One of Sita’s favorite places to go in Horsmarlonerpool - apart from Castle Earnose or Lomberstack Mountain - was Peacock Park.
It wasn’t just the swings, although the swings were very good, and it wasn’t just the boats on the lake, although the boats on the lake were very fun - even the quiet bits of the park meant adventure and mystery.
In the summer her friends would dash about in the sun, and hide in the shade of trees to cool down. But today she didn’t need any shade, it was cold - with grey skies - and coats had to be zipped up tight.
But not that that mattered, the park was just as much fun in winter. You could find things buried under piles of rotting leaves, or create clouds of breath in the air as if you were - well, as if you were a dragon.
And why was it called Peacock Park? Can you guess? Yes! The peacocks! There dozens of them - maybe as many as a hundred peacocks strutting around at any time. They were like the princes and princesses of the park, but unlike some princes and princesses they were very friendly and happy to talk to anyone. Even the snails and the frogs. The peacocks of Peacock Park had very good manners indeed.
And because of this, Sita considered the peacocks to be her friends, and even when she was playing, she liked to keep an eye out to make sure they were safe and well.
Which is why, when she was in the park on this cold and foggy day, she was worried when she heard one of the younger, baby peacocks - one of the peachicks - calling out in distress.
Well what could the matter be? Sita listened carefully to where the crying was coming from, and began to follow the noise. It didn’t take long before she realized she was headed towards the big fountain.
Everyone knew the big fountain. When it was warmer, children and grown ups shared it with the animals and used it to cool off. And sometimes, when it got really cold, the water would freeze into big waves, and looked a little bit to Sita like an angel - the fountain was the body, and the frozen waves of water were the wings.
But today, as she followed the peachick’s cry, she saw that the fountain wasn’t even working…
And she saw immediately what the problem was. There was no water for the pumps to suck up and spurt out the top! The big pool around the fountain was completely dry except for a few sad looking puddles and clumps of dead leaves.
And there, sat in one of the shallow puddles, was the peachick.
It looked to Sita for help. “I can’t swim in this! And if I don't learn to swim, I’ll never be allowed in the big lake!”
Sita thought this was odd. Peacock’s couldn't swim, because they didn’t have webbed feet. But if the peachick wanted to try and learn, well - what was the harm in that? There was never any harm in trying.
A number of the other peacocks had made their way over to the fountain to see what the matter was. They were also worried at the lack of water. How were they going to take a bath before bedtime if there wasn’t any water in the pool? And how were they going to take a shower in the morning if there wasn’t water spurting out of the fountain?
Sita sat and thought. She wondered who could help? She didn’t have a bucket to go and fetch some water. And even if she did, it would take buckets and buckets and buckets to fill the fountain even a little bit.
But then she got it! You see, Peacock Park had many, many animals in it - not just peacocks - and Sita knew who, in this tricky situation, could be very useful indeed!
“You stay right there!” said Sita to the peacocks. “I’ll be right back!”
And turning to the peachick she said “There’s no need to cry. You’ll see!”
Sita ran off. The peacocks watched her go, whilst the peachick stopped flapping about in its puddle and went and hid under its mummy for warmth.
About two hundred meters away, Sita saw who she was looking for, and ran towards them. There, down by the lake, were the park’s three elephants: Roughnails, Flappy and Sneezehorn.
“Hey! I need your help!” shouted Sita!
“Slow down, slow down” said Sneezehorn.
Sita took a breath, and told the three elephants her plan.
Back at the fountain, the peacocks waited and then one of them pointed a wing. It was Sita, walking in front of Roughnails, Flappy and Sneezehorn.
The birds cleared a space around the fountain as they approached, and then watched as first Roughnails delivered a huge plume of water from her trunk into the fountain pool. And then Flappy did the same and then - with a big sneeze - Sneezehorn did the same.
The water swished around the pool and sunk down into the pumps before - whoosh - it sprung up out the top of the fountain!
The peachick squeaked in delight, came out from under its Mummy, and waddled up and over the low wall into the pool. The water was shallow enough for him to stand in, so even though he couldn’t swim, he felt like he was learning.
The other peacocks jumped in too, and went and stood under the falling water of the fountain.
“Are you joining us, you four?” asked one of the peacocks to Sita, Roughnails, Flappy and Sneezehorn. “You’ve done very well. You deserve a nice rest.”
“Well it looks a bit cold…” said Sita.
“Yes, and a bit… small…” said Roughnails.
“Well how do you know until you’ve tried?” said the peacock.
Sita and the three elephants looked at each other. They shrugged, and climbed into the pool and headed for the fountain in the middle.
To their astonishment, not only was the water warm, but when they went under the shower to the inside of the falling water - it was like a new world! It was warm and multicolored and more than big enough for elephants!
“What an amazing place!” said Sita.
“What a fabulous fountain!” said Sneezehorn.
“Oh!” said one peacock. “You’ve never been in our fountain palace? Well, seeing as you helped mend it, I have decided that you may come whenever you like.”
And from that day forth, there was never a cold day in the park for Sita, or for the elephants, because they knew that if they needed it - there was always the warm and magical land behind the falling water of a quite fabulous fountain.
