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before Larry whisked
her away and led her to safety across the rooftops of the town.
    He was much
more impressive by light of day. He looked regal, more like a king
than a mayor. He wore a crimson cape tied with a golden cord
decorated with tassels. His mane was burnt-orange and neatly
arranged. His eyes were proud and wise.
    The Mayor was
in conference with official looking animals and didn’t appear to
have noticed their rather obvious arrival. Surely, nobody could
fail to notice an animal as large as Reginald. Perhaps the Mayor
had noticed, but had more important matters to deal with first.
    Above the
Mayor was a huge, round and brightly lit stained glass window
depicting monkeys leaping between banana palms laden with bananas.
Sunlight angled down through the window and decorated the dais with
a beautiful rainbow of shifting colours.
    The chattering
animals filled the gap behind as the three friends waited side by
side to be addressed by the Mayor. Flossy stood tall and hoped she
looked presentable enough as human-kind’s first ambassador to Port
Isabel in hundreds of years. She would hate to cause offence.
    Harry had
removed his sunglasses and held them in one paw. He used the other
to scruff up the wet fur between his ears.
    Over Harry’s
shoulder, a horse was watching. She wondered if it was the horse
named Stanley that Harry had mentioned; the one who had carried him
off against his will in the mistaken belief he needed rescuing from
pirates; that she, Flossy, was a pirate. Mud splatter was on his
nose and an animal was hanging from his neck—probably the sloth
named Sally.
    When noticed,
the dapple-grey horse pawed the floor with one hoof, shook his head
and whinnied. Flossy smiled and nodded a greeting. He was probably
of good sort of horse.
    She thought of
Larry Monkey and his big, pink ears. He had seemed so sad when he
left the café. She wondered what had happened to his parents. She
wondered what had happened to hers and whether she would ever see
them again. Soon, she would be with Harry on the Serendipity . If anyone could find them, he could. He seemed
like an extremely resourceful and capable animal and she really
liked him. She reached out and squeezed his paw. He squeezed back
without turning.
    When the Mayor
spoke everyone in the hall fell instantly silent.
    ‘Reginald,
it’s good to see you again. You continue in fame as one of Port
Isabel’s greatest citizens. Your service as schoolmaster and
curator of the Museum of Ancient Antiquities has earned you the
enduring respect and admiration of all the people.’
    ‘Thank you, Mr
Mayor. It has been my pleasure to serve,’ Reginald graciously
replied.
    ‘How we wish
we were meeting under happier circumstances. We deeply regret the
loss of your precious museum, our museum, and Port Isabel East
Junior School. You have our commitment that both will be rebuilt as
a matter of priority.’
    The Mayor
smiled beneficently at Reginald, who bowed his head in
gratitude.
    Flossy noticed
the Mayor didn’t use the word I , but instead used we and us . This had the effect of reminding everyone he was
speaking for Port Isabel as a whole, adding even more authority to
his considerably foreboding presence.
    ‘Last night
you urged restraint upon us and tried to make us see reason. But we
didn’t listen. We had decided that the human was a pirate and that
she was hiding with others in the museum. You rightly argued the
presumption of innocence and the dispensation of justice by means
of judge and jury but we ignored your sagacious advice and took
matters into our own hands. We are ashamed and embarrassed by what
happened and we beg your forgiveness.’
    ‘You have it,
Mr Mayor, of course, and no hard feelings. These things happen
sometimes,’ said Reginald.
    The Mayor
faced Flossy. ‘Flossy Human…’
    ‘Excuse me,
sir, but I believe she is known as Flossy Fairweather,’ said
Reginald, interrupting.
    ‘Is she not
then from the House of Human?’ the Mayor