Robin Robinson

The Dream

Frustrated and sad, Robinson found his favourite branch but tried as he might he couldn't sleep a wink.

After a night without sleep, Robinson was very tired as the sun rose to begin a new day. But he didn't care. He planned to spend the whole day searching for Sara and her parents. However, by 3 p.m., after vainly searching every farm he could find, he wisely decided to have a rest in a nearby tree. He hadn't planned to sleep but within seconds he was snoring loudly. As he slept deeper he began dreaming. Usually, Robinson's dreams were about him singing in the trees or - his more favourite pastime - eating! But since the disappearance of his beloved family, he had been so worried he had been unable to recall what he had dreamt about. Not only that he just didn't have time to try and remember because as soon as he awoke he would immediately start flying to his next destination. But the dream he had this day was unforgettable - he was flying above a city he had never before been to. As he did so he began to circle lower and lower until he spotted a tree and landed it on it for a rest. No sooner had he started getting comfortable than he heard someone say: "Oh, life is so great here in Carlisle". At that very moment Robinson woke up. "Now what on earth does this dream mean?" he wondered. Could it mean that Carlisle was where Sara and her parents were? Without another thought, he launched himself into the air and set off for Carlisle.

But then he realised he had a little problem. He didn't know exactly where Carlisle was. "Hmmm," he thought. "I better get some directions." As his own farm wasn't too far away he decided to head to see if any of his feathered friends knew where Carlisle was. But, like him, they only knew it was somewhere to the north.

"I know," he said to himself. "My friends in London probably know more than me so I will ask them." With no further ado, he launched himself into the air once again and headed for the biggest city in the UK.

The first friend he found, a blackbird called Blackie, had no idea where Carlisle was, but, as luck would have it, he had a friend, a little sparrow called Splotch, who had mentioned he was planning to fly there. "Where can I find him," Robinson asked? "Chelsea stadium," Blackie replied. "He lives in a tree right next to it," added the blackbird, giving him precise directions. So up to the air he went once more and 10 minutes later was circling over the Premier League football club's Stamford Bridge. He quickly spotted the tree, saw Splotch and within seconds had landed beside him.

Splotch's tree actually reminded Robinson of his own home and made him feel quite sad. Fortunately, the little sparrow was friendly and approachable, unlike many other London birds Robinson had met. They seemed to look down on any bird from outside the country's capital.

"Yes, I know where Carlisle is and Blackie is right, I am planning to fly up there. In fact I'm leaving tomorrow. You can join me if you like." "I would like that very much" replied the overjoyed robin. So, after a good night's sleep, robin and sparrow departed from London and headed off to Carlisle. "You do know it's a long way, don't you," Splotch asked him after a few miles. "How far," Robinson asked him. "Three hundred and fifteen miles," the chirpy little sparrow replied. "Wow,"replied the robin. "I had no idea it was that far. In fact that it is three times longer than my longest journey," Robinson told him. "Don't worry we will rest twice, first in Birmingham and then in Preston," Splotch assured him. "We should get there by the evening," he added.

But Robinson didn't really mind how long the journey was. The most important thing to him was to find dear Sara and her parents.

Five hours later they arrived in Birmingham. It was a similar distance from Bournemouth to London. After half an hour's rest they took to the air once more, this time heading for Preston.

The second leg of their journey took four hours. Once more they gave themselves 30 minutes rest and then readied themselves for the last part of their long journey - to Carlisle. Although it was 5 p.m. and both little birds were tired, Splotch insisted this was the best part of the trip. "You see, we're going to be flying over nature reserves and national parks! Surely a better view than farms and those big buildings that humans love making," explained the little sparrow. "It will take us only three hours and because it's summertime it will be daylight all the way."