The Plague of Locusts

Charlie, Nathaniel, Fey and Dianna stood crowded around the door to the Observation Deck.

“Did it work?” Dianna asked, anxiously.

Charlie reached a hand out to the door, nervously, and pushed at it with a finger. The door swung inwards.

“Yessss,” he celebrated, fist pumped in excitement.

“Now do you believe me,” said Fey, her hands on her hips, and a triumphant, knowing look in her eye.

“Yes, Fey,” said Nathaniel patiently. “We’ll never doubt your ability to read a book again.”

“You needn’t make it sound so easy,” said Fey. “You certainly weren’t all that keen on believing me last night when we were casting the charm.”

“Yeah, well,” said Charlie. “It seems hard to believe that no one else has tried this charm before.”

“Maybe no one had thought of it before,” suggested Fey. “I did get it from the Research Desk. I mean, how many people would think to charm the door to the Observation Deck to prevent it from realising that the person who opened it last hadn’t left.”

"Yeah, yeah,” said Charlie. “We get it, you’re brilliant. Can we go in already? I’m worried about Aoife, she’s been gone for two days.”

Fey lent forward and pushed the door open the rest of the way. “After you,” she gestured, and the four of them crowded into the Observation Room.

“Ok,” said Fey. “I think we’re all going to have to join in here. Everyone put your hand on the glass, and focus on Aoife and locating her. And remember no one step too close – we don’t need to fall through again!”

The four of them placed their hands on the dome, and concentrated. After a while the mist cleared to show… “Is that Ancient Egypt?” asked Dianna.

“It looks like it,” said Nathaniel. “I wonder what she’s doing there?”

They all leant a little closer, chests bending forward when: “Watch out!” yelled Fey.

“What?!” they all stepped back, startled. A smallish insect had leapt out of Charlie’s pocket as he had leant forward to look at the scene inside the Dome.

“Something jumped out of Charlie’s pocket,” said Fey.

“Oh that,” said Charlie. “That’s just my pet cricket, Jimminy.”

"You have a pet cricket called Jimminy that you carry around in your pocket?” Fey asked, in disbelief.

Charlie gave Fey a strange look, like she was the strange one for not carrying around a pet cricket. Especially one named Jimminy. “Of course,” he said. “Don’t you?”

“Guys! Leave it for a second!” called Dianna. “Your cricket has some how gotten into the Dome!” She pointed at the cricket squirming under the top of the Dome. Fey and Charlie stopped arguing, and looked to the Dome.

Nathaniel turned to Charlie. “How many crickets did you say you had?” he asked.

“Just the one,” replied Charlie.

“’Coz there isn’t just one now,” Nathaniel pointed to the dome, where thousands upon thousands of crickets rained from the sky.

***

Aoife and Jesus walked out of the library, in time to see millions of crickets pour from the sky.

“Is that a plague of locusts,” Aoife said, turning to Jesus in confusion.

“Looks more like…crickets,” he answered, no less confused.

Somewhere in time, the history books were re-written.

***