Chapter One
Moving Day
“Good Morning Buster bird,” Frank McGull said to his son. “We have a big day ahead of us.”
Buster rolled over in his nest. Opening one eye to see his dad moving quickly around the room.
“Dad, don’t call me that,” Buster said .“My name is Buster McGull.”
“Ok,” Dad teased. “Buster McGull, time to get up and get dressed.”
“Aw pigeon foot,” Buster said. “I don’t wanna get up.”
“Please go get dressed,” Dad said politely. “Breakfast is on the kitchen counter in the bird feeder. The movers will be here soon.”
Buster wobbled to the nestroom, not fully awake. He put on his striped polo shirt. Brushed his white feathers, grabbed his iTweet cell phone and headed for the kitchen.
“Dad, why do we have to move?” Buster whined. “I’ll miss my friends.”
“Yea, but you will make new ones,” Dad said happily.
Buster really liked his iTweet. He can text his friends. It also gives him information like the weather and the news allowing him to seek out new adventures.
He turned on his iTweet.
A voice came on and said: “Breaking news, this just in from WBRD news channel. There has been another attack. Maggie and her cronies raided the Queen of England’s Royal Parade,” the newscaster announced. “Buster…Buster!” Dad said a little louder the second time. “Did you hear me?”
Dad told him that Mom had accepted a new job. She will be Governor of her home State in Massachusetts.
“Your mother has already found a new home in Cape Cobblenest,” Dad said. “She is expecting us today.”
Buster looked up at his dad from his iTweet. Flapping one wing wildly to get his dads attention.
“Dad!” Buster said anxiously. “Maggie and her cronies just attacked the Queens parade in England.”
“Yea, I heard. There’s not much anybody can do about that unruly character and her loonies,” Dad chuckled.
Buster smiled at what his dad had said, glanced down at his iTweet. Then back at his dad. He thought his dad’s feathers looked a little ruffled this morning. Watching his dad pack as he constantly looked at his watch. His plaid button down shirt was wrinkled and his feathers hadn’t been brushed.
Frank McGull stayed home and took care of the children and while Lari McGull worked.
“This is Brooklyn Brown from the newsroom at WBRD,” the newswoman said. “Have a groovy day.”
“Buster, please turn that thing off,” Dad said. “Please, go check on your sister.”
“Aw, pigeon foot,” Buster said. “Do I have to, she always smells funny.”
He put his iTweet in his shirt pocket . He walked down the hall to find his sister. He paused at the door of his now empty room. His dad had already packed away his nest bed.
“I’m going to miss you room,” he said in a low voice, hoping his dad didn’t hear him.
I have lived here ten years. Made lots of friends. School, I’m not going to miss so much, but my friends, I will miss very much. I wonder if I will make new friends in the new town, he thought. He jumped when he heard the doorbell chirp. He continued down the hall to Mollie’s room. There she sat, already strapped in her flight seat. She was wearing a pink dress with a matching bow in her hair. Only a year old her wings weren’t developed for flight on her own. Her feathers are a grayish color, but would later turn white like the rest of her family when she turns four years old.
“Mollie,” he said in his low baby talk voice. “We are moving today, going bye bye.”
Mollie smiled as she looked up at her big brother. Holding up a piece of cuttlebone, as if she was offering it to him.
“Bye bye?” she cooed.
“Yes, bye bye,” Buster said. “Maybe we’ll meet other seagull families like ours.”
Buster could here his dad down the hall as he answered the door. He peeked out of the room, down the hall to see six huge condor birds standing at the door.
“Mr. McGull?” asked one of the six condors. “We are from the Condor Moving Company, sir.”
“Yes, I was expecting you today,” Dad replied. “It’s all yours, the last box was placed in the moving pod just moments ago.”
“Okay boys,” the leader of the condors said as he turned toward them. “We have our flight plans. Let’s go work some tail feathers off.”
Frank McGull watched as the condors lined up three on each side of the moving pod. He could hear the leader murmur something as they latched the straps of the pod to their belts. Then lifted up and took off toward the northern sky.
“Buster,” Dad said as he enter the room and strapped Mollie and her flight carrier on his back. “It’s going to be about a two hour flight. I need you stay focused on our flight. Buster and his family took off, soaring high above the trees. He was feeling very sad as he took one last look back. He could see the large statue of the herring fish that sat in front of the courthouse downtown of Herringhead Island.
“Buster,” Dad called back to him. “Fly close, stay with us!”
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