Page 49 of Summer at Harbour View House
‘Chickens can’t swim, can they?’ someone else suggested.
‘The salt water might be bad for his skin,’ someone else said.
‘It’s a girl,’ Ebony said.
Ben turned to the assembled group. ‘All of those things might be true, but we don’t know, do we? How about we work together on this? The tide’s out, and the water’s not that deep. We’ll make a chain out to the rock and pass the chicken down the chain so that he gets back to the beach safely without getting wet.’
‘I have to paint this,’ Albert said, setting up his easel by the shoreline.
Everyone seemed to be in agreement. Ben lined everyone up, putting the tallest people behind him and the shorter closer to the shore. Natasha rolled up her jeans and took up a position in the sea between Marigold and Cassandra, who was still clutching her book to her chest, although now she put it into a sealed ziplock bag.
Ben, at the end of the line, climbed up the rock while the others watched. As he approached Charlie, who was absently poking about in the grass, Natasha had a heart-in-mouth moment. Would the chicken fall? Would Ben manage to get him on time?
‘I think he wants to do a jump,’ Marigold said, as Charlie wandered right to the cliff’s edge.
‘It’s a girl,’ Natasha and Cassandra said together.
Up on the rock, Ben set himself, then swooped. Charlie struggled, but Ben was fast, holding the bird’s wings against his body. For a moment he lifted Charlie into the air like a trophy, then tucked her safely under his arm and brought her back down the path. By the water’s edge, he passed her to the nearest person waiting in the water, then slowly Charlie was passed back along the line until he was put down safely on the sand.
As the group came back to shore, everyone started to clap.
‘Well done, everyone,’ Ben said. ‘Right, normal service is resumed, but I think tonight we should have a barbeque to celebrate, right here on the beach.’
‘We’ve only just saved it, and now you want to cook it?’ someone said.
‘No chicken on the menu,’ Ben said with a smile. ‘We’ll get some hamburgers from the supermarket in St. Austell. Everyone knows there’s not much real meat in those.’
As the crowd dispersed, Natasha, keeping an eye on Charlie as she poked about on the sand, went over to Ben.
‘Thank you for that,’ she said. ‘That was quite something. I imagine it’ll make a great painting.’
‘It looked like Albert had done some good smears of red and blue for me and Charlie,’ Ben said. ‘I almost recognised myself.’
‘I’d better get Charlie home and get her coop repaired,’ Natasha said.
‘If you want some help later, I can stop by after my shift ends,’ Ben said. ‘I mean, I won’t take over or anything. Just advise.’
Natasha smiled. ‘I’d like that.’
Ben tilted his head. ‘Are we friends then?’
Natasha nodded. ‘We are.’
‘I’m glad.’
‘Me too.’
Natasha smiled. ‘Don’t forget you have a barbeque to organise. I’m looking forward to it.’
‘Definitely no chicken on the menu.’
‘Definitely not.’
Natasha scooped up Charlie and put her under her arm. The chicken, cooing softly, pecked at the buttons on her shirt. Natasha started to turn away, then stopped.
‘You know,’ she said, ‘Charlie’s not even wet. Which begs the question, how did she get out there in the first place?’
Ben smiled. ‘Maybe she flew.’
