The Adventuress Club ~ Part 2

Hello dear friends! I am finally come at you with the 2nd and final part of my story titled 'The Adventuress Club'.

Source

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It is a short story about three young eco-warriors that are determined to stop the town council from tearing down their club house and building an estate in its place.

I made a few changes to part 1 so if you would like to re-read it or missed it the first time, it is linked HERE.

Furthermore, if you like this type of eco-fiction narrative you can check out THIS blog where I recommend some of my favourite books from this genre.

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‘We could chain ourselves to the tree,’ suggests Bee.

‘And make posters,’ Jean adds. ‘Like a protest.’ It seems reasonable enough. But reasonable wouldn’t cut it. Not this time.

Without saying a word Sadie pulls something from her backpack and slaps it on the ground. They all huddle around staring at the colourful graphics of the comic book.

‘Eco Woman?’

‘Exactly,’ Sadie says smiling. ‘She is what inspired the club. She had to go up against the adults on her own to stop their evil plan. We’re just like her, .’

‘Uh huh. What’s your point?’ Bee asks.

Sadie sighs, grabs the comic and gets to her feet. She waves it around in front of their eyes as if it’s the answer to all their problems.

‘Eco Woman does not make posters and ask nicely. She fights back, with her bare hands. I say we do as she does.’

‘With her magical bare hands that throw glitter and grow trees,’ Jean corrects shaking her head. ‘We don’t have superpowers.’

‘The council won’t stop until they destroy every beautiful thing there is. The town is depending on us to save them, with or without superpowers.’ Sadie finishes her speech and sits back down. ‘I have a plan. Please don’t say no.’

Sadie rests on the edge of her bed, leg bouncing up and down in nervous excitement. The arts and craft equipment she had been focused on for the past few hours are scattered across her carpet. She watches the clock as the minutes tick by. Her bag is already strapped to her back and she fiddles with a torch in her hands. Jean and Bee said yes, so here she is. Waiting.

At half past midnight, she climbs out the window and into the night. The neighbourhood streams by in flashes of light as the torch swings haphazardly from her handlebar. The only sound is the familiar soft crunch of wheels against gravel. When she pulls up to the chain-link fence Jean is already there. No Bee yet.

Together they peer through the metal. What was once their bushland is now a barren field, taped and fenced off for construction. The earth has been flattened and sectioned off. Footpaths run down either side, shimmering in the moonlight. They have not yet dried. The great yellow trucks loom menacingly like beasts. For now, they lay sleeping.

Finally, Bee’s exhausted breath reaches them, her bike basket overflowing with everything they need to carry out their plan. It’s time to get started.

They hide their bikes in the bushes, scale the fence and land softly on the other side. At first, they are cautious and silent. Keeping to the shadows in their dark-coloured clothing and delicate in their actions. But soon enough the sense of danger es, and they start to enjoy their midnight mission. If anyone were close enough, they would have heard their laughter dancing through the darkness.

In the morning the workers show up expecting nothing out of the ordinary. What greets them is a sight that quickly spreads around town. Adults tut angrily and call it vandalism. School children giggle and ire the creative work of what they have dubbed the Glitter Greenies.

The machinery, once yellow now glistens in green spray paint and glitter like an oversized toy set. The concrete footpaths have set in jagged clumps, sprinkled once more with dashes of rainbow sparkles. In the very centre of each plot of land is a single freshly dug plant, blossoming in colour. To top it all off, banners hang from the fence. A row of painted trees standing guard over their stolen land.

The Adventuress Club were quietly pleased with themselves. They really did feel like superheroes, having successfully delayed construction and gained the interest of kids at school. Fighting for the environment now seemed fun to them and they all waited excitedly to see what would happen next. Eco Woman would be proud.

When construction begins again, Sadie feels like she is on repeat. Again, she sneaks out the window and into the warm night air, rides her bike to meet the others and scales the fence. It was like collecting bottles day after day. Nothing would truly change until others listened and did their part.

Everything is going to plan. They have taken precautions. They are silent and secretive. But in the end, the adults are also prepared for their return. It has only been several minutes when the blue and red lights flash across their faces and the wail of sirens slice through the night. The Glitter Greenies have been caught.

Sadie stands before her mother. She has never seen her so angry. Her manner is loud and abrasive. A demand to be both seen and heard. Every spit infused word feels like a physical assault.

‘Tresing! Vandalism! Destruction of private property? Unbelievable!’ Sadie tries to stand her ground. She would take the punishment, but she wouldn’t apologise, and she would never regret it.

Three months. She would be grounded for three months and so would Bee and Jean. They were only allowed outside to go to school and back. They weren’t allowed to speak to each other, though secret messages made their way through undetected.

Three months and the estate would be built unhindered and unrivalled.

That amount of time without her friends and without action felt like forever.

When the Adventuress Club was free to roam again, they knew what they had to do first. They followed the road up to Point Landing one last time.

And there it was. The estate, with its sleek, modern veneer. One large white box with its fake green grass, copy and pasted over and over along the street. There is not a single plant in sight, nor a single sparkle of glitter. Just a few moments are enough. They turn and ride away.

Somehow, inevitably, they end up at the creek. It seems like the right place to start again. They sit on the bank beneath the sun and listen to the sounds of nature. Today they don’t reach for the bottles in the creek. Instead, they watch them drift by, those little pockets of poison. Moving by like floats in a parade, a fleeting and dismal display of humanity’s destruction.

A bird begins to warble happily. Sadie peers up to see him perched above them. It is her old friend Wattle, pleased to see them return to his home after so long. His song is both a welcome home and a herald of hope.

Then the sound of movement behind them catches her attention and they all turn. A group of children emerge.

‘We heard you,’ one speaks, a girl they vaguely from school. ‘We want to the club.’ When they had been caught everyone had discovered their identity and their club. They had simply waited for the right moment to act on it. The girls exchange looks and whisperings.

‘Alright then,’ Bee finally says.

‘Great. So, what’s next?’

Sadie speaks, determination fighting through the tremor in her voice.

‘Tomorrow, The Adventuress Club will fight again. Better, smarter and stronger.’