Writing, and a new Horatio

I'm in a writing mood. There's a science fiction short in the pipeline (more, er, shortly), and I'm long overdue for a new Horatio. So here's a new Horatio. Unfinished. I'll be finishing and sending it sometime in the next few weeks.

Horatio goes on Holiday

Horatio knew about London: he'd read all about it in books, and loved to hear his Mum and Dad's stories about them living in London when they were younger (although as far as Horatio knew, they had always been old, and had always been just his Mum and Dad). And Horatio really really wanted to go to London, to see all the places that his Mum and Dad talked about, to listen to Big Ben strike twelve o'clock and to see Nelson and all his pigeons (which Mum told him were very much like seagulls really) in Trafalgar Square.
Horatio's family had been on holiday before: lots of holidays. They'd camped in Kingslime one Easter - it was very crowded and they were stuck in the harbour for quite a long time while they waited for the tide to come it. They'd stayed on a holiday berth in Starboard Harbour and marvelled at the huge crumbly cliffs then eaten ice-creams by the beach in Curdsmouth. And he'd even been on a school trip to Goodwater Bay. And all these holidays were really really nice. But Horatio wanted to go to London. He wasn't sure why, but it just sounded exciting. And he asked. And he asked. And he stopped asking. And then asked again. Until one sunny speckly day when the birds were singing happily, the waves had little bright diamonds in them and the breeze was just warm enough to be summer, his Dad grinned and said "pack your things Horatio, we're going to London".
Well the journey to London is another story in itself: sailing around the White Island, wriggling into the mud in Chichemeddle, playing with the pier at Sunnytown and steering around the big big ferries coming out of Guller. But that's a story for another day, so we'll start with the part where Horatio and his Mum and Dad, his little brother Hardy and Parsley the tender passed the grey navy pontoons (which hooted a low-voiced 'hello there' as they passed) in the middle of London and sailed into Katherine's Docks.
[Horatio is on an exchange visit with one of the tuktuks. He goes on trips up the river with his parents, sees Big Ben and Parliament and the naval colleges, goes to look up at the buildings in Canary Wharf and chats to the tin-voiced Navigator, but what's really really exciting is when he's loaded onto a trailer and goes slowly round London with his new friend Tuk and Tuk's parents the taxis (he goes really quite slowly because he gets a little queasy when he can't move naturally). He sails in the water in Trafalgar Square, upsetting the pigeons til they calm down and settle back on the top of Nelson's head. He goes to the park and plays with the pedaloes on the Serpentine, but is a bit sad that Tuk can't join him, then has an idea and races Tuk up and down the length of the lake until they're quite tired and the park-keeper chases them away. Then he has tea with Tuk's parents, and Tuk's grandfather the red bus, before going back to the docks tired but happy. The next day, he has an adventure on the part of the canal that Tuk's allowed along and sees the strange red and yellow boats with lots and lots of roofs. And he holidays a bit more with his family before finally going home. Which isn't really the end, because a month or two later, Tuk's family come to the White Island for a holiday too, and all go on a sightseeing tour with Bryan the Ferry before Tuk is loaded onto Horatio's Dad's shoulders and gets to go on the water himself.]