'Don't worry, girl,' Owen said. 'I'm gonna get you out of there.'
The Corraba hissed, flapping one of her enormous wings. The bars of the cage bore scratches from her beak and talons. Owen could see that she had been stressed for at least a few days--her feathers, black flecked with gold, were scattered all over the floor. Some were almost as long as Owen's arms.
He fumbled with the keys, praying that one of them would fit the lock. The keymaker hadn't spoken any English, and Owen's Punjab was rusty. He wasn't sure he'd got what he wanted.
The first key didn't open the lock. Owen tried the second. No luck.
An alarm clanged like an old-fashioned school bell somewhere else in the facility. Shouts echoed through the cinderblock corridors.
Owen swore. His heart pounding, he jammed the third key into the lock. It clicked like a swing-dancer's fingers and the gate swung open on well-oiled hinges.
'Yes!' Tears of relief sprang into his eyes. 'Come on, Belle. Let's get you out of here.'
The huge bird shrank back into the corner of the cell.
'Come on!' he said again. 'What's wrong?'
She squawked sadly, her beak hanging low. As she turned, Owen saw that her other wing was broken.
ŞİMDİ OKUDUĞUN
Wingspan
FantastikA young genius tries to rescue a monster in rural India, while a determined girl searches a dungeon for a cursed text. Each chapter of this story was based on a pitch devised by kids, and was written in seven minutes. Cover photo licensed from htt...
