Cloud Riders (29 page)

"Give me that!” Calamity Horrid screeched. She dived and clutched at his trouser pocket.

Startled, Paul instinctively sidestepped Calamity's attack. He pictured Calamity Horrid crashing into a nearby yellow-handled cabinet, knocking it over upon herself.

Imagination automatically turned the situation into his reality. Calamity tripped over her feet and fell headlong into the cabinet. The doors bumped open. Inside, a yellow glow showed a tumbling mass of yellow creatures fighting to come out, unaware the doors hung open for them to escape.

Paul watched in awe as his wishes became reality. He envisioned the flock of bright yellow birds to be bat-like creatures he had pictured earlier, diving out of their glowing cabinet and flying directly at Calamity, biting and nibbling at her hair.

Calamity shrank and dove under a nearby green-handled cabinet. The yellow creatures flew in a V formation, circled the massive weapon warehouse and plunged into Calamity's hiding place. She shrieked and grew into a giant size, the cabinet stuck to her back, her bulk pushing it high off the floor.

Paul jumped back several steps, bumped into Will and sucked in a large breath. He thought about how nice it would be if the yellow bat-birds returned to their home. Instead, they flew in tight formation directly at him and Will. He covered his face with both arms and sidestepped. “Not me you dumb bird bats!"

The move left Will exposed for a second before he jumped behind Paul again.

The formation swooped upward and circled the storehouse, taking a victory lap before they dived into the yellow glow of their cabinet prison. The doors slammed shut, the handles turned to lock them inside, and the locker evaporated into nothingness.

Paul wrinkled his brow, trying to determine how his parallel-imagined-life turned into someone else's when the bat-birds decided to charge at his head. It dawned on him that he might control his situation but, in return, the situation also controlled him. He watched Calamity as she regained her feet and grew, becoming a giant awaking from a long sleep—a very angry giant. A shiver ran down his back. His conclusion of whose reality now existed frightened him.

Calamity Horrid abruptly shrank to Paul's size. “Little boy, go save our solar system before I decide to—"

Paul had enough of Calamity. “Oh, Calamity, put a sock in it.” Paul imagined Calamity's crooked mouth stuffed with thick winter hosiery.

Calamity spit out the sudden insertion and sputtered, “You're going to need me!” The words were hot, and then cooled. She whimpered, “You're going to need me."

"Yeah, okay,” Paul said. Flashes of how a fourteen-year-old speck saves a whole solar system slapped at his mind. Yeah, sure. Where in heck did Reshape disappear to? Vicki and Fawn? Claude Nab? Isno? Everyone except for Will. His only help consisted of a talkative friend and a strange woman of changeable sizes and moods. He looked at Calamity, then at Will. “Guess it's just us."

"And me!” came a harsh voice.

Standing with his feet apart, balled up meaty fists hanging at his side, a huge boy stood between Paul and the exit doorway. Heavily muscled and unsmiling, the same height as Will, he had to be twice as broad. Paul recognized him at once.

"Buster Lanson,” Paul said to his earthbound schoolyard bully nemesis. “So, Buster, you come to help?"

"Bruiser,” the boy said in a growl very familiar to Paul. “Manly. It's Bruiser Manly, shrimp.” His mouth pinched tight. “I'll call you Paul and you call me Bruiser. You got that, shrimp?"

"Shrimp? I thought you were going to call me Paul."

Will nudged Paul in the back. “Mate, I'm thinking you don't need to get this kid angry. Kind of looks like he could make mincemeat of us both, I'm thinking."

Paul turned to Will. “I knew him as Buster Lanson back on Earth. I don't much care what he calls himself now.” He glanced at Calamity Horrid, who seemed bored. He turned back to Bruiser. “So you're one of the weapons? Where's your locker?"

"My, aren't we the smart one. Answer me this, shrimp. If you're so smart, how come you need to learn the simplest lesson ever invented for fighting? You simpleton shrimp.” Bruiser's chin pushed forward and his eyes became a challenging glare. Flexing fists left little doubt nothing in the sky world would please him more than to use Paul as a punching bag.

The huge boy he knew on Earth as Buster Lanson wanted him to attack. However, this Paul Winsome wasn't the same boy he bullied on Earth—this bully was tiny compared to the bully monsters Paul had already faced.

The most elementary lesson to avoid a bully attack was to not react to taunts. Besides, Will could help him put an end to Bruiser's bullying ways. And what if Calamity Horrid grew and scared the fight right out of Bruiser? Paul liked his odds better and better. “So, Bruiser Manly is your name up here, huh, Buster Lanson?"

"What are you talking about, shrimp?"

"Your name is Buster Lanson back at school.” Paul frowned. “And my name is Paul, not shrimp.” Another thought shifted his focus. “Reshape?"

Bruiser's face turned red, veins stood out on his neck and his eyes squinted. “You're stupid, shrimp, if you think I can change into another shape. Reshape? Are you kidding me? Are you really that stupid, shrimp?” Bruiser's fists clenched so tight his knuckles appeared to be trying to escape their skin.

"A bully by any name is the same everywhere. Call yourself Claude Nab or Bruiser Manly or Buster Lanson or Calamity Horrid—"

"Watch it!” Calamity warned Paul.

"Take Paul on and you like got two of us to deal with for sure!” Will warned Bruiser.

"Who's your black friend?” Bruiser rumbled. “Think he's going to help you, shrimp? The more the merrier."

"I've been up here five years, big guy, and—” Will started to say.

Bruiser lunged at Paul. His fist slammed into Paul's left cheek, sending him sprawling to Calamity Horrid's feet. Will leaped forward only to have Bruiser's other fist connect with his jaw. He flew backwards skidding onto the deck.

Bright stars exploded inside Paul's head, his jaw sent messages of pain, the possibility of a broken jaw and the real likelihood of missing teeth.

Will slid on his backside, holding his right cheek, a victim of the same ineffectual fighting technique as Paul.

The lesson Paul learned proved irrefutable, do not attack with your chin. He stared up at Calamity Horrid's crooked smile. “Help me."

"I am your friend,” she said pleasantly, her voice a poor imitation of the sound inside the Solar System Saving Storage Locker. “But, apparently, it's your show."

She had delivered the message he needed to hear. This parallel-imagined-life show was his, not hers. He closed his eyes and pictured himself without the consequences of getting his jaw in the way of Bruiser's fist. His eyelids flicked open. He smiled and gave himself a silent cheer. All's well that ends without pain.

"Get up, shrimp.” Bruiser Manly did a boxer's shuffle backward four steps to give him room. “I have to teach you to fight. Get up.” He bobbed, weaved and parried, pantomiming boxing match moves.

Paul jumped to his feet and smiled. “Why'd you hit me, Bruiser?” Paul said, his voice clear and unafraid. “Is that all you got?"

"Don't like get him angrier, don't you know,” Will said. He pushed to his feet and shuffled behind Paul, his demeanor reluctant as a fireman with no water in his hose.

"I don't think you've learned your lesson yet,” Bruiser snarled. He skipped forward. “Fact is, shrimp, I know you haven't."

Paul imagined Bruiser shrinking to the size of a horsefly and increased his smile at the thought.

Bruiser's fist smashed into Paul's face and his other into the foolishly charging Will's stomach.

Day turned into a night filled with fireworks and twirling stars. Paul's mind fought to stay conscious. He had felt that fist before, back on Earth. He tried to rise but his body refused to cooperate.

The light returned to Paul's senses. How come Bruiser hadn't turned into a fly when he imagined it?

Will's voice interrupted Paul's thoughts. “Sorry, mate, kind of too much for me, for sure. He hits real good, don't you know."

"I know."

"Get up, shrimp!” Bruiser commanded. “Get your butt up off that floor. You still haven't learned the lesson I was sent here to teach you. Maybe if I plow one into your stomach it'll help. It seems to have caught your dark friend's attention."

"What lesson?” Paul mumbled in a wounded voice, stalling for time.

"You're a slow learner,” Bruiser taunted. “But don't worry. I'm a very patient teacher, shrimp."

Paul's thoughts sprang to life and survival thinking took over. “Yeah, you're big, Bruiser. But I got a surprise for you. Enjoy.” Paul's right leg detached, shot off and slammed into Bruiser's chin, leather gym shoe first. It pulled back and peppered the astonished boy's jaw with machine gun-like stiff foot jabs. Paul's other leg detached and soared into battle, zoomed behind the bully and kicked him up and down his backside from heel to head, each blow timed to a jab from his leg mate. Bruiser's head and body recoiled from the blows, his arms flailing like windmills to try and block the pounding.

Paul sensed victory. He allowed his arms to depart, take to the air and commence to punch fists into Bruiser's eyes, jaw, nose, belly, hips, legs, arms, knees, feet, and several particularly devastating blows to his crotch. Paul's courageous limbs swarmed and attacked. Several well-placed foot chops to the back of Bruiser's legs dropped him to his knees.

Gazing from his limbless body, Paul grinned. “Now, that's more like it, parallel-imagined-life! Okay, brave lads, return. Job well done.” The savage attack continued. “Hey! Come back to me!” Paul insisted. The attacking limbs seemed oblivious to Paul's command, as they whacked and thumped every exposed part of the defeated bully. “Come back. I am your friend.” Paul laughed.

Bruiser groaned, closed his swollen eyelids and fell onto his back like a knocked-out boxer.

Paul's legs stood tall on Bruiser's stomach. His arms did handstands on his face. The legs jumped once. Paul knew they tested to see if their victim had any fight left. “Stop it! Reattach yourselves. Now!"

Paul's brave limbs returned to their home and gently plugged in, left to left, right to right. His blood rushed through them as if to congratulate on a war well fought. He jumped to his feet and strode over to the beaten oversized boy and stood over him. “So, what about that lesson, big guy?"

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From behind Paul, Will gazed at the fallen attacker. “Bet you lot never saw that coming I'm thinking."

Bruiser peered through swollen eye slits, his bloody mouth open as he sucked in air. “How? What lesson? Oh,” Bruiser sputtered. A swollen smile flickered. “Learn to duck."

"
Duck
! That's it? Learn to duck?” Paul glared at Bruiser. “So I guess the student teaches the teacher, huh?"

"Yeah!” Will said.

Bruiser shut his eyes. “How'd you do that?"

"We all have gifts. Yours is size. Mine is more detached.” Paul smiled. “Mine is an army, yours is just one big soldier."

Harry Winsome's voice stirred in Paul's mind. “
Anyone who gloats over others is demonstrating their own weakness."

Paul looked down at Bruiser. “Sorry, Bruiser. Got carried away a bit with myself, I guess."

"Feet and fists sure got carried away. Oh, I'm toast.” Bruiser's body faded and disappeared.

"Hey, where'd he go? Mate, being ‘round you is kind of like watching a cartoon where anything can happen and, don't you know, always does.” He patted Paul's shoulder. “You and I got to talk about how I can like back you up better, for sure. Seems necessary, kind of. Without arms and legs means your body is helpless, doesn't it?"

"Where's Calamity Horrid?” Paul asked. “Did you see her leave?"

"Maybe, don't you think, she like went with that bully fellow."

Paul didn't answer as he stared at the spot Bruiser had occupied the moment before. The warehouse walls fluttered, wavered out-of-focus and started to dissolve.

Paul visualized Velvet and Blanch outside waiting for them. His body twisted and turned in a storm of illusion. The structure vanished and he found himself upon Velvet. Will had relocated upon Blanch. Calamity Horrid flew behind them, holding onto Velvet's cloud unicorn tail.

"Welcome back to my back, Sir Paul Highness,"
Velvet thoughtspoke.

"Good to be back, Velvet. Why is Calamity Horrid holding onto your tail? Can't she fly on her own? By the way, did you happen to see a big warehouse that was here a minute ago? I swear it just disappeared. It was huge, bigger than a hundred Horrid Ice Castles. Surely you noticed it,” Paul said.

"Perhaps a lesson, Sir Paul Highness. Here when needed, then gone."

"Why does Calamity Horrid hold onto your tail?"

"To keep me from flying away from her, Sir Paul Highness. May I make a suggestion, Sir Paul Highness?"

"Of course."

"Look around you."

An army of well-defined clouds surrounded him. There were horses, zebras, cows, pillows large and small, and friendly shapes too numerous to count. Upon many of the shapes he recognized people who had seemingly disappeared from his life, including Vicki, Fawn, Isno, Claude Nab, and Bruiser Manly.

Will stared, moved his mouth to speak but failed.

Jiggling for attention, a talking rainbow-colored coffee cup materialized. The size of a water tower, it rippled its brim-full golden liquid. “You are never alone,” the cup said. Reshape had returned.

"Like Dad taught,” Paul said to the cup, “You are never alone because you always have yourself.” He turned to each person. “Vicki, my queen. Fawn, can't tell you how happy I am you've come back.” To Claude Nab, “You and Calamity here to help?” To Bruiser, “Where did you and the warehouse go?"

"Here he,” Isno explained without being asked.

"It ducked,” Bruiser said, showing no signs of having been in battle with Paul's arms and legs. “Hope you remember that when you fight Vile Extinction."