Nightingale

ARTEMIS WAS SWITCHING channels when she saw it - an interview of Nightingale, the superhero of the city. She wore a dark blue costume with an animated nightingale in the center.

“So, why are you called ‘Nightingale’? Shouldn’t you be called ‘Shifter-Girl’ or ‘Chameleon-Girl’ or something like that. Because you have the ability to shape shift. That’s why I asked.” Asked the reporter

“Well....., you see I’m a big fan of Nightingale. Hence the name. Also, ‘Shifter-Girl’ or ‘Chameleon-Girl’ don’t sound that good, does it?”

The reporter nods. She turns to face the screen.

“And that was a wonderful interview.” Says the reporter. The reporter turns to face Nightingale. “Thank you for coming to this interview.” 

Nightingale says, “It was my pleasure.” 

The reporter faces the camera. “See you again at the same time next week, folks. This is Myra signing off.” And the programme changes. Artemis switch offs the TV and goes to her room.

“Who actually is Nightingale? I wish I saw her in person...” she says to her mother.

+++

Artemis, Astrix, and Chastity were coming back from college when suddenly-

“I’ve gotta go. Bye guys.” Says Chastity and she runs off.

“What happened to her? She’s been doing this for the last few weeks.” Asks Astrix.

“No idea.....” says Artemis. After a while of thinking, she says, “I think she has a secret that she doesn’t wish to tell us.”

“Who? Chastity? No way. She tells us everything.” 

“Does she?” Artemis asks suspiciously, “Then why has she been going somewhere without telling us where it is?”

“I guess you are true.”

+++

The four thieves run out of the bank, carrying huge bags of stolen money with them. They jump onto a van and drive away. Nightingale jumps over a rooftop and slides down another. She does various varieties of parkour until she reaches the terrace of a building. 

She sees the van from there and dives. Halfway through, she transforms into an eagle and darts towards the van. She flies above the van and transforms into a mouse as she lands on top of it.

She moves towards the window. It lay open. She jumped, transformed into a chameleon and threw her tongue out. It got stuck to the van and she pulled herself in. She transforms back to herself and says to the thieves, “Hi!”

She punches one in the nose. Gets up and kicks another behind her in the stomach. She swung her hand forward. Her fist connected with the driver’s face and he fell to the left side.

The van lurched to the left. It was going to collide with the walls of a house. Nightingale jumped and turned into an ant as she flew out the windows. Then turned into a gorilla and jumped in front of the vehicle. She used all her strength to push the van back and stop it from colliding.

The van came to a stop. Nightingale, “Stealing is not good, fellas.” The cops came and arrested them.

+++

“Come on! Let’s see where she’s going.” Said Artemis to Astrix, as they follow Chastity to where ever she was going to. She walks along the footpath and then waits in a bus-stop.

The bus comes and she enters from the front while Astrix and Artemis enter from the back. Chastity exits at the third stop. She walks silently while holding on to her bag’s strap tightly. She turns left.

Artemis and Astrix follow her as she enters a building through the backdoor. She climbs upstairs, with the two on her tail. She opens the door of the terrace and goes outside.

“I think she is ‘Nightingale’.” Says Astrix 

“What makes you say that? ”

“It’s the only possible explanation for her disappearances and this secret.”

Artemis nods. And they open the door. Chastity is doing something but they can’t see what it is. They move to the side to get a closer view. 

“Why are you guys following me?” asks Chastity. 

The two are shocked.

“We just wanted to see what you are up to.” Says Astrix. Artemis nods.

“Then why are you standing there? Come here.” Says Chastity. 

They are shocked. They move and stand beside her to see a camera.

“What is this?” asks Astrix

“It’s a camera. Duh. Does it seem like something else to you?” says Artemis

“I mean what are you doing here, Chastity?”

Chastity replies, “Well, you see, I want to become a reporter. So I’ve set up hidden cameras in different parts of the city to shoot the video of Nightingale fighting crime. No one’s been able to shoot it before. And if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to find out her identity too.”

The two nod. 

“Then why did you not tell us?” asks Artemis

“I wanted to surprise you guys when I received the video. So I didn’t tell you guys.” She replies

“So we just ruined our surprise ourselves,” says Astrix. Artemis nods, “So sad....”

“Did you get any video till now?” Astrix asks

Chastity shook her head sadly.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it soon.” Artemis reassures her.

“I guess and I wish that would happen....” says Chastity. 

+++

Night. The guy held a machine gun in his hands. He is surrounded by police. 

“If you take a step forward, I’ll empty this gun into you. I’m not gonna be arrested for killing somebody.” Said the guy

His fingers close on the trigger. A crow flies by and scratches his face with its feet and flies up. A smile appears on the cops’ face. A cheetah jumps from his right and kicks the gun away from him. It runs away then. He takes out a pistol from his pocket.

“I’ll shoot myself if you take a step.” He said

Nightingale jumps from the top of the building, flipping in the air, and then lands in front of him. She turns into a snake and wraps around him. The gun falls to the ground. 

The cops come closer and she let’s go of him. They take him away. Nightingale jumps up and runs away. She slides down a rooftop and lands on a terrace of a building. 

“Hello Chastity,” she says looking at the hidden camera, “I think it’s high time I revealed my identity. And this is your exclusive, Chastity!”

She removes the mask and the camera sees the real face of Nightingale. The face of......Artemis!