Lizards Leap

What made them draw back into the shadows was the figure standing alone on the top deck of the ferry. The strong wind blew her grey hair back from her face. She held onto her floppy black hat with one hand and seemed to be fighting against the wind to keep her balance. She wore a bright green skirt, a vivid canary-yellow top and a scarlet scarf. The cousins knew of only one person who would dress like that. “Sylvia!” they all said in unison. The children shrank back against the plinth of the statue. It was too late. She had already seen them. She waved her arm and shouted but her words were taken by the wind and carried away on the waves. They could not make out what she said. They were trapped. “Oh, great,” Emma said. “Just when things were getting better, we have to run into a colour-blind crazy woman.” “How did she get here?” “Did she know we would be here?” “What will she do to us?” “What if she goes mad and kills us all when she sees that we haven’t got the picture with us?” “What are we going to do?” “What if the people on the ferry are all crazy?” “How will anyone know we are here?” Nobody had any of the answers. They huddled together, terrified. They already knew that Sylvia was crazy. Vicki rubbed her arm that bore the bruises from the day before. She stuck her hands in her pockets. Her fingers touched something. She pulled it out and looked at it. Then she shrieked in excitement as she realised that it was the piece of paper out of the frame. She hadn’t dropped it on the bedroom carpet, after all. “Quick! Quick!” the others shouted. “Read the poem!” Kerry said urgently. “Come on, hurry, before she gets here!” The ferry was just coming in to berth by the jetty. With trembling fingers and stammering voice Vicki began to read, slowly at first, then faster as the words became more familiar to her. Here is an image for you to keep - Follow where the lizards leap. Move with caution, take a peep, Beware! Do not get in too deep. Repeat the words inscribed below; Take a breath and off you go. Sand Lizard, Sand Lizard, cautiously creep. Shim. Sham. Shally wham. Lizards leap! The landscape around them began to move.