From the outside looking in,
Penny Adam and William Darlington were just like everybody else.
Three children trying their best to grow up and be done with it.
But as I'm sure you know,
Dear listener,
The outside looking in is not quite the same as the inside looking out.
They were in fact different from other children,
For they could see,
Feel and hear things that others could not.
They'd hidden this ever since they could remember,
Because they knew other people would think they were weird.
So,
On days like today,
When they could just be themselves,
They heaved a sigh of relief because they didn't have to pretend anymore.
Their parents,
On the other hand,
Couldn't care less what other people thought about them.
Mr and Mrs Darlington were proud to say they didn't want any of the things other families because it was much more important to find out things about the world they lived in.
And if I'm honest,
I think they were right.
Their house was a small terraced affair,
The first in Blefing Estate,
And it backed out onto rolling fields and quiet country lanes.
Their village was very neat and very pretty.
So,
All in all,
Penny,
Adam and William were happy with their lot.
Adam took out his precious box of matches and struck,
Making sure to switch on his adult voice.
Now,
Stand back,
I will never get these apples cooked,
He said.
Penny wondered why it was always him that got to carry the matches,
But she bit her tongue nevertheless.
Then when at last the soft skins were brown and the steam rose high into the warm air,
He said,
You got the sugar,
Will?
William dug deep into his pocket,
Eager to get it right this time.
Out came a small paper bag,
Some chewing gum,
An old football card,
And to his surprise,
A bright red feather.
Look,
He exclaimed,
Handing Adam his spoils,
But by the time Adam turned round,
The feather had disappeared into a fine powdery dust.
What was it?
He asked.
A feather,
Didn't you see it?
Must be a trick of the light,
Adam replied,
And Penny could see her older brother wasn't impressed.
He was usually the first one to see everything.
Let's just get on with it,
He said through a mouthful of roasted apple,
It's getting late and we need to keep an eye on the time.
It was more than an hour since they first entered the cobs,
And the light was fading rapidly.
Finishing first,
William dashed off to see if he could see the blue cloud that Adam spoke of that day in the box room.
And when at last they finished,
Penny and Adam looked round to find the path he'd made.
But to their surprise,
There was no trace of it.
It was as though the cobs had opened up its doors,
Let William in,
Then slammed them shut again.
William,
William,
Where are you?
Penny yelled.
He's never going to answer if you call him that,
Adam snapped,
But I've always called him William.
Penny looked on as Adam pulled out the one torch only she had remembered to bring.
For God's sake,
Will,
Where are you?
He screamed impatiently.
But little did they know,
Their younger brother was lying at the bottom of a riverbank,
His ankle caught fast.
Having bent down to look at a symbol etched into his style,
He crashed down at top speed and was now feeling very sorry for himself.
Dark clouds began to collect above them and gnarled,
Twisted shadows crept further into the cobs.
Penny began to panic.
If only I could grab their edges and wrap them round me,
She said to herself.
Oh well,
At least we're outside,
William will be happy about that.
Then,
Through the silence,
They heard their mother's voice.
We'd better go back,
Said Adam,
And see what she wants.
It didn't take long to find William after that.
He'd been lulled into a daze by the soporific waters running alongside him.
The pain in his ankle was unbearable,
He said,
But that didn't matter now.
He had something to tell them and they must listen in silence until he finished.
Adam,
Of course,
Had other ideas.
Not now,
He insisted,
We've got to get back,
It's bad news Will,
Dad's not coming home tonight,
We've got to go back to Blethingwood Hall,
After all.
Penny sat on the edge of William's bed,
Picking to pieces what he'd just told them.
Those two might be keen to see the new arrivals,
But she had bigger things to think about than the pretentious West Wing.
This was beyond anything in her wildest dreams.
William had seen an ethereal being,
The kind of thing you only read about in mythology books.
It couldn't be real,
Could it?
Daddy always said she must expect the unexpected,
But this was unbelievable.
She went over everything William said with a fine tooth comb.
He'd opened his mouth to call them,
He said,
But no sound came.
No sound,
But a voice so faint he didn't know whether or not he was still dreaming.
It grows cold,
William,
And shadows they fall.
Tis as good a time as any to summon wherewithal,
It said.
Then a bright light shot through the leaves to reveal an ethereal bird,
Cloaked in carmine feathers with tips of aquamarine,
Yet in the next moment the colour of periwinkles and primroses.
But how is that possible,
Thought Penny,
How can a bird change colour like that?
She didn't know.
The Oosamagoose is the most colourful of dreams and the most pleasant of wishes.
He is the sun in the fields,
The water in the brook and the cool breeze upon the meadow.
And any words that we in the old world might possess do not even come close to describing him.
William looked into his eyes,
He said,
And saw they reflect with such brilliance as could exist in nothing but something from another world.
Who are you and what are you doing here?
He asked.
Penny thought that was funny.
Why did he say it like that?
But in William's defence,
He was only twelve,
And when you are only twelve years old,
Choosing words carefully is not always at the top of your agenda.
I is most likely asking the same thing of you,
The Oosamagoose replied.
What a strange way to talk,
Thought Penny.
He moved in closer,
William said,
And there was a galactic sunset in his eyes that drew him into a world he'd only ever heard of in Penny's stories.
His ball of energy was so bright,
He added,
It was impossible to see where the Oosamagoose stopped and where he began.
Then before he knew it,
The light had disappeared and he was gone.
But why didn't you call him back?
Penny asked.
I was in shock,
William said.
Nothing added up.
I knew he must have been a bird,
But he only had one wing.
And William was right,
The Oosamagoose does only have one wing.
And this he wraps around his body as one might wrap themselves up in a cloak.
Then to William's surprise,
The Oosamagoose answered,
It is not a word there is having me call.
Your man,
As it seems,
Is being lost in the fall.
No way,
William replied,
You can read my mind as well as talk.
It's not every day you come across a bird that can do that.
I,
The Oosamagoose replied,
Is the Oosamagoose.
Please be careful with the words you choose.
The Oosama what?
William could hardly believe what he was hearing.
The Oosamagoose.
And all of a sudden,
He wished he paid more attention to Penny when she tried to teach him how to be posh.
That made Penny laugh.
I'm sorry,
He said,
I'm very pleased to meet you.
But secretly,
William thought he'd never heard of such a thing.
I is being most much of a thing,
Of that I can assure,
The Oosamagoose replied.
Now leave,
We must hear the return of the Feridur.
And with a swirl of multicolored light,
The Oosamagoose disappeared again.
Leaving William wondering whether it had all just been one of those crazy dreams Penny spoke of when they were about to go to sleep.
