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Crystal led the gang towards a short, squat building.

“Wait!” said Dave.

They turned to look at him.

“Surely we have to clear the flood as well?”

They looked at each other. It was so incredibly logical. Of course, Dave was logical. The whole reason why the town had chosen a man in a slim suit, who worked with numbers, was so that there was logic in the team. But this logic was so logical, it should have been common sense.

“I’ll go,” Dave said, putting his hands up voluntarily and turning around to go back.

The rest of them, ashamed that they hadn’t thought of the simple idea of unblocking a drain, turned their attention back to where Crystal was leading them. The door to the building was a heavy, thick, bulky door, with oversized iron hinges and a knocker on it the shape of a rubber chicken. Crystal pulled it back and dropped it. You would assume that the metal knocker would have a satisfying thud, but instead it screeched like a donkey in heat.

A small hole appeared towards the bottom of the door, and a voice grumbled through.

“Yes?”

Crystal knelt down to get closer.

“I need to speak to Sir Angus. It’s a matter of urgency. We need to borrow Smut.”

There was a huff noise from the other side of the hole in the door. Then the voice stated:

“One solo honker stands alone,
A single ghost of grey and bone,
Though singular it rules the skies,
Add its own kin to match its size—
Not double down, but shift the vowels,
To track how many guard these fowls.
What is the single guard, and what is the full flock?”

Crystal looked to the other three, and they all shrugged. But then, her farming experience kicked in, and she turned back again.

1 Goose, 2 Geese,” she said.

“Very good,” the voice grumbled back. “But you know that we require the name in its numerology form.”

“WEEE!!!” a voice shot from overhead, and they all looked up and saw, in a moment of madness, an elderly lady with a blue shawl fly over them, clinging to wool. She flew for a few seconds before she disappeared, landing on a roof to carry on her parkour journey.

“Was that Maude?” Rammi asked.

“MAUDE!” Lydia yelled. “THE GAMES ARE OVER! MAUDE!”

“She’s gone,” replied Bill.

A rumbling and slight cracking noise could be heard rolling over the city from the dam. They quickly refocused from the evacuating flying granny to the task at hand.

“What is a goose and geese in numbers?” Crystal said.

“Where’s Dave when you need him?” Rammi said, shrugging.

“Shall I go fetch him?” Bill asked.

“No, wait… I think I might have this…” said Crystal.