Cloud Riders (35 page)
Authors: Don Hurst
"Harry
Victor
Winsome!"
"Mother Batty Batter Winsome."
"Betty Sue Marrian-Winsome!"
"Oh. Too many Sues."
Paul shut his eyes, trying to wish away his irritation. “Hey, Mister Cotton Rayon Textile the First, I don't want you as my ride!"
"As you wish, Captain Paw."
Paul's rear-end bounced as it landed unceremoniously on Earth grass. He opened his eyes. “What?” He had landed on the park-hill balcony of the Fairchild mansion. The eyes staring at him were those of Maken Fairchild. In Paul's dazed state the wizard's white hair looked like whipped cream covering his skull. “What happened?"
"My sentiments exactly. You continue to amaze me. You keep me guessing what you might imagine next. Who deposited you here?"
"Like you don't know. Cotton Rayon Textile."
Maken laughed. “The First. A very odd cloud ride I must say. Trying to compensate for an exceedingly short horn.” He smiled. “Good job on the solar system saving, by the way. But now, you must return. Short Horn is a rogue who entered upon the imagined-parallel-life of another player by the name of Proboscis Snooter."
"Keen Aware."
"Yes, Calamity Horrid's name game, I'm afraid.” He sighed. “But you must return to your business. I will be with the search party hunting for you, and we are leaving at this very moment. See it, Paul. Feel it. You ride your unicorn cloud Velvet. Your sister Vicki is behind you, clinging, worried about her safety. And on Velvet's rump, your feline friend and fellow traveler, Isno Gravity. You have successfully saved the Earth solar system from the Vile Extinction solar system. You momentarily left your body to ride Cotton Rayon Textile the First and now drift back into your physical structure."
Paul bent forward and he clung to Velvet, Vicki's arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
Had it been only seconds before Paul had rode the cloud-oddity, Cotton Rayon Textile the First? The event had turned into a mind-shadow, disguising itself as a non-happening that happened.
"Ride fun me!” Isno yowled. “Cat me whoopee!"
Paul turned to his sister. “This is all Maken Fairchild's imagination, I'm betting. Well, his and mine. Will's and Holly's.” He thought about it. “And Claude Nab's and Calamity Horrid's.” He thought some more. “Oh yeah, and Proboscis Snooter Keen Aware's. And everybody's. Even you."
"Too me,” Isno said.
If Fawn would return, somehow, Isno would have to be a gentleman and give up his seat. “Sis, where's Fawn?"
"Don't know, Paulie. Claude Nab only had two hands,” Vicki said in a troubled voice. “He refused to talk about it. I think Calamity ordered him not to. I know she threw some orders at him just before he picked me and Isno up."
"You mean Claude Nab couldn't let Isno ride on his shoulder or something?"
"Oh, Paulie, I don't know,” Vicki admitted. “He said he had to return all the girls and steal their clocks. I think Fawn is a part of that. She had to join the other girls so she could be returned. That's how Calamity wanted to do it, I think.” She paused, then added, “Do you think Claude would want Isno on his shoulder after what he did to his head?"
"Cat good Isno,” Isno said.
"What Calamity wants, Horrid gets,” Paul said. “You should've seen her inside Link Traver, trying to scare off Vile Extinction. She got as big as a planet and Vile laughed at her. Vile called Claude Nab her monkey servant."
"That's mean, Paulie. Claude Nab only did as Calamity Horrid commanded. He's very intelligent and nice, really. So is Calamity sometimes, if you catch her in the right mood."
"You should have seen Will. It took both of us to push Vile back to where she belongs and bring down Link Traver. Will and Holly went back to England on Blanch. Guess Blanch knows the way since Will's been riding on her right from the start, for over five years. I didn't even get his address."
"I have it, Paulie. Holly gave it to me. She even remembered the house number."
Paul had to smile. “Then someday I'll get to see Will again."
Isno peered over the edge of Velvet and hissed a protest, no doubt because the ground rushed toward them.
Velvet slowed and came to a hover above the Morristown Forest cave apron where they had started the second leg of their sky journey.
"Home, Paul Highness.
"Velvet, we need to be dropped off in Morristown, if you don't mind, not in the middle of the forest."
"You have to dismount, Sir Paul Highness. Quickly."
"Velvet ordered us off,” Paul called to Vicki and Isno. “We better dismount before she decides to drop us.” The three of them jumped off Velvet.
"Sorry, Sir Paul Highness. I must join Satin. Cotton Rayon Textile the First was Proboscis Snooter's ride before he fired her. Him. Most of us call he-her Short Horn. She-he claims to have broken off his-her horn to make other cloud rides, which is a lie. He-she claims to be the First, which is the truth. He-she is also the last of that design. Even his inventor dislikes the her-him design, the clouds tell me."
Paul's eyes widened as Velvet didn't seem to want to stop talking.
"Short Horn was part of Proboscis Snooter's imagination before he became Keen Aware, who was part of Calamity Horrid's imagination plan. You were not. Your sister was not. Isno the cat is now banned from the hut that dodges rockets and rocks. Oh, Sir Paul Highness, when I leave I will never see you again. I will cry, Sir Paul Highness. Much rain will fall."
"Why didn't you tell me any of this before, Velvet?"
"What is she saying, Paulie?"
"She's sorry to leave us.” Paul looked up. Velvet had vaporized. “She was saying goodbye.” His lips pressed together as he realized they were lost in the middle of nowhere again, with only trees and wild animals for company.
Vicki nodded toward the cave. “Paulie, you don't suppose the bear is back in there? What if it's a she and has cubs?"
Paul pointed an authoritative finger at Isno. “Go explore that cave up there, Isno. Report back any dangers you see."
Isno not only completely ignored Paul's command, but turned and walked a short distance away, laid his head on his front paws and shut his eyes. Apparently he expected his human to take care of any problems.
Paul wanted to test whether any of his parallel-imagined-life had stayed with him this time as it did on his last return to Earth. He thought about detaching his left arm to explore inside the cavity, visualized it departing his body and flying into the cave.
The arm with its sleeve separated and flew into the cavern. Its mind's eye once again became a remote viewing tool. It soared through the cave and found no animals or dangers, continued to the cave's end and bounced off. Ever intrepid, it tried several times to poke through the earth, until Paul envisioned it returning to his body. As it reattached to his torso, he smiled. “Well done, arm."
Isno cocked his head and studied his human.
Vicki stared at her big brother. “You better not let anyone see you do that.” She turned to Isno. “You won't tell anyone, right, Isno?"
Isno opened his mouth and from it came a normal meow.
"I know, Sis,” Paul agreed. “I'd end up being one of those guys reporters follow everywhere. I bet they'd follow me into my dreams. It all seems like a dream now. What do you think?"
"Paulie, are you hungry?"
"Yes."
"Me too. I wasn't hungry up there, except when we were in Fawn's room,” she said, looking skyward.
"I was also hungry in Calamity Horrid's office,” Paul added.
Vicki's voice trembled. “We could die here, Paulie."
"Like dad said, never give up."
They spent the day searching for berries or anything food-like, but instinct told them each of their finds might be poisonous. As night fell, stomachs rumbling, they returned to their cave site.
Isno apparently knew something they didn't and stayed curled up in the cave entrance, asleep. His paws and mouth twitched, perhaps visualizing a can of cat food presented to him as a reward for terrorizing Claude Nab.
Paul and Vicki stood on the cave pad and looked at the stars. The balmy night air felt fresh, neither cold nor warm.
"Why didn't I think of it before?” Paul said, a joy in his voice. “I have this special ability. Why don't I use it?” He sat down and lay back on the cave apron. He closed his eyes and imagined his arms and legs flying up into the treetops to search for a way out of the forest. His arms and legs parted from his torso and winged into the nearby treetops. He watched his limbs land in tree crowns north, south, east and west. The north leg sent back a thrilling image.
Through the evening darkness came the beams of several flashlights pushing away the gloom between the massive trees. A wide grin brightened Paul's face. Harry Winsome led a group of sheriff deputies toward them. Maken Fairchild brought up the rear of the search team.
Paul ordered his legs and arms to return to his body. They immediately left their high perches, flew to him and plugged into his torso.
Paul grabbed his sister and hugged her close to him. “Dad and Maken Fairchild, the police and some others are coming up the hill, Sis. We're going to be all right."
She laughed. “Paulie, you've got your left arm where the right one is supposed to be."
Paul slammed his eyelids shut and thought-ordered his arms to move to their correct location, which they did with great speed. If the arms could fly, see and hear, perhaps they could also experience embarrassment.
"Don't ever mention that to anyone,” Paul said with a laugh.
"Who would believe us?"
"Maken Fairchild."
"Wouldn't he know anyway?” she questioned as the first arcs from the flashlights appeared. “Think Dad knows?"
"I don't think Dad retained any of the physical part of his imagined-parallel-life, Sis. Not here in his Earth reality.” Looking into his sister's eyes, he said, “As for Maken, he's the game-maker, trust me.” He enjoyed the admiring look she gave him. He cuffed his hands around his mouth. “We're here!"
"Over there!” a voice called out into the night, as a flashlight beams spotlighted the brother, sister and cat.
Harry Winsome rushed forward, sweat trickling down his forehead onto his cheeks. He took both Paul and Vicki into his arms and hugged them.
The rescuers talked about the helicopter spotting them earlier, the dangers of going into the forest, and how lucky they were to be saved.
Paul returned to Morris Junior High School two days later. He found himself summoned to principal Panion's office. Normally, Paul would be apprehensive about meeting the tall man, but after his cloud riding experiences Principal Panion wouldn't even approach what might be called a threat.
Noting the curious stares of other students, Paul paraded toward the principal's office.
The 6'11 1/2", Principal Panion had once lectured Paul on not fighting at school. Some fight. Buster Lanson, the largest ninth grader at Morris Junior High, had smacked a hammy fist into the side of his face simply because Paul smiled at the oversized football lineman's slow climb up a gym rope.
Paul opened the door with the official
PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE
printed across the upper half of the window in wide black letters. He stepped in front of the chest-high counter and cleared his throat for attention.
Ms. Stone's desk sat behind the barrier at a right angle. As the principal's secretary and the door-keeper to his inner office, she took her job seriously. Ms. Stone typed, ignoring everyone and everything. Her ample body fought to squeeze out of her purple dress suit, threads stretched in a strength test. Paul's eyebrows rose, realizing her slight crooked lips and the minor twist to her dress mimicked Calamity Horrid's appearance in a subtle way.
The secretary appeared completely unaware of Paul until he spoke. “Ms. Stone, my name is Paul Winsome and I've been ordered to see Principal Panion."
"Paul Winsome? I do not see your name here. Do you wish to be placed on the list?"
Paul smiled when she didn't add ‘I am your friend.’ Paul saw Calamity Horrid in her manner and voice. But he'd seen Calamity Horrid, and she was no Calamity Horrid. “Guess I'm on some list, you summoned me over the loud speaker about five minutes ago, Ms. Stone.” Paul felt rebellious. “Do you have a loud speaker list? Maybe I'm on that one."
"Oh! You're
that
Winsome boy, aren't you?” She grinned a crooked smile. “You saved your sister Vicki Sue Winsome.” She shook her head, her piled-up hair refusing to bounce, although it looked like it should. “That forest is a terrible, terrible place, I'm told. I myself would never go near it. You do realize both of you could have...” She looked at Paul's expression, which Paul kept between non-interest and boredom. “Principal Panion is expecting you,” she said in a politeness which appeared to cause her some discomfort. “I'll see if he's—"
Enough.
Paul pursed his lips and walked past the woman as if she didn't exist. He opened the door, closely followed by her voice.
"We are all very proud of you, Paul Winsome."
He trooped into the inner office.
"I'm sorry. I did not hear Ms. Stone announce anyone. I did not hear you knock. Young man, why would you walk into my office without being sent by Ms. Stone? Most unusual, I must say.” He didn't smile. The authority figure stood and uncoiled his nearly seven-foot height.
Paul remembered how he thought Principal Panion looked like Godzilla dwarfing a city. Now no such image reached out to squeeze panic into his mind. After all, he had faced King Kong and came out alive. “I'm Paul Winsome."
"Of course.” Principal Panion extended his hand, easily reaching across the wide desk. “I wanted to personally congratulate you on saving your sister. I can not imagine what it is like being lost in those woods."
Memories of having once found the ex-basketball star intimidating revisited Paul's mind. It astounded him. Why did skyscraper Panion scare him so much before? The tall authority figure had no idea of what Paul could do now.
