Cloud Riders (21 page)

Coming ever closer to the top, Paul and Vicki clung to each other as they were forced to stop and rest. Paul tried his best to hide his battle to draw in enough breath. The harder he tried to disguise his winded condition, the worse it became. He slipped in the loose mulch and remained upright, determined not to allow this hillside to defeat him.

"Paulie, are you all right?"

"Yeah... you... rest... and... I... will... wait,” Paul gasped in his best appear-to-be-unaffected voice. He tried to imagine himself into Superman, but found his reality remained a winded boy about to get an ‘F’ on his survival report card.

"We better rest a minute so I can catch my breath,” Vicki said with a smile, adding, “Maybe your ankle will be okay soon too."

"We sure... could use... Reshape as a..."

"Ambulance?"

"Too logical a shape... for him... “ Paul's breath slowly became less labored. “Is my ankle feeling better?"

"Your ankle is still refusing to cooperate. I bet it hurts."

Perhaps his parallel-imagined-life reality didn't actually exist and the whole sky adventure had all been a dream. He helped Vicki to her feet and they climbed for several minutes.

"Look!” Vicki pointed toward the crest of the hill, her voice jubilant. “Behind that big bush!"

Above them, hidden behind a weather-beaten shrub, a ledge stuck out from the hillside. They climbed several more feet. To the rear of the ledge they could see the dark outline of a cave entrance. Paul thought the ledge seemed to be a tongue stuck out from the cave, inviting them to be its meal. So, what waited for them in the cave?

Vicki sagged and pulled away from him. “Could we stop a minute?” She allowed her right foot to contact the ground; she let out a short shriek and shifted her weight back onto her good leg.

Paul looked toward the ledge. The cave seemed miles away, yet only fifty or so yards separated them from it. His feet slipped on the mulch and they fell to the soggy ground like two trees suffering the effects of a chainsaw.

"I've got to try something.” He supported himself with his arms and spun his body around so his feet pointed toward the ledge.

He imagined his right arm flying to the cave opening. Vicki laughed as it shot upward deserting his body—his shoulder fell to the forest floor, almost turning him onto his side. The arm stayed close to the slope and flew to the cavern entrance, his sleeve flapping. The brave arm soared inside to make a survey of the interior. The fearless arm came to an abrupt stop in front of two glowing eyes. After a few moments its sensing capabilities adjusted to the darkness. Into its view came a large brown bear.

Paul remembered his cloud kicking legs and focused on sending a leg to help. The right leg detached and flew up the hill, pant leg and all. It sped into the cave to backup his right arm. The limbs bravely faced the huge fur-covered creature. Paul's experience with Claude Nab made this creature seem small in comparison. His heroic leg hugged the cave wall and snuck behind the bear while the animal's eyes concentrated on the arm, perhaps seeing it as something to eat. The right leg pulled back and rushed forward, its foot delivering a powerful blow to the bear's behind. The animal blinked, turned and roared, but the leg hugged the wall to hide. The bear turned and jumped forward. Paul's arm ducked as his foot delivered another kick, which gave the bear the necessary encouragement to leap out of the cave. The creature tried to look backward for what attacked him.

Being flat on his back, deprived of his right arm and leg could turn Paul and Vicki into bear food. He held onto Vicki and flipped over onto his stomach so they could crawl behind a tree. Having only a left arm and leg caused him to scoot in a circle. Vicki watched in helpless wonder.

His right leg and arm swooped toward him and plugged back into his body. “Welcome home, buddies.” He stood and shook his limbs to test their attachment.

The bear had no interest in them. It sprinted deeper into the forest, looking rearward. It ran into a tree, bounced off and resumed its plunge down the hill, unaware that what had assaulted its furry behind no longer pursued.

Paul stood and reached for Vicki's arm. She grasped his hand and he pulled her onto her good leg. She gasped when he lifted her into his arms, turned and, for balance, started to hike backwards up the hill. The experience had given him renewed strength.

They entered the cave interior without hesitation. Any danger had already been explored and expelled. Paul's thought of the bear bouncing off the tree, and patted his heroic right leg with his heroic right hand.

The bear's smell lingered, as the last light from the sinking sun filtered into the recess. Darkness of night closed in on them. To keep warm, Paul and Vicki huddled together. The adventure swirled inside Paul's head, and he relived riding on Silk, the unicorn soaring toward the Horrid Ice Castle in the golden cloud, rushing him toward Vicki. Reshape reshaped and Kid Badd shot his green lasers at him, barely missing Paul. He could see it, feel it, relive the storm, and their fall back to Earth. His adventure faded into an exhausted sleep.

Morning light awoke them. Vicki's ankle had shrunk to near normal size. They went outside the cave and peered up through the treetops to the clear, blue and cloudless sky.

Paul surveyed their position. Hills, trees, bushes and mulch.

Whrump! Whrump! Whrump!
Over the treetops, about a mile away, a white helicopter. Paul could barely make out the sheriff star on its side.

"Over here!” Vicki shrieked at it.

Paul jumped and shouted, “Down on the ledge! Help us!"

[Back to Table of Contents]

Paul and Vicki waved their arms in a universal signal for help. The helicopter veered off and flew away from them. As the
whrump-whrump
faded into the distance, Paul gave serious consideration to sending an arm after it, but the distance convinced him such a move unwise. He didn't want to lose either of his brave and trusted arms.

"I don't think he saw us. We might be in trouble,” Vicki said. “Oh, Paulie."

Looking out over the forest, Paul didn't want her to know he totally agreed with her. Instead of saying ‘You're right, Sis, all hope is lost!', he said, “I'm pretty sure it was a police helicopter. The only reason it would come into the forest this far is because they're searching for us."

"I bet dad is leading them,” Vicki said. “Probably giving them lessons on how not to give up,” she said cheerfully, no doubt disguising her utter disappointment at seeing the helicopter fly off.

"Leading, but letting the police think they are,” Paul said, and gave her hand a squeeze. “You realize all the amazing things we've lived through?” He smiled. “Especially the legs and arms thing."

"I know. I think we better keep that to ourselves."

"Yeah. Now I know how UFO spotters must feel."

"I bet the aliens on a UFO don't have arms and legs that fly off,” Vicki said, giving her ankle a test. She smiled. “But you never know."

Paul helped her to the ground and sat beside her. They had a different relationship than when his cloud-riding first started. Now Vicki had a big brother worthy of the title ‘protector', one who could do things no other could. Or did he delude himself? His stomach rumbled. “I think pretty soon we'll have to try to eat some of the plants around here and hope they're not poison."

"We need water first."

"Guess I can try to eat some of the leaves off the bushes, and if they don't make me sick or kill me, then you can eat some,” he suggested. “There must be water in the leaves. Rainwater has to go somewhere."

"If it kills you, it can kill me at the same time,” she said in a defiant voice.

Her smile made Paul think of Fawn, knowing there existed the very real possibility he'd never see her again. Or Will. Or Isno.

They found water on the lower branches of the bush in front of the ledge, the liquid warm and evaporating. The captured moisture beaded on their fingertips as they transferred it to their lips. The leaves began to look delicious to both of them, but Vicki suggested they wait one more night before trying to eat them.

Nightfall came and they huddled in the cave. Paul imagined a bonfire. He could see the warm flames rising from the piled wood, his vision strong. No bonfire appeared. Shivering, he drew Vicki close to him, determined to transfer his remaining body heat to her. He sighed. The only imagination gift he had brought to his Earth existence were legs and arms which could fly off and search a cave, kick bears in the rump, and an ability to talk to snakes and foxes. He could send out his arms and legs, but they seemed more suited to remote viewing than gathering food. Perhaps as a last resort his limbs could search out some berries or mushrooms. What was the difference between a mushroom and a toadstool? If he didn't know, would his arms and legs?

He slept fitfully. The nightmarish form of Claude Nab lifted Vicki in one hand. She kicked and flailed trying to escape the huge gorilla form. Paul realized he struggled inside a dream and tried to wake up.

"Paulie, help me!” Vicki called out in panic. His dream state wouldn't relinquish its hold.

"Yes,
Paulie
,
” the gorilla mimicked. Paul's name had been snarled as if garbage needing to be thrown out. “Did you think you defeated
me
?"

The morning light streaming into the cave awakened Paul and he turned to tell Vicki of his dream.

Once again he had lost his sister.

Outside on the cave apron, Paul shielded his eyes with one hand until they adjusted to the brightness of the low morning sun. The branches far above his head whispered and a cricket chirped. He tried to keep panic out of his voice. “Vicki! You okay?"

Back in the cave, he checked every corner and crevice for a possible hidden passageway she might have wandered into during the darkness of night. Stupid. He knew her whereabouts. Up in the sky inside the clutching captivity of an oversized gorilla hand belonging to one Claude Nab.

All the missing people in his life paraded across his psyche like lost soldiers, victims of his own imagination. Vicki, Dawn, Will, Silk and Isno too, who might as well be human. He sat with his head cradled against the heels of his hands. He grinned, glad Reshape's absence saved him from being bugged about saving the solar system. Given some time to evaluate, Paul knew one of Reshape's changing forms would figure out a mistake had been made. Didn't they have scientists and astronauts better suited to save the solar system?

Lips pressed together, his brow wrinkled, he felt incensed at the powers of Calamity Horrid's kidnapping gorilla pet. He purposely thought of Fawn and Isno's abandonment, blown away by treachery and deceit of a malevolent sky. How did Will's mission to save Holly come off? Paul's face reddened with outrage, recalling Reshape, their supposed guide, leaving them in the clutches of the merciless storm. His unicorn cloud now a ghost rider in the sky, torn apart and dismissed like an old vehicle stripped for parts. Slowly, a question evolved. Why am I sitting here when action needs to be taken? Anger had a useful way of energizing to action and he used it. What did his dad say? ‘Use emotion, do not allow it to use you.’ Paul jumped to his feet and strode out of the cave.

Gazing into the cloudless sky, he had to smile at the irony. The game had started with his parallel-imagined-life upon a unicorn cloud named Silk. Now that he knew he had to return to the sky, the cloudless day definitely limited his riding plans. Paul concentrated on creating a cloud and waited for one to materialize. Far above him, barely visible, a tiny speck appeared. He stared at it, studying its progress across the high blue sky. Perhaps a passenger plane? Maybe imagining himself aboard the airplane would give him a chance to search for a cloud to ride. There seemed no reason why his parallel-imagined-life had to be launched from the ground; it probably could be initiated from inside an aircraft as well. He closed his eyes and saw himself aboard, leaning back in a window seat, scanning the sky for a riding cloud. It didn't work.

High above, the airplane flew over his head and slowly disappeared. Then he saw a tiny cloud puff. He stared at it and visualized himself being on top, giving directions to find a larger mount.

"Oh my gosh, do not go there,” Reshape's voice ordered. “That leftover bit of water vapor cannot carry you."

The fox from yesterday stood motionless between two clumps of ferns, almost hidden from view. It appeared not so much frightened as curious. “Listen carefully, Paul, because this fox is about to escape down the hill and I will be going with him."

Paul froze, his gaze transfixed on the fox's eyes, considering whether Reshape occupied the critter or was the animal itself.

"Distressing as it might be, there is a mission more important than finding your sister. Our solar system is being invaded by Vile Extinction and our very existence is in great danger.” The fox's head cocked and returned Paul's stare.

"Can you tell me about Kid Badd?” Paul thought it worth a shot before he actually returned to the sky. “Is he waiting to attack me?"

The fox's eyes blinked. “I believe Maken Fairchild is the only human to take a Kid Badd laser shot and survive."

"What has that to do with me? Is Kid Badd waiting to shoot
me
out of the sky?"

"There might not be a sky as you know it after Vile oozes out of her hole. Her two suns added to our sun would cook our solar system. Remember, a cooked solar system, no Vicki. No Fawn. Come on, Paul, I cannot hold this wild smelly fur thing for much longer. Do you understand my message?"

"Did you understand my question?” Paul glanced skyward and saw the whiff of cloud no longer existed. “Wonderful.” He lowered his gaze without moving his head and whispered, “You want me to save the solar system from here, I guess. By the way, how come you're in the fox and not the fox itself? So on the ground you can't change shape? Or, have a shape?"

"Precisely."

"So, on the ground you're Maken Fairchild, and in the sky you're Reshape. I got that right?"