Prologue
The Watcher in the Sky
The world’s greatest invention was complete.
Deep inside draughty echo-rich chambers at the top of a steep mountain, it stood— ready for testing. The proud creator pulled himself away from his latest marvel and bolted into action—steaming through cluttered workshops, corkscrewing down shadowy stairways to an older invention in the Wings Room.
His spindly fingers crept spider-like towards a weathered iron lever. Knuckles glowed white as the stubborn lever released a lazy groan.
Silence for a moment, and then …
An orchestra of rickety cogs and chains squealed with delight as mechanized melodies clanged and clattered into their rhythmical routine. Old bits of drainpipe spun and swirled like giant propellers as hinges and bolts and glassy lumps joined the pieces of pipe together to form one long piece— like a giant metal snake. The magnifying wizardry of the gigantic peeperscope was ready for spying. It could see everything …
He scanned the tiny village below the mountain. He peeped behind the well-pruned hedges and nosed through the sparkling glass windows of the proud little houses. Not much movement this morning.
The peeperscope focused onto a young girl. She was struggling to move an overweight billy goat. She was a wild-looking imp with a mischievous hunger in her eyes. She wore a dress that looked like an old potato sack and her bushfire-red hair was snipped into an uneven paper-scissors-cut-fringe. A round woman followed them. She was covered with beads and colourful flowing fabrics and looked like one of those creative types. Intriguing indeed.
He stepped away from the delights of the peeperscope and nestled into the plotting chair. An array of brass birdcages and glass jars peppered the shelves surrounding him. Inside them were birds, butterflies and less recognisable creatures. Most of them flapped happily about. Others no longer had wings.
Some were no longer moving.