Chapter 1

Flakey and Elizabeth were asleep when Ezra, followed by Ting and Carole opened the door rushed in and demanded a quiet place to sit and that nobody must say a word unless he asks them to.

'What's happening?' Elizabeth asked Carole while watching Ezra chose the correct vantage point for his mind to work as an antenna.

Ezra placed a hand on his forehead. He closed his eyes. 'I going to talk to Edith. I need complete silence from all of you.'

'But she's in the Water Tower,' Flakey was struggling with just about all there was to struggle with, it didn't help that Elizabeth was tugging at his arm. Reluctantly he sat on the floor close by the drivers' seat.

Ting sat next to Flakey. 'Quiet everyone, Let Ezra concentrate,'. 'Don't worry, Flakey, it's all for the good.'

A slow, gentle, rhythmic breathing, passed between Ezra's lips as he rocked himself to sleep. 'Where is she?'

'It's a good thing they're both E notes, that should help,' Carole knelt beside Ting.

Ezra scanned the thought-waves of every Sound in the Water Tower. 'There she is.'

Edith was talking to Avril about the violent destruction of the Spear Point Hotel, how she felt about Lewis and finally after a lot of encouragement from Avril, about what was at the heart of her sadness. 'I want to play in the Alex Henry Blues Band again with Mister Moses on trumpet.' Suddenly her mind became distracted by another persons thoughts.

'Are you all right?' Avril didn't like the way Edith was staring blankly at a small mote of dust that slowly drifted past in front of her nose.

'Yes, Ezra, I can hear you.' Edith swayed left and right in time with the Sound trying to connect with her. 'What do you need to know?'

Avril called for help. 'Metro, Lewis, Carole come here quickly, there's ...

... middle of paper ...

...ey come with me. Ezra stay here and get some rest. Caleb get the engine ready to leave the moment we return. Danielle stay close to Ezra.'

Ting led the way over a long stretch of muddy, sticky, ground. The race to the wall was hard, each step drained more energy than their legs had to give. Fallen trees where everywhere.

'Ezra says there's a path,' called out Danielle from the cab, 'go to your left. You can't see it from where you are because it's being hidden by those tree stumps and the broken branches. It's a service road, follow it to the door.'

Ting found the cracked but functional concrete roadway. 'Come on Flakey, this should make it easier than walking thought the mud. Help Elizabeth get on the path.'

At the wall Ting and Flakey turned to wave at the Sounds on the train. Elizabeth opened the unlocked door and went in. Flakey cautiously followed Ting inside.