickly ran out to look on the other terrace. Well, that was the original plan, but the glow from the dark loft hinted that it wouldn’t be necessary, because she had found the root of the problem. Without thinking, she ran outside as well, it’s difficult to breathe in the smoke. In a shaky voice she said the code to the walkie-talkie. “Fire” echoed through the rooms throughout the castle. Panic broke out.
The captain would be the last to leave the ship, but the seasonal employees were certainly not the captain, so they were running for their lives, some hoping to be reimbursed for their remaining hours. They all gathered at the entrance and, as they did during working hours, they ignored the visitors relentlessly. Glued to her cell phone, the princess remembered the firefighters who had an emergency nearby. Not because they could come to help. Rather, it was because she wondered if they’d dealt with the naughty parrot. Fortunately, they would soon show up at the castle too, since the director, who had an office under the loft, didn’t want to sink with his boat, so with a bit of luck there would be an opportunity to ask. About the parrot, obviously.
Firefighters were fighting, visitors panicking, supervisors ignoring, so everything was alright. No one even noticed that the painting had disappeared from the Hunyady Hall. Well, almost nobody.
“Gentlemen, good job. I’m sure the boss will be pleased,” Otto praised his cronies, flying after them. They were already beyond the castle moat. But suddenly a flock of ducks appeared opposite them.
They were secret detectives from the castle moat and had been watching the Pigeons’ activity the whole time. They almost escaped them, but thanks to their agility they managed to surround the thieves from all sides and recover the painting. Otto, however, slipped past them and dashed towards the boss.
He hadn’t expected the client to be there as well. He called the boss aside and nervously told him what had happened. Sir Ster overheard and became incredibly angry. Suddenly he ripped off his mask and Sir Ster became Mr. Hawk. And the Hawk attacked.
Author’s notes:
This story was inspired by certain real-life events, including the bizarre “firefighters trying to catch a parrot” storyline, but obviously not everything. The pigeons did not set the castle on fire, though they certainly had the look that they would if they could.
As weird as it may be (I understand after re-reading it after 2-3 years), it’s dear to me and well, I’m afraid, this is the peak of my writing anyway. xD
The mentioned painting – clickYours Truly
