Cloud Riders (10 page)

"Mate, maybe I should go down one. Anything in there wouldn't see me for sure. I'd disappear in the darkness."

Paul's heart leaped with relief. Will wanted to help. “You cold, Will?"

"No. You, mate?"

"No. I felt the heat from Kid Badd's laser shots, but that's all the temperature I've felt up here. You feel the Kid's shots?"

"Yeah. That's a game I'd like to avoid, I'm thinking. Nothing like it has happened in—"

"I know. Five years."

"I am not going in there,” Reshape the mouse said in a wee speeded-up voice. “I am busy. Please walk on me.” He became a golden carpet with a suddenness usually reserved for dreams. “I'll lay here."

Isno jumped onto the golden weave and sniffed, circled and lay down for a snooze. The carpet rippled and bucked Isno into the air, who loudly gave his best cat-protest.

"You, Will and Isno are within your parallel-imagined world, Paul. Imagine a solution,” the carpet said.

The rug became a drop of water and flew like a wind-blown raindrop onto the far wall, cascaded down and disappeared into an ice crack, Isno's tongue almost catching him.

"Not sure I'm believing this, don't you know, mate,” Will said, shaking his head. “If you're dreaming all this stuff up, you might just imagine Holly and Vicki here, then like imagine us home."

"I think I imagine only for myself, Will. I don't seem to have much control over what happens yet.” Paul looked into Will's dark brown eyes. “Honest."

"Paulie! Please help me! Please! Please!” Vicki cried from somewhere deep within the castle.

"I'm coming!” Paul hollered, his voice bouncing off the corridor walls and coming back as if rejected. There had to be a way for him to search the lightless passageways. Reshape remained hidden. Paul didn't want to endanger Will, being as Vicki and not Holly needed saving at the moment.

"Paulie!” Vicki's panicked cry came to him. “Help me! Hurry! Please!"

Paul thought of running down one of the hallways. But if it turned out to be a Kid Badd trap, where would that leave Vicki? He had to do something and fast. He sat, his back against the wall, not feeling the cold or wet which surely must exist if ice were anything like on Earth. His brow furled into a frown. He had to figure out any way to safely search the two lightless passageways. Creatures might lurk in the darkness; creatures who might end his investigation in a most undesirable way, death. There could be snakes and spiders of the most poisonous variety; not to mention cloud predators who fed on those who wandered into their darkness.

Vile Extinction's nasty voice would probably warn him if her son waited to ambush Will, Isno or himself. Here on the ground floor of the Horrid Ice Castle there would be no way to duck Kid Badd's laser shot. Reshape still hid in an ice crack above Paul's head, totally safe. After all, a drop of water could cleverly avoid a death ray and his responsibilities as their guide at the same time.

Will and Isno waited for Paul's instructions. With great effort, Paul refrained from inventing new swearwords for the situation.

"Let me go!” Vicki's voice came through one of the ice walls to torment Paul. “No, don't!"

Where did her voice come from?

"How come you're just sitting there, mate?” Will asked. “I thought you said we needed to search the passageways. I can take off my clothes and be invisible in the dark, don't you know."

"Got to save you to find Holly,” Paul said.

"You sit there thinking while even I can hear your sister. Boy are you puzzling. It's taken me
five
years to get here and you—"

Isno cocked his head and studied his human. “Next where?"

Mind numbness spread through Paul's head. If only Vicki would walk out of one of the dark passageways and sit beside him to discuss a way to search the lightless hallways. ‘Sis, how would you suggest I search for you? Maybe you could go with me to find you.’ He shook his head and smiled. He hoped Reshape wouldn't change into a psychiatrist and read his thoughts.

"Now home go?” Isno said. “Outside go? Next where?” he insisted, a sharp cat annoyance coloring his tone.

For the moment, Paul didn't care to respond to Isno nor Will.
This is MY parallel imagined life! I'd give an arm or leg to figure out how to save her. Wait a minute.
Therein hid an idea. This parallel-imagined-life of his perhaps had uses he hadn't thought about before. What would it be like if his arms and legs could see? They could fly off into the passageways to search for any danger. He'd heard of remote viewing, where the mind could travel and see distant objects. His feet could stomp on any poisonous creatures while his body remained perfectly safe. Legs and arms would present a smaller target if Kid Badd hid in the darkness. His hands could sneak behind monsters. They could slap away any flying tormentor. He could see an arm and leg whack the back of Kid Badd's head, causing his green eyes to pop out, bounce on the floor and set off his laser, which would shoot Badd in a most unfortunate accident. He smiled at the thought for a second, then returned his mind to the job at hand—saving Vicki.

Isno hissed, demanding attention. “No cat speak?"

"Sorry, Isno.” Lips pursed, brow wrinkled, Paul kept his eyes focused on the passageway entrances. “Just trying to figure out where we go next."

"No Will speak?” Will said, trying to imitate the cat's voice and failing miserably. “Come on, mate. Let's go! I could blend into the darkness, I'm thinking. I could give it a go, mate. I could try, don't you know."

Paul picked his words carefully. “Will, how would you handle a poison snake? A tiger? Kid Badd? How would you save Holly then?"

Will opened his mouth but no words came.

"And you'd be naked as Isno,” Paul added. “You might run into a girl."

"I don't want to get killed by no snake or eaten by no tiger, I'm thinking. Or drilled by any kid with fire shooting eyes, you best believe. I didn't think about running into girls, I got to tell you honestly. I just wanted you to do something, kind of."

Perhaps Reshape listened to Paul's thoughts from his ice crack. Maybe he could whisper a clue on how to solve Paul's plight—a solution or plan of action. He listened carefully but couldn't hear any more of Vicki's cries. Then a determination came over him like never happened before. This parallel-imagined-life belonged to HIM. Not Reshape nor Will nor Isno nor Silk nor Blanch nor Huff nor even Vicki. He shut his eyes and would do the first thing that came to mind. Period. End of story.

What happened next changed Paul's life forever.

[Back to Table of Contents]

Paul's first thought proved odd, different, and silly as any he ever perceived. He imagined his arms pulling loose from his body and going to the window slits to peer out to search for Kid Badd. At the same time he imagined his legs separating from his body and zoom a hundred miles an hour, each propelled down one lightless corridor. The speed protected his limbs from the nightmare beasts and green laser shots crowding his mind. He visualized fanged creatures saying to one another, “What the heck was that?"

Silly thinking. But... doable. What about his clothes ripping apart? Once torn to shreds all the thread in cloudland couldn't sew them back together. Only one answer, the sleeves and pant legs would have to accompany their occupiers. This, his first thought, took less than a second of his time. What had Maken Fairchild said? ‘Make it happen!'

Startled, Paul felt a tug and his limbs pulled away from his body, taking shirt sleeves and pant legs with them without a hint of tearing. He waited for the pain of separation, but it never came, mentally or physically. After all, he didn't lose his appendages, he merely loaned them out. His right leg flew down the right hall; his left zoomed into the other, feet first as guides. His arms traveled to the windows and grabbed onto the icicle bars. His torso fell flat on its back without arms or legs.

Limb separation proved curious, bringing a lightness of body and command of his limbs even though remotely. Wonder over his accomplishment didn't enter his thinking, nor did remorse.

"Blimey, mate!” Will stood frozen, eyes wide and his mouth open. He clamped his mouth shut and smiled, then frowned, ending with a lip stretching grimace. Will held his breath and jumped next to Paul's torso. “Mate, you aren't going to travel far without arms or legs, I'm thinking. I got your back, like for sure.” Will's face turned into one of defiance, looking around the room, as if to dare anyone to approach Paul's helpless body. “Like, how'd you do that? Blimey, they coming back?"

"Legs go arms?’ Isno rubbed his thick hair against Paul's side and purred.

Will's foot pushed the cat aside. “Stay away from him, I'm thinking, Isno cat. You could hurt him accidental like, don't you know.” Will stared down at Paul. “Mate, are you going to be able to get them back for sure? You're scaring me."

Isno curled his lips to expose the considerable length of his fangs and glared at Will's foot. “Foot bite!"

"Fellows!” Paul cried. “Isno isn't hurting me, Will. And I totally dig that you're guarding me, because you're right about not going anywhere. I'm in no position to duck, so if Kid Badd shows up, distract him, okay?"

"Mate, what are you going to do without legs and arms like? I'm thinking if your Kid Badd pays us a jolly visit, we're toast."

The only way Paul could focus on remote viewing would be to ignore the clamor of his companions. Perhaps his legs and arms might escape and cloud ride their way back to Earth, laughing and joking—We got it made, not to have a body to drag around anymore.

Paul looked at his pants and thought it interesting his trouser legs had departed without tearing the cloth, leaving behind a surgical cut. He twisted his head and looked at his shoulders and found his shirtsleeves had departed with his arms without tearing or fraying. His heartbeat didn't slow and he wondered if it missed pumping blood to his limbs; or needed to speed up to push his life-giving liquid to their remote locations. He looked for a blood trail and none led to the passageway entrances or windows. This had to be much safer than sending a body into the darkness, vulnerable to whatever waited within. But would it work?

Beside Paul, Reshape materialized as a round person in a brown monk's robe, his face red and oval. Will spread his arms wide in an obvious effort to protect Paul's torso.

The monk knelt to pray, and intoned a mantra, “Meyou meeye ubetcha” He transformed faster then eyes could follow. In place of the praying monk, a miniature bug ran in a circle on the ceiling just out of the reach of Isno, who followed his every move. Wee laughter came from between its tiny antennae. “Blessed be those who sacrifice arms and legs for their siblings."

Isno leaped and his right paw claw hit the ceiling next to Reshape. The cat arched his back, performed a perfect summersault and landed expertly on his four feet.

Reshape instantly changed into a translucent ghost without substance for Isno to grab onto. “I forgot why your human named you Isno Gravity.” He laughed. “Be careful not to get between your human's body and where his limbs were once attached, Isno Gravity. They will return and take more lives than you might wish to give up.” Almost as an afterthought he added, “Willis, drop your arms and move away. I will protect the body, I am your guide,” he explained, imitating a mother teaching her child to walk. “Thank you for protecting Paul. It is appreciated and I shall remember you in my prayers."

"Day strange,” Isno said, his eyes dividing their time between trying to find Reshape the ghost and keeping track of Will's shoes so to see an oncoming kick-lift.

Will stood his ground. “Like, I'm here and I'm going to do my duty, mate.” His arms folded across his chest and he didn't seem the least bit fearful of the ghost. “Blimey, you pulling me? You're a darn ghost. What can you do to protect anyone? Makes you useless, kind of, doesn't it.” Will tried to look into the eyes of the apparition, but it had become a human-sized dragon. He balled up his fists and punched the beast on the nose and it disappeared into a fireball, consuming itself.

Reshape reformed into a red-lipped smile and floated in the air above Paul's body. “I'm impressed,” the lips said in a sultry lady's voice.

A new dimension had been added through Paul's departed appendages. A remote viewing unaided by his physical eyes reported back to brain control. From one barred window his left hand searched the landscape for the possible approach of Kid Badd. His right hand stood lookout from between another slit's stalagmite-stalactite ice bars, watching Silk, Blanch and Huff. Paul heard Silk talking to Blanch, but couldn't make out what they were talking about. So his arms could also hear. The cloud rides seemed content in their wait, playing a game of I bump you-you bump me.

Paul's left leg glided into the lightless left corridor's back wall. It moved forward again and again, refusing to accept the end of its journey; a brave leg, unafraid and determined to push through the ice barrier, but frustrated in its effort.

In the other passageway, his right leg found a door near the end. The limb tried to open it and found itself unable to twist the handle because of its shoe. Beyond the door the leg heard indefinable sounds. Human? Animal? It drew back to give the door a kick and Paul mind-stopped it mid blow.
Knock when I'm with you, not now.

Paul wished to become whole again. “Come back my friends.” His body parts flew back and plugged into his torso, his pants legs and shirt sleeves becoming whole again with no signs of their parting.

At the limb return, Isno leaped aside with a spitting hiss. Will ducked, barely avoiding a collision with Paul's left leg. The crash might have proved fatal to one or both of them.

Paul shook his arms and legs to see if they would fall off. The stress creasing his forehead disappeared and he smiled. Everything stayed in place, felt fine and resumed their normal duties.

Reshape turned into a rainbow colored octopus to have fun with Isno, who didn't like anything with so many sucker covered arms. “Come play, Isno. Let me sucker you in."