Part 10 - Cream 'o' Galloway

The clanging sounded through the canvas walls of the tent like a syren rising from the water, beckoning us to it's call. A few feet away I spotted the worm-like figure of Tom in his sleeping bag as he wriggled into a sitting position. I took a deep breath and followed suit. Tom smiled at me as I groaned with the effort and seemed to be stifling a giggle.
"What was that clanging?" I grumbled.
"It was your wake-up call!" called James's voice, which I would have recognised anywhere.
Tom dragged the zip of our compartment toward the tent floor and struggled out into the main living area.
"Morning, Tom," greeted Michael, whose voice sounded like it was curling around every syllable.
Tom yawned and beckoned with his left hand - which was still dragging behind in the sleeping compartment - for me to follow him. We staggered out of the tent and spotted James at a large metal camping table, pouring plate after plate of cereal. I selected a bowl of cornflakes and pulled up a folding chair beside Annisa and Hanien.
"So how did you two sleep last night?" I asked.
"Not bad," Hanien replied, "But I was in the compartment next to James and Michael and James kept sleep-talking about X-men."
"No way!" Annisa exclaimed, "What did he say?"
"He kept mumbling about how he wanted Cyclops to 'beam him up'."
"That sounds more like Star Tr- Ohhhh," I realised, "Cyclops is Scott Summers. It's Scotty that beams people up in Star Trek. He must have been having a great dream."
"Yeah, he sounded pretty happy," Hanien agreed.
James whirled around to lean on the other side of the table
"So, Cream 'o' Galloway, today," James announced.

"Yep," I agreed, "I've not been in ages."

"Do they still have that big barrack full of hay?" James asked hopefully.

"I think so. But I think I was too old for it last time I was there. Or too tall. I can't remember," I shook my head, "Oh! But have you been since they added that hatch chute?"

"No... ?"

"Oh, it's great. You'll love it," I smiled.

"Yahoo!" James cried as he sped away from us down the chute. He was couped up in a cylindrical container only slightly longer than himself and was now plummeting toward the go-kart track at the bottom of a small ravine. The tube that the cylinder hurtled down was almost vertical for most of the journey but levelled out sharply at the bottom. There was then a long, flat section that James was now rumbling to a halt on.

"Alright, who's next?" Fraser, the hatch chute controller, asked.

"I'll go!" Eliphia shouted excitedly.

Fraser hauled the next cylinder up and clicked open the hatch. Eliphia clambered up onto the step and hopped into the tube. Fraser smiled and gracefully set the hatch back into place.

"What's your name?" he called.

"Eliphia."

"Okay, Eliphia. Are you feeling scared?"

"Not really."

"Well, I'm going to count to three. One, two-"

Fraser calmly let go of the rope that had restrained Eliphia and she zipped towards the ground. Fraser winked at us - Hanien, Annisa, Isaac, Tom and I - and leaned against the frame of the bridge that led to the other side of the ravine.

"That guy I sent down before her," Fraser tilted his head to the side, "Was he James McAvoy?"

"Yeah," Annisa replied.

"And the guy before?" Fraser continued, "Michael Fassbender?"

"Yep," Tom confirmed.

"Cool," Fraser smiled, "Alright, who's up next."

"Me, I think," I mumbled and hopped up to the hatch.

 I sidled into the cylinder and snuggled into its depths, happy in the knowledge that the tube's last occupant had been James. It was slightly less thrilling than the last time I had been there, maybe because I'd grown about half a foot since my last visit. What really got my pulse racing, however, was the sight of James smiling down at me as he lifted the hatch of my cylinder.

"You coming up to the flying fox?" he grinned.

"Sure," I smiled.

 James gestured toward Eliphia, who had already started up the thin, bouncy wooden bridge. We jogged to catch up with her. What we hadn't noticed, however, was that Eliphia was wrapped in conversation with a woman in the middle of the bridge.

"James!" Eliphia called as we neared, "Come and meet someone!"

James crept forward hesitantly towards Eliphia and the woman.

"This is Pearl. She's in your fan club," Eliphia gestured towards the woman, who looked as if she was about to faint into a puddle of jelly, "Pearl, meet James McAvoy."

Pearl extended a hand, which James took warmly. His arm was tense but relaxed quickly. Clearly he still hadn't got used to people recognising him.

"Hi, Pearl," James smiled, "How are you?"

"Well now I'm having the best day of my life."

"Um, thanks," James stuttered, "I'm - uh - glad to be of service. Listen, um, we're heading up to the flying fox. Do you want to come with us?"

Pearl's eyes were bright and sparkling with glee. "Yes, please."

 James nodded and sprinted past her, waving with his hand for us to follow. We thundered up the bridge, our legs hell-bent on catching us up with James. It was odd to be chasing after him this way, since doing this in any other situation could probably qualify as stalking. His form began to slip away and I called out to him.

"Hey! Slow down!" I yelled.

James deccelerated gradually and looked for a moment as if he might stop completely. He then looked over his shoulder and grinned. He winked and whipped his head back around, kicking his heels back up to full speed.

"So long, suckers!"
We didn't catch James until the queue for the flying fox, where he was standing at the back talking to a young girl. James was leaning on the frame of a fence that guarded the edge of the ravine.

"Finally!" James grinned when we reached him, "This is Lucìa. She's in Benedict Cumberbatch and John Green's group. I didn't even know they were here!"

His mouth was smiling but his eyes were panicked. With a jolt, I remembered why it was that we were at Cream 'o' Galloway. It wasn't just a nostalgic day out for James and myself. This was the day for us to rescue Jan and Tara. With a second jolt, I realised whose group James had just said Lucìa was in.

"Wait, did you say John Green?!" I exclaimed.

Lucìa nodded.

"He and his brother are the leaders of my Major Fandom!"

"Cool," Lucìa smiled.

"Oh, I'm up," James realised, shuffling forward to the platform that led to the flying fox, now that the queue in front of us had run out.

The face of the woman who was strapping him into the harness was scarlet with blush as she reached around his back and tightened the straps of the harness. James seemed caught between finding this awkward and hilarious because he kept emitting this strange, giggle, cough sound. Soon, he was in the air and zipping over the mountain bike course. By the time he'd dismounted, our entire group had been reunited in the flying fox queue.

 I was next in line. I nipped up the steps and stared unashamedly at the back of James's head as he shouted to someone beyond the barrier of the flying fox area. He seemed to come to an agreement with someone, then jogged out of the area and leant on the outside of the barrier, looking back towards me. Even from this distance, his smile switched on an amplifier inside me and everything was suddenly better in every way. The dull grey sky was suddenly a pure, clear white and, as I hurtled towards him through the air, the sensation of flying had never felt so real. Once I was dismounted and had sent the harness back up to the platform, I darted out of the area and wrapped James into a tight hug. He felt shocked at first and I could feel that he was tense but then he softened and patted me on the back.

"Thank you," I whispered.

 James didn't ask what for. He held the hug for a few seconds longer then we disengaged and watched Pearl shoot towards us. I saw the smile on her face and glanced towards James. He must have known, mustn't he? He must've been aware of the fact that my hug was not just because I was happy, it was because he had made me happy. He must have known that Pearl was smiling because of him. He had to know that at least six people here thought he was one of the greatest human beings on the planet. And yet, I honestly don't think he did. If he did, he certainly handled it very well.

 James glanced towards me and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach do forward-flips. I thought I'd got used to him being around. I thought he was just another friend. He placed a caring hand on my shoulder and I knew then that while I still saw him this way, still thought of him as flawless and incredible and talented and inspiring, then we could never be on level pegging.

"Joanne?" James asked, and I got the feeling he'd been calling my name for a while.

"Huh?" I replied, snapping out of my daze.

"I said there's someone I'd like you to meet." James used his hand on my shoulder to swivel me around.

 John Green! He might not be of interest to you, but he was the man who made me proud to be a nerd. Without him, I wouldn't read or write as much as I do. I would be a totally different person without the Youtuber who was standing in front of me. He shaped my first year as a teenager, when I was just beginning my true exam courses at high school. And now, three years later, he's responsible for who I am now, about to sit my Higher exams.

 I slid my hands into the nerdfighter salute - hands crossed over like Wolverine except with Mr Spock 'live long and prosper' hand signs instead of adamantium claws. My head was bursting with happiness as he returned the gesture.

"What is that?" James exclaimed, his hands fumbling as they tried to arrange themselves into the shape of the salute.

"It's the sign that me, my brother and our fans do," John explained.

"Okay," James shrugged, as he finally got it. I had to exercise extreme willpower to stop myself from hugging him again. James was doing the nerdfighter sign!

"So are you all going to the next bit of the park?" John asked, pointing toward the tunnel that led to the start of the obstacle courses.

"Yeah," James nodded, "Oh, wait. Pearl, you don't go to the school so I don't know. Do you want to come with us?"

"Definitely!" Pearl exclaimed.

"Alright then," James slapped his thighs with his palms and began to walk towards the tunnel.

 I followed behind him. He had taken off his heavy waterproof jacket and tied it around his waist. I stared at the fibres of the pale blue fleece he wore underneath. To me, it shone with the enhanced azure of Leto's eyes in 'Children of Dune'.