52 The Light District

52 The Light District

The sky had turned a darker shade of blue and was infused with strokes of gold, orange and lilac. As Peanut, Rockwell, Little-Bit and Doodle followed the flamingo-pink path that led into the Light District, they marvelled at their beautiful surroundings. Buttery daffodils lined their route through a mauve latticework of shadows cast by the poplar trees shielding them from view. A small platoon of bumblebees provided the quiet, humming soundtrack. It was hard to believe that just a couple of hours ago they had been in the midst of the noisy chaos of the Strip. They walked for half an hour until they reached a large

field spattered with bright-red poppies. Tired and hungry, they sat down in the long grass. Peanut pulled Little Tail from her bandolier and quickly drew some sausage rolls that tasted faintly of liquorice. Don't worry. I'll do my best to paint us something more delicious in the morning,' she promised. Once they had eaten, she set about drawing disguises for everybody. She chose simple farmer's outfits, complete with wide-brimmed straw hats, so they would blend into the scenery and keep their faces hidden. They were just getting into their new gear when Doodle suddenly sat bolt upright and looked back towards the path. 'Everybody quiet,' hissed Rockwell. 'Get down. They flattened themselves against the earth and peered through the long grass as six tall, silver figures emerged from behind the poplar trees and glided silently along the path. Little-Bit gasped. Peanut and Rockwell both covered her mouth. Yes, they were tall, and yes, they were fast, but it was the fact that the RAZERs made no noise whatsoever that was the scariest thing. It was obviously a key part of their design—

after all, stealth was imperative when capturing fugitives— but silence wasn't something Peanut would ever have thought of as particularly frightening. Until now. The four friends collectively held their breath as the robots glided within a few metres of them. It was only when they disappeared behind the haystacks and over the hill that the children were finally able to breathe. 'That was too close!' panted Rockwell. 'What are we going to do?' 'We need to keep moving,' replied Peanut. Carefully, she stood up and looked around. She noticed that the poppy field they were hiding in sloped down to the banks of a large pond. She ran down the hill for a closer look and saw that it was connected, via a network of canals, to a series of other ponds. She had an idea. She took Little Tail from her bandolier and drew a long wiggly line with a sharp hook on the end. She then whirled it around her head a few times like a lasso and threw it towards one of the huge lily pads floating on the water. The hook pierced the surface and Peanut pulled hard, dragging it towards the bank. She then took her block of charcoal and drew a long, thick pole.

'OK. Everybody on,' she said. Ooh, this is just like The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher!' said Little-Bit, beaming as she scrambled on board. Once they were all sitting comfortably, Peanut stood up with the pole, lowered one end into the water until it hit the bottom, and pushed off. They drifted effortlessly out into the middle of the pond. As they quietly cut through the water, Peanut was able to steer with the pole, guiding them towards the narrow canal on the southern side of the pond. The sun set as they cut an elegant swathe through the beautiful russets and purples reflected in the surface. Rockwell's eyelids felt heavy. Little-Bit and Doodle were already asleep. Go on. Catch some Zzzs,' said Peanut as she guided them underneath a green wooden bridge spanning the canal. 'I'll wake you when we reach Vincent Fields.'