Cloud Riders (13 page)

What did his dad say? ‘Sometimes complexity conceals, whereas simplicity illuminates.’ He visualized himself beside Vicki, and opened his eyes. For long agonizing moments his imagined rescue of Vicki didn't work, and then he found himself beside his falling sister.

She reached for his outstretched hand and pulled herself toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Oh, my king. Is this the end of us?” Her eyes remained wide with fear.

"Not if I can help it, my queen.” He looked into her face and grinned. She relaxed a little. They were about to be dead, and he had to act like a superhero, self-assured and brave, all the while having a mind refusing to cooperate. “Did Dad ever mention our parallel-imagined-lives to you?"

"Paulie, please save us before the questions. Please."

Paul realized this would be the way to handle the moment. “Are you afraid?"

"Not any longer.” Her expression changed to almost normal, as they plummeted.

"Why?"

"Are you cold?"

"No more than usual."

"Me neither,” she assured. “Then we're still inside your imagined-life. I don't seem to be inside mine.” She smiled as they dropped. “I imagined I stopped falling and I only fell faster. How did you find out how to make your parallel-life work for you?"

"Maken Fairchild taught me."

"Paulie, we've fallen a long way. Could we please stop now?"

Paul imagined Silk by their side. Minutes evaporated, each taking with it some of Paul's hope.

[Back to Table of Contents]

Silk drifted in beside Paul and Vicki almost exactly as Paul visualized the meeting. Had the vision evolved precisely as conceived, it would have happened much faster. His fear of heights seemed suspended on his sky trip, however hurtling toward Earth created a panic unmatched by anything except for the terror of the upcoming sudden stop.

"Excuse me, Master. Do you desire a ride?"
Silk said.

"Silk, you have just understated my desires.” Paul realized human needs were probably outside the cloud unicorn's understanding of life.

"Is understating your desires a good thing, Master?"

Being as Silk traveled on the other side of Paul, Vicki couldn't reach her. “Paulie. Please!"

"Always remember and never forget, if you see a human falling, it's automatic a ride is needed,” Paul said.

Vicki's face became an expression of complete exasperation.

"Why does Master not mount? Master. Sister desires to mount."

"Why not ask her so she can hear? I give you permission."

"Paulie, if we live through this I'll kill you!” Vicki desperately reached out for Silk. “Please. May we—"

"Sis, I'm supposedly inside my parallel-imagined-life, according to Maken Fairchild. You know, the guy in the Fairchild mansion at the end of our block. He's a wizard. But things keep happening I seem to have no control over. If I could get Silk to speak directly to you it would help fill you in on some of the stuff happening.” He laughed for a second. “Then you could explain it to me."

"Sorry, Master. I am only able to speak into the mind of my master. I can only have one master, Master. Do you wish sister Vicki to be my master, Master?

Paul reached out and grabbed Silk's mane and pulled himself and Vicki onto the cloud unicorn.

"Can you hear Vicki, Silk?"

"Hear who?” Vicki asked.

"I was talking to Silk."

"Who's Silk?"

Paul hoped the fall hadn't affected her intelligence. “The unicorn we're riding on, of course. Silk talks to me. I hear it in my mind. You have to be her master to hear her. Would you like to take a turn at being her master?"

"I don't think so, Paulie. You drive."

A blue goat appeared beside Silk. “Greetings, my fellow travelers.” No sooner were the words out than he became a human resting comfortably in an overstuffed chair. “Are you enjoying your trip?"

Paul had to act natural, not wanting to give Reshape any satisfaction. Maybe he could rub it in that Isno proved to be more help than him. No. Be nice and maybe he would stay. “Who are you now, Reshape?"

"I am a psychiatrist, children. How do you feel about that?” Faster than an eye can blink he became a carpenter with an extra large tool belt with a hammer hanging from its loop—its handle long enough to reach his shoes.

"Why does he do that, Paulie?"

"Ask how we feel?"

"No. Why does he keep changing his shape?"

"It's to escape the lightning from Kid Badd's eyes, he says. I'm not sure, Sis, but I think he might be Maken Fairchild keeping an eye on us."

"Who is Kid Badd?"

Paul had no time to answer. As if on cue, he heard the harsh female voice in his mind, making his stomach tighten.
Prepare to die! My son shall not miss this time!
Paul caught a glimpse of Kid Badd rushing toward them, at military attention, feet not moving. “Duck, Vicki! Reshape, incoming!"

"This is just kind of silly,” Vicki said.

"Yes. Yes it is,” Reshape said. A bright green energy lightening-bolt streaked past as Reshape changed into a brown and gold pumpkin pie. He became cooked as the discharge narrowly missed.

Vicki screamed and ducked to the side of Silk, as did Paul, barely able to hold on.

The semi-transparent Kid Badd cursed, remained facing his targets and retreated into a nearby cloud.

"You have just met Kid Badd. Badd with two d's, Sis.” He looked back and smiled, as she pushed herself upright. “I have to save the Earth solar system, you know. Kid Badd is trying to stop me."

"He scared me!” she said over the wind. “What did you say, Paulie? Save... what?"

"The solar system. Earth solar system.” Perhaps Vicki would be proud of him beyond words, being as she took several seconds to say anything.

"You're supposed to save the solar system from what?"

"Vile Extinction. She's an invading solar system who talks to me like Silk does, only she's nastier than a rattlesnake rattle.” Paul felt sure Vicki would recognize and acknowledge his great comprehension of things to come. “It is written in a book that only I can save the solar system. Anyway, it's what old man Fairchild told me."

Vicki turned to the pumpkin pie. “Mister Reshape, do you know if that Kid Badd is going to shoot more electric charges at us?"

Paul answered for Reshape. “He has to recharge first."

Reshape became a poodle-sized dinosaur with gold and white stripes which blinked like a neon advertisement.

"Paulie, if Kid Badd has to recharge, why does Reshape keep changing? I won't ask how,” she added. “Up here anything is possible I've observed."

"Kind of like he doesn't know when the next shot will come at him, I guess, so he has to keep in practice. Oh, my gosh!
Isno!
” Paul cried, remembering his friend in the same room with the gigantic gorilla. “Reshape, go help Isno. Please."

Reshape grew into a full-sized dinosaur, his stripes white and Red; the red blinking and the white winking. His voice became happy and energetic. “What object would Vicki like me to become? I take requests."

"How about Maken Fairchild,” Paul said.

"How about Vicki so you could choose between us?” Reshape suggested in an amused voice, and transformed into the psychiatrist again. “How would you feel about that?"

"Okay, Reshape, or whoever you are.” Paul realized being irritated with Reshape might be the very response he tried to elicit—some kind of sky-torture for a wizard's amusement. The thought made it easier for Paul to be nice and spoil Reshape's fun. “I'm sort of sorry, Reshape.” Paul turned to his sister. “Let's ride out of here. Shall we go back? You haven't met Will yet. He's been up here for five years and... But he'll tell you. And tell you.” Paul felt Vicki's hug tighten.

"We have to go back, Paulie. We have to save the other girls."

"What other girls?"

"Alice and Brigitte and Carol."

"You mean he has three more girl prisoners?"

"Diana and Emily and Fawn. Gigi and Holly—"

"Holly! That's Will's sister!"

"Will's Chinese?"

"No. Black. And I mean black, but you'll see. If he isn't in the dark. Then all you can see is his shirt and pants. And he'll tell you all about that too. Holly is adopted. Will seems like a nice enough guy, but to be honest, he talks too much."

Vicki sighed. “And there is Lola and Jane and Kathy. Laura and Mary and Nora and Opal and Patty. Quintessa and Rose and Sybil and Theresa and Ursula."

"Twenty-two,” Paul said.

"You forgot one,” said the chicken TV dinner package flying alongside them. “You forgot Vicki."

"All the girls were eleven when Claude Nab first captured them,” Vicki explained. “We have to try and save them. Get them away from Claude Nab and Calamity Horrid."

Paul didn't have to think about it. “All right, Silk, head back to Horrid Ice Castle."

"Course correction not needed, Master. Course has been toward Horrid Ice Castle, of course. Master.

Paul and Vicki rode Silk into the golden cloud, glided up the yellow dirt road, over the crest and down to the pathway next to the castle's dual entrances.

Reshape rolled behind them, an elephant-sized, pink-icing covered doughnut. He rolled to a stop just short of becoming a part of Silk. Its hole became smile shaped. He transformed into a small puppy with a kitten's head. “Meow-bow-wow, meow-bow-wow."

"Have Reshape open the left door,” Vicki said. “It leads to the second floor where the girls’ rooms are."

"Reshape, open the left door,” Paul ordered in his best do-as-I-say voice.

Reshape didn't follow orders and became a kitten with a puppy's head. “Bow-wow meow, bow-wow meow."

"Very funny, Reshape,” Paul said. “I'm imagining you as a bull and you're using your horns to open the left door."

"What color should I become?” Reshape said in a cute-puppy voice.

"Oh, I don't know, really. Perhaps use your doughnut's pink icing color, that's kind of nice,” Paul suggested.

Reshape returned to his doughnut with pink icing and smile-shaped hole configuration.

Vicki tugged on Paul's sleeve. “He's playing with us.” She turned to the doughnut. “I believe I understand this, Mister Reshape. Paul is in his parallel-imagined-life, but so are you. If you're Maken Fairchild, as Paul suspects, then you might not want to save the girls at this moment because it would interfere with your project."

Reshape shrank and his pink icing peeled off and dropped onto the yellow dirt, exposing his brown dough.

Paul smiled. There were wonderful benefits attached to having a smart sister.

"We shall find a way to open the door, Reshape,” Vicki said. “With or without your help."

Reshape rolled over a half turn, his smile turning upside-down.

"I think we need Reshape's bull to push it open,” Paul advised Vicki, ignoring Reshape. Surely Reshape had to help. All Paul had to do is rescue twenty-two kidnapped girls, bring Vickie back to Earth safely and save the solar system. How in a thousand parallel-imagined-lives does one save a solar system? “Sis, since Reshape opened the door on the right last time, maybe it's loosened up enough to push in. Maybe there's a hidden stairway to the second floor."

Her eyes blinked and stared at her brother. “Won't you even try to open the left door?” Silence. “The left side has a hidden stairway from the ground floor to the upper level, but it's used by Calamity Horrid and Claude Nab, not that they need it. Rumor amongst the girls is if you try and use it you'll be swallowed by it."

Paul's imagination focused on envisioning the same Reshape bull which opened the ice door before. Paul's composure evaporated when Reshape's small doughnut form remained. Without thinking, he jumped on it with both feet.

"No, Paulie!"

The weakness of the voice coming from beneath his feet barely made it to his ears. “You and that oversized kidnapping monkey have a lot in common. I must insist, jump off me. If not, I will become a lion and you will be inside my bite, Sir Paul Winsome."

Paul jumped back and stared in horror. Nothing remained of Reshape, not even a stain.

"Reshape?” Paul and Vicki said in unison.

Paul shut his eyes and strained his imagination until he thought it might break, and still Reshape didn't return. Taking Vicki's hand, he started to descend toward the left door. Paul pushed half-heartedly on the massive ice barrier. The right one would still be there to try next.

What did his dad say? ‘Expect defeat and it could lose the game for you—expect to win and you will see the magic of a game well played, win or lose.’ Paul thought a moment. Wonder why his dad didn't just say, ‘Expect to win and screw this losing stuff'? He smiled. Like some kind of angel to guide him, his dad's teachings were always with him. If he could remember all of them his head would no doubt explode.

"Vicki. I know we can do this. We really can.” He looked into her deep blue eyes and saw the trust. “Reshape must have become part of the yellow dirt road. He'd be here if we really needed him, probably. Put your shoulder into it.” He shoved with every muscle in his body, but the door remained closed.

Vicki touched a fingertip to the ice slab and it slowly started to slide inward.

Paul stared at his sister. So all it took was every muscle in his body, and Vicki's fingertip. When opened wide enough, Paul jumped inside. Vicki followed, holding onto his shirtsleeve. The slab crunched close. Ahead were ice stairs leading to the second level. “Sis, how did you do that?"

"I think we did it together, Paulie.” She wrinkled her brow. “Something told me to put a finger on the door and it would slide. You had the muscle and I had the touch.” She laughed. “Bet dad told us something about the partnership between muscle and touch, or something."

"What do you think, Sis? Did he ever say anything about what to do if these ice stairs try and trap us?"

"No. But, I've been up them when Claude first brought me here. He had me climb them before he grabbed me again.” Vicki smiled. “You know, I think he demonstrated they were safe by staying at the bottom until I reached the top."

Paul thought a moment. “You said something to Claude Nab just before Isno jumped on his shoulder. You said ‘You're supposed to let me go now.’ I kind of wondered about that."