It was Colbert's quick thinking that got them out of there. One minute they were huddled in the holding tank waiting for the inevitable, the next Colbert was squeaking for them to clamber onto each other's backs and out onto the cold hard surface of the noisy kitchen.
Colbert had noticed the chef leave the kitchen with a bottle in his hand and seized the moment.
They had all heard the stories passed down through the generations, of how Old Collum, the oldest crayfish in the bay, had miraculously made his escape, to the tortured shrieks and screams of his friends and neighbours as they had been thrown into a pot of boiling water.
Colbert knew there was a sense of urgency, he didn't know how much time they had. He paused for an instant and tested the air. He could smell a faint tang of the sea in the direction of the window, intermingled with the overwhelming heat and strong smells of the kitchen. Fortunately for them, the window was at the other end of this slippery, hard kitchen surface and they scrabbled and clacked their way across, already gasping in the steamy air.
He managed to lead them over the edge of the window, with the help of a handy dishcloth into the cool, dark, night and onto the grass below them. They could hear the sounds of people laughing and the tinkle and cling of crockery right above them, but the smell of the sea was stronger now, and they furtively scuttled past, finding purchase on the grass.
The little group made their way with difficulty. How far was the sea? Would they last? Colbert urged them on and finally, after scuttling across the cobblestones of the parking lot, the roar of the ocean was unmistakeable. They had made it!
Colbert, the crayfish, was given the highest accolade ever received in the annals of the little community. He had succeeded where no other had succeeded before. He had acted quickly and bravely and saved the lives of this grateful little group of stragglers. He was a hero!