We Take Flight
Although the sky is the same all over, I swear out here it was darker. Darker and a nasty shade of navy blue. Sounds the like I have not encountered before caused me to twitch and jump. The moon, what there was of it, shone so dimly that I found it more than tricky to keep sight of Eadgard.
Wirt mumbled and grumbled at just about everything, and I caught a familiar name spat out here and there. Loud enough for Marcellus to hear his moniker spoke between profanities. I turned from time to time in the hope of engaging Wirt’s eye and giving him a look of friendliness, but the black we moved in all but obliterated his shape.
A shriek as shrill and loud as a bub in a hissy, scratched into our ears and Eadgard told us to fall down until he gave the signal all clear. I tasted dust and curled into a ball hoping Wirt would do the same. The raptor shrieks came close and I swear I felt the rush of wind across my back from wings flapping nearer than I would have liked.
Turning my head to the side, I saw the earth around me swirl as talons plucked the ground. I made myself smaller, buried my head in my hands and waited for the hideous creatures to leave. Their screeches swept across my squidged up form and I was almost close to giving way to a fearful scream when their sound dissolved into the diminishing night.
Slowly lifting my head I saw Eadgard rise from the ground. “All gone. Get up,” he said and reluctantly we did. “Come, we must continue forth.”
Swiping away the dust from my clothes, I straightened and felt Wirt engirdle my waist with his arm. I was glad to have it there and even gladder that he had ceased to be all crisscross with me.
Eadgard waved us on and we. I turned and saw Marcellus walk a few paces behind and smiled for no reason. He returned my gesture with a grin that made his face appear strong and friendly all at the same time. Wirt noticed my gaze, made a snort and pulled me to face the front. On we tramped through the ash to where only Eadgard knew.
Clouds heavied the sky and our only source of illumination went out. “Stop. Do not move until I furnish us with luminance until the sun rises, which cannot be much longer now.”
I heard a crack and hissing noise and in an instant all was bright. Eadgard held up the dandiest torch lamp and it illuminated our way as though the sun was shining through it. Even though the only thing it shined upon was dirt and dust.
“We are here,” Eadgard said and shone the lamp upon a humungous grey flat wall.
“I have a feeling vile about this place,” Wirt whispered into my left ear.
“Don’t be such a bubs. I’m sure all will be as fine as a kittle close to sleep.”
“When we enter you must not look directly at the light in front of you. It is not for viewing. It is a slight malfunction of the overall ambient lighting that was issued to these crafts as a prototype. This particular model broke. Unfortunately, there was not time to mend it. It dazzles, be warned.”
“So, I am a bubs am I?”
“Step back whilst I enter the code,” Eadgard said and produced a small black thingamabob from his leg band. We inched closer gathering so near his shoulder that he almost lost his balance. “Did I not inform you to step back?” We did. “And do not watch as I tap.” We did not.
A whoosh like that from a raptor swooping filled our ears and blew across our faces as the wall slid apart to reveal a grey corridor. At the end was a blinding white light that seemed to hover above the floor.
“Do not look into it. Bend your heads and follow my feet.”
Eadgard led the way, head lowered so as not to peer into the brightness. We three entered also. Wirt made sure that I was next to the Clonie and stayed close to my side as we walked. He shielded his face with his hand and Marcellus produced a pair of shades and put them on. I chose to look upon the floor and thus we stepped gingerly along the metal corridor.
It was a wide passage, smooth and devoid of any ornament. I could not get a goodly look since my eyes saw mostly ground and other people’s feet, but the air was stale and somewhat warm. The white radiance became brighter the nearer we got to it. I could feel its heat upon my exposed neck and put my hand against my nape to prevent further scorching of my flesh. Although I longed to lift my head, I heeded well the caution Eadgard spoke of and kept my gander down.
“Halt and keep your eyes averted from the source. I am about to attempt to shut it down,” Eadgard said and we stopped. I heard a tip-tapping like when he punched in some numbers on his thingy outside and the light went out. “Now you can look.”
I did and saw that I was standing next to the light that had so dazzled us. It was big and round and jutted out from the wall and if I were in a playful mood, I would have hid behind it and let the others try to find me. I turned my gaze to straight ahead and let my mouth drop open for a sec. Behind a square opening, was the cockpit of an aircraft. I dimly remembered seeing a vid of said space in ancienthistory class. I was not so overawed by the switches and knobs back then, but seeing such tech in the flesh, as it were, caused my heart to flip-flop.
The control panel that stretched right across beneath the front window, was filled with dials and buttons and screens displaying who knows what. In the middle of the dashboard was a big metal handle jutting out in a horizontal fashion. Two big, black, padded chairs faced said controls and each had small levers attached to the side. Behind those seats were three more. They were not so comfy looking, being less padded and a garish shade of green. Wirt grabbed my arm and I his and together, as if we were as one, we said, “Metal birdybird!”
“Must you speak in infant babble?” Eadgard said.
We peered into the room and Marcellus pushed his head between ours. “This something rare. We never see jetliner before. Heard one once we think. Few moon cycles ago. About time we first see Eadgard. Vea said big boom noise was plane, like we see in one of vidramas. We thought her full of quip and did not take her words seriously. Now we see all this, realise how wise a female she is. We are in awe, we are in joy. We are in fear also, we think.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure it is all-new and wondrous, but there is no time for all this chatter. Please quieten your thoughts and mouths and each take a seat.”
Marcellus entered the room first and went directly to one of the comfy chairs. We followed and when Marcellus went to sit down, Eadgard stormed in and said, “Not the seat on the left, that is the captain’s chair, which is mine.” Marcellus shuffled over to the adjacent seat. “Not the one next to it either. That is the co-pilot’s chair. You may sit in any of the green ones behind.”
The Clonie grunted and plonked himself down in the middle of the three rear seats. Eadgard sat in his captain’s place and strapped himself into the high backed black chair. He faced the row of dials and knobs and levers and things I didn’t even know existed, and began to fiddle with them in a most expertly way. I sat to the right of Marcellus and Wirt sat to his left behind Eadgard. Although the seats did not look to be as padded as the ones in front, once my butt touched down upon them they felt as comfy as a mumsy’s lap.
“Do as I have just done and put your safety belt on. As you can see from the window, night is fading fast and daybreak is but a whisper away. Once the sky is lit we will be on our way. Do not be alarmed too much by what will happen next. Expect much noise and vibration. And please, Wirt, attempt to keep your mouth shut and not to shriek in terror when we leave the ground.”
“Do not concern yerself with my behaviour. I am used to being high up. I’ve been climbing trees since I could use my legs and feet.”
“Glad to know you have a head for heights. For those who may not, there is a sturdy container stuck underneath your seat. Please use it to throw up in and not barf all over the place.”
At that point, I began to pop with tiny beads of perspiration. Wirt noticed my pale demeanour and held onto my hand. Marcellus gripped onto the arms of his chair. I saw the side of his neck show signs of anxious too. As drops of wet slid down, I smelt the pungent stench of sweaty fear escape from his direction. I looked to the glass in front and saw the dark sky lighten. Through a crack in the grey clouds, the sun appeared and as the outside world began to brighten, I made myself ready for flight by stiffening every muscle in my already tense body.
“All ready?”
“Ay Captain, all ready,” said Wirt all loud and fearless.
“Good. Hold on if you need to. We are taking off in…Three, two, now!”
Eadgard pressed and pushed and prodded all manner of protuberances and the flying machine began to hum and judder. My insides flipped and floundered, and I leant well back into my seat. The growling roar of what must have been the engines firing up, filled my entire body with their infernal racket. If my fingers had not been so busy clinging onto Wirt’s forearm, I would have plunged them into my aching ears.
All tense I held my breath as the thing began to move and heard another noise above the din, a thin and whining sound like a bub that had fallen and scraped its knee. I managed to turn my head and look at Wirt to see if he were making it, but his mouth was all upturned and he was leaning forward with a look of utter joy upon his face. I cocked my ear towards Marcellus and found the source of whimper. Like me, he was afraid and found it impossible to hide the fact.
In an attempt to dispel my terror I looked out of the window to my side, but could not help mewl like Marcellus when the solid ground below was replaced by nowt but air. Dear Wirt was quicker than a hunter spider after a fly, and had the puke sac under my chin before I even knew I was to barf. I let all that I had eaten for the past few days escape my quivering tum and slumped against the headrest.
Marcellus’s right hand dug into the back of Eadgard’s chair whilst his left did the same to the co-pilot’s. His bulk was hunched between the two front seats and my ears caught the sound of what can only be described as a loud and viscous chunder.
“I am going to have to ask you to clean that up. I can’t quite see the instruments for the film of vomit you have managed to cover them with.”
Then I saw Marcellus’s back convulse and heard him give the control panel one more goodly coat.