SEAGULLS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 738, 10 August 1929, Page 35

SEAGULLS

(SECOND-PRIZE STORY)

“Com© for a stroll along the cliffs, Jim.” said Alice one morning. “All right,” answered her brother, with a yawn, as he turned over in his bed and prepared to get up. Jim and Alice were the children of Mr. Fraser, a fisherman, with whom they lived in a little cottage by the sea.

Dressing hurriedly, they started along the cliffs. It was a wonderful morning, and everything seemed merry and gay, as though rejoicing in the sunshine. The sea was glimmering and dancing, and sending little musical ripples along the sand. As it does every line morning, the sun formed a little gold and silver pathway across the water. The seagulls, too, seemed happy, and were calling in their own strange-sounding way. “Isn’t it lovely?” breathed Alice, gazing out to sea. “Oh, look at those gulls!” she added, pointing to where a whole flock of seagulls hovered in the air. “How I’d love to be a seagull! Wouldn’t you, Jim?' “Yes, it would be fun. No lessons, at any rate,” answered Jim. At that moment a very beautiful seagull came flying over the shining pathway of sunlight, straight to where the two children were standing. “Yes, it is lovely being a seagull,” he remarked, much to their surprise. “Now, as you’ve always been very kind to us, I’m going to let both of you change into seagulls for a little while. Would you like to?” Almost speechless with amazement, Alice and Jim gazed at the speaker. Then together ’ they answered, “Oh, yes.” “Be seagulls now, you two children,” said the bird. “You’ve always been kind to the seagulls, so you shall be rewarded.” And before they had time to say anything, they found that they were seagulls. Oh, how queer they felt! “Come then, fly!” said their guide, and together they soared high into the air, leaving the cliff far below. Th* peculiar feeling which they experienced when flying they would never forget. The seagull took them everywhere—over the sea, over the rocks, over the sand, and over the cliffs. They had the loveliest time imaginable, until at last they thought they had better go home. Breakfast would be finished long ago, they knew. So, very politely, Alice thanked the seagull, and said that they would have to go. “We’d better fly to your home first,” replied their friend. “Where is it?” “Over there,” replied Alice, starting to fly in that direction.

They soon reached the cottage, where the seagull changed them back to their ordinary forms. How queer it seemed to be themselves again, and yet it felt comfortable. So, thanking the seagull, they said good-bye, and ran inside. “It was lovely being a seagull,” remarked Jim, a while later, “but I think I’d rather be myself, wouldn’t you ?” * Sylvia Woodhouse, aged 11.