The Light switch

Chapter Six

The hall Jane and Tilly entered was more like the inside of a fantasy castle than a power station. Tall columns of the same colour changing rainbow stone the city walls were made of, stood all along the hallway supporting the arched ceiling that sat high above. The strangest part of the room however had to be the birds.

What looked like long curtain rails of bronze ran between the columns about every ten feet, stretching all the way up to the ceiling. From these hundreds of fancy open cages hung, most empty as the birds seemed to prefer the curtain rails over the cage.

They looked like sparrows in size and colour, and even though so many rested on the bronze rails hundreds still flew in the air.

"These Jane", Said Tilly, stopping to smile up at the birds, "Are my most favourite part of Blanket Town, these are the lullaby sparrows. If one of our children we look after is particularly worried, or ill, or just finding it hard to sleep, we will take with us one of the lullaby sparrows which will sing them to sleep and give them the dreams they need. Every time one of them sings to a child the song is special, it will never have been sung before and it will never be sung again. Oh my goodness, Jane are you ok?" Asked Tilly, worried as Jane had begun to droop and slip into her jumper.

"Tilly, I suddenly feel so sleepy. The birds sing such a beautiful song I don't think I can keep my eyes open much longer..." But it was too late, Jane was fast asleep under the spell of the Lullaby Sparrows and would not wake up until the song was ended.

Jane was still able to make her way through the hall however, as the butterfly clips were able to read her dreams and where she needed to go.

The hall seemed to go on forever and it seemed no matter how long Tilly walked, the door at the other end never got any closer. Soon her feet were sore, and she was growing anxious over how long it would be until they were found. They had just woken up an entire town worth of goblins before closing the doors of the power station and it would not take them long to work out that they were heading for the light switch.

"Tilly you always did worry too much, things will be fine I promise. Just sit down, have a rest, the door will still be there when you wake up." Came a soft voice from behind her.

In front of her however, was Elias her dad.

"Dad? What are you doing here? How did you get here?" Asked Tilly as she walked up to him.

"Well I had to see you, didn't I? You don't think I would miss my brave daughter saving the whole town?"

Tilly smiled; her dad had always been so encouraging.

"In fact all of us have come to see you at the most exciting moment of your brave adventure. Look." Pointing over her shoulder with a smile grinning from ear to ear.

Behind her was her mum, who had been looking after children across the world for nearly six months who Tilly missed terribly. All around her mum were all her brother and sisters, seventeen in total who also were spread throughout the world looking after different children. She missed them all so much and now they were here, finally as she had been dreaming of they were here.

"Wait, that's not possible." Said Tilly, frowning despite how glad she was to see them all.

"All of you are so far away, it would be impossible for you to all get here at the same time, especially with the town under attack."

"Don't be silly Tilly." Said her mum her bright blue eyes sparkling as beautiful blue hair fell across her face as it always did. "We have all come to see you."

Tilly groaned and realised to her horror exactly what had happened.

"The lullaby sparrows have sent me to sleep, and I am dreaming, it usually is near impossible to put a blanketsnatcher to sleep but with so many singing they must have managed it."

"Come on Tilly don't worry about that, come see your family all together that's what you want isn't it?" Said her mother with a smile brighter than sunshine.

"I can't! I have to get to the switch, the town and all blanketsnatchers are in danger I need to wake up!"

Tilly now began running up and down the hall in her dream, waving her hands in the air and shouting at the top of her lungs. Her family looked at her strangely, but still she did not wake up.

"Tilly." Whispered her mum, putting her hand on her shoulder and stopping her running for a moment. "Is this really what you want?"

Tilly was crying.

"Yes mum, it is. I need to do this so we can all be safe together again for real and not just in a dream."

Her mum smiled and her blue eyes again twinkled, then as if she had been in a mist, they all faded one by one smiling.

Tilly woke up with Jane sleeping on top of her in the bag. All the Lullaby sparrows were gathered in their cages and had fallen silent.

"Thank you for letting me see them all, but I have a job to do." And with that Tilly and Jane left the hall and finally entered the room with the light switch.