Sculptor of the Clouds

The sun was brimming the horizon turning white fluff into a sea of sunrise colours. Standing in the doorway of his pod he felt the winds pick up, a snow-white Beech AT-11 Kansan flew by as he stepped onto the tarmac. The glass nose glinted in the sun, placing shades on his face he smiled, seeing the planes go by always set his stomach a flutter. Even though he was denied in becoming a flyer due to his age and his life already set in stone, his heart said otherwise, he knew he was ready now.

Charleigh and Ellinora made their way down the runway towards him. In their uniform white jump suits, black polished boots, auburn hair flying wild under their berets, with silver aviators dawning their faces; inevitably, they would be spoken to for their hair, so he decided not to mention it. He shifted his beret a top his blonde shag of hair turning to face his sisters.

‘’Hey big guy!’’ Charleigh quipped up at him. His sisters were small but mighty. Both standing just a few inches off five feet tall, he lumbered over them with his full 6 feet.

‘’Good morning to you too.’’ he said back to her. ‘’Ready for tonight?’’ The three stood in a beat of silence, excitement bubbled in each of their stomachs.

‘’Sure are.’’ Ellie piped in. ‘’Sure you’re ready?’’

‘’Yeah, I am miss Ellie.’’ Smiling, they began to walk towards the hanger, it was time to get their fleet in the air.

Forever in flight within the walls of a giant cloud that stood extraordinarily tall and wide, known as a cumulonimbus, was the cloud people’s home. Tier by tier they filled the cloud, here their world had remained hidden for generations from people below, bellowing’s as they’re more commonly called. Taking his five-minute break, Declan looked out at the world. He’d done it a thousand times and it never ceased to amaze him. Watching the Kansans sculpt the clouds, he felt his heart swell with love and envy. He watched flyers rope clouds like cattle on an open range, then shape them into billowing creations. Turning his gaze to the air pods tiers below him, he watched cloud people go about their day. The lower tiers worked to maintain the secret of the cloud people, having offices on the lowest level they were able to view the bellowing’s on a more frequent basis, giving them insight on future shapes of clouds and security updates. There were students off to class to learn about their already assigned futures, mess haul staff, latrine staff, but a group of scroll keepers caught his eye, one was carrying a mountain of scrolls to the library. He thought back on the scrolls he’d pondered over. His adventures lived only through imagination, yet he knew he would create such an adventure, resulting in a masterpiece that he would alter the future of the cloud people.

It was busy living on air pod tier ten; duty on the highest tier was fleet maintenance, and to ensure all pilots were up and out on time and checked in for the night. His break was up, and he shared a look between his sisters that said they were also trying to erase the nerves, the debate between right and wrong waging in their minds while they worked. Evening was approaching and daily flyers were heading back. With each pilot landing on the runway a bell sounded in the hanger. Ronnie and Betty, Declan’s assigned piolet and plane, nosed into the hanger, he and his sisters walked the plane into its designated bay.

‘’How was the flight today?’’ Declan was curious as he crawled over Betty, inspecting every inch. In the past he’d itched to sit in the cockpit, Ronnie had lent him a few moments of entertainment here and there, unknowingly throwing kerosene on an already open flame.

‘’Wasn’t bad, made a few faces and a couple of elephants and I even threw in an ice cream cone.’’ Ronnie said as if it were nothing but just another day. Declan knew several creations were allotted, that blended and morphed into each other, and they were to be used over the course of several months. He continued to go over the plane as they chatted.

‘’What’s on the list tomorrow then’’?

‘’Much the same, I’ll try another elephant tomorrow and maybe an extra swirl on the cone if they let me. The bellowing’s haven’t been looking up much.’’ Ronnie scratched his jaw with a furrowed brow. ‘’I’m flying over a new sky tomorrow so I can expand a little.’’ He said brightening a little. Declan smiled and gave the nod to say everything was a go for Betty. Departing through the open hanger doors, he and his sisters met up in the mess to go over final details for the evening events. In secret they managed to formulate a plan that would no doubt go down in cloud people’s history.

~

The night was calm; moonlight lit the path of darkness for Declan and his sisters to quietly meet behind the hanger. Trucks lined the back of the building with large heavy canvas shells over the beds, the hanger locked and armed for the night leaving them no choice but to descend through the hanger window. Climbing onto the trucks and hoisting each other up to a window Ellie’s little fingers worked to slide it open.

‘’Can you get it?’’ The constant wind on tire ten helped cover Charleigh’s whisper.

‘’I think so.’’ With that the window slid open, Ellie gripped the windows edge and pulled herself in. Earlier that day Charleigh had moved cargo boxes over creating a cushion for the drop; because of this the sound of three pairs of boots hitting the floor, muffled. With his sisters crossing the floor to disarm and open the bay doors, his lungs began to ache as he realized he’d been holding his breath, his hands shook slightly as he manoeuvred around the plane for a quick inspection. Moon light poured through the shrill squeaking bay doors. Pausing, no one breathed as they scanned the tarmac for movement.

‘’Surely someone heard that.’’ Charleigh breathed a harsh whisper.

‘’The things you don’t notice in the light of day. I should have greased this.’’ Ellie quietly huffed. Charleigh agreed with a smirk.

‘’Tell us when you’re ready Declan and we’ll open all the way.’’ Ellie threw a rough whisper over her shoulder as she whipped her head back out the hanger door.

‘’Make sure you run before I get out of here; they’ll be on me before I leave the ground.’’ He felt panicked as he readied the craft to move.

‘’Just get in and get it done.’’ Charleigh was always cautious, but her rebellious side had her impatient. Ellie was always rational, but tended to side with her siblings more often, than not. Declan tended to rebel more then rationalize. He just needed a chance, by commandeering Betty he’d have his chance.

‘’Okay, lets do this.’’ On his word, Charleigh and Elli gave the doors one last push fully open, waited a beat, then ran back to help him push Betty out of the hanger. In the open air he felt his lungs suck in the cool dampness of the early morning. Silence fell upon them as his sisters continued to scan the slumbering floating air base. He was oddly becoming calmer as he climbed and crammed himself in the cockpit of the Kansan, his dream was coming true, and he wasn’t going to blow it by losing his cool before leaving the ground.

He knew every inch of her like the back of his hand, and he was proud to say he kept the beauty in fine shape. A flicker of guilt gripped him, as he thought of his newly made piolet friend and hoped this excursion wouldn’t tarnish Ronnies name or reputation amongst the rest of the fly boys. Shaking his head clear he waved goodbye to his sisters, adrenalin surge as the engines started up. Manoeuvring down the runway his hands steadied, licking his damp upper lip tasting salt, realizing he was sweating he began smiling that daredevil boyish smile all the while picking up speed. With his sisters waving him on, cheering in silence he let the power rumble his seat and the roar of the engines drown everything out. Seeing the tarmac light up like Christmas with near by pod lights flicking on, he knew confusion would spread rapidly; row call would sound with inspection of each hanger. It wouldn’t take long to know which plane from which hanger was missing, or who was flying it. The light of the runway had something shifting inside him, feeling the power surge from the engines, and with the undoubted love for clouds he would prove himself, finally. Pulling the throttle back towards him he felt the glass nose lift off the ground. With a few bumps, he managed to keep the Kansan level, raising the nose until he was airborne.

‘’YEAH-WEEE’’! Roaring over the two engines laughing and cheering himself on. Cloaked in stars and moonlight, darkness was his friend; there would be no way to track him without alerting the bellowing’s. No sign of light on the horizon, he and his sisters hoped that the two hours before dawn would give him enough time. Taking a moment to explore the air, wanting to savor the feeling of being buoyant on thin air. This world appeared differently then that on the air base. This world was lit by a glorious moon, silver and greys lit up the clouds and a navy-blue blanket so dark it was nearly black, sheltered all that was in it. His fresh and explorative mind spotted the moonlit clouds that would fit his sculpting needs. Charleigh had asked him what he had planned to make that would change the course of history. He’d told her he had it figured out and she would have to wait and see. Having spent so much time thinking about flying he escaped his mind through the hundreds of scrolls in the library. He had dived into wonderous lands, with long sleek creatures of shimmering light and majestic beings, he knew exactly what to make.

‘’It’s now or never!’’ With a giant grin he straddled his first wispy cirrus clouds moving them into position, then dropping thousands of feet at a time he wrangled numerous altocumuli, which took time and intricacy. Farther up the line, he layered more altocumuli. Flowing on to the cumulus he was dancing with the clouds as he pored over each intricate detail, sculpting the incredibly heavy fluff into a sculpture of perfection. Off either side of the giant creature he swept altostratus, nearly done. He continued to dance with the clouds, he felt euphoric, reveling in the early morning sky. His breathing staying steady as the Kansan moved effortlessly, humming between layers, climbing, and dropping thousands of feet, harmonizing the clouds. He and Betty made moving millions of pounds around look easy. The stars and moon that had greeted him now slowly said goodnight with the moon dipping behind clouds sinking below the skyline, casting him into a thick hazy darkness, and then, a tease of light escaped the horizon. Excitement burrowed into his belly with sharp claws as he realized time escaped him, he’d forgotten what was going on. Begging for the sun to come up and glint off each cloud that he’d angled, lined, shaped, and formed, into the greatest cloud creation. No one had ever seen such a creation. Deciding that he had finished his masterpiece he left the sky heading back to the tarmac.

‘’Stay where you are my dears. I hope to see you again.’’ As if the clouds were part of a rising rebellion, they held position, daring to be different.

~

Unlike his departure, the tarmac lit up with dull lights and Officers of every rank, and all the ranks below, peppered the runway as they took control of the area, his sisters were the only ones greeting him. Effortlessly he landed Betty, taking his time to quiet the aircraft, trying to delay shutting down. Opening the cockpit, he looked at the horizon, pleading the sun to blast them all into shock, but there was time to spare so he turned to face the crowd.

‘’I know it was wrong to take her, but I had to prove a point. I haven’t done any damage; I was unseen by bellowing’s. I’m sorry to have worried you all and I’m sorry to have taken what wasn’t mine. I hope that when the sun comes out, you’ll see what I see in my mind every day.’’ There were grumblings, with huffing but curious fly boys glaring out at the sky to sneak a glimpse; some in favour of the early then usual morning excitement and others not so much. Ronnie stepped forward clearing his throat, the crowd fell silent.

‘’He went through the trouble of taking Betty out, let him speak.’’

Looking around Declan mustered the courage to carry on, ‘’You’ve all doubted me in the past. You’ve said my ideas aren’t workable and that it wouldn’t be noticed by the bellowing’s. I’m here to tell you that I believe that they will notice. I know its not our job to make them see but I think they move too fast. My ideas would give them a reason to lay on the grass and watch the sky again. We’ve had the same creations for as long as I can remember, and we’ve perfected them to stand out or blend in perfectly. Why not try something different? It’s not likely anyone will see this creation, but you all will, and that’s all I need.’’ He finished speaking just as the sun rose behind him, gasps caught on lips. Bursting light caught his masterpiece a fire, the sun burning away the night with orange, red, and pink. With horns piercing, eyes ridged, wings spread with an armour of scales flanking sides, and tail cutting through the air with precision, stretching across the sky lay a mighty dragon. The sun hit every angle with an eruption of life; the breeze moving the beast along the skyline like it flew eons before. He turned to see the faces of the crowd, pleasingly he noted happiness, awe. Looking back at his majestic creation, pride filled his heart while the dragon flew by in the morning sky.

A gruff voice broke the rumination that had fell upon them. Lieutenant General C. Langston, the highest-ranking officer on the air base, looked up at Declan, ‘’ Climb on down here son.’’ His reputation for a calm demeanor and divine patience coated his words. Declan froze, spying his sisters from the corner of his eyes three rows back in the crowd, he dismounted saluting his commanding officer.

‘’Sir!’’ Standing at attention, Declan waited for what seemed like an eternity.

‘’This is impressive, pulled it off in impeccable timing too. However, this could cause major chaos on the bellowing’s you know; they’ve never seen something of this magnitude. You may have meant well, and I’ll hand it to you, your brave, but you’ll have to come with me son.’’ Declan felt his gut wrenching as Lieutenant General C. Langston motioned towards a group of armed airmen standing beside a truck. Panic began to bubble up in him like black tar his face paled with every bubble. He knew it could be bad but had pushed it form his mind and daftly convinced himself he would be okay. A commotion in the crowed had stopped Declan and the Lieutenant General in their tracks.

‘’Hold it!’’ Charleigh and Ellinora pushed through the crowed, saluting and standing at attention asked ‘’Permission to speak, Sir!’’ With a wavering sigh, Lieutenant General reluctantly saluted back,

‘’Alright, make it quick airmen.’’

‘’You’re going to stifle this genius cloud sculptor? Stealing the Kansan was wrong and worthy of court marshal, but clearly this creation was enough to realize that you’ve all been wrong about my brother!’’ Charleigh demanded, being a tiny thing, she was terrifying. Ellie knew her stuff and she knew that this all could be resolved if her sister didn’t blow it. Placing her hand on Charleigh’s arm she stepped forward, risking a court marshal herself. With her own calm demeanor, she led her speech with an authoritative grace, ‘’This won’t be setting an example for anyone, it’ll be depriving the bellowing’s of beauty, imagination, and our own growth.’’ Agreeance echoed over the crowd. Feeling braver, Ellie continued; ‘’What could you all learn from my brother? You your self just said he did all this, all of this! In impeccable timing! I have never seen one of our fly boys do it.’’ A scuff of feet and a hint of agitation formed but dropped with the flick of a look from Charleigh’s green eyes, allowing her sister to continue to speak. ‘’Where will we go from here? Yes, Declan was wrong to take the Kansan out, but to break the same old routine was a necessity, there hasn’t been a change on the clouds for decades! My brother has just created something beautiful, something spectacular that will have the bellowing’s staring up at the sky in awe, something so few have done in such a long time. Isn’t it our job to create and ignite imagination?’’ The look on the Lieutenant General face was one of stone. Declan’s sisters wouldn’t back down. They knew Declan was right, and even though they stood on the edge of obliteration, they would help their brother fight till the end. This was worth fighting for. He had made history tonight, and they weren’t about to let him go down with a dark mark on his name. Despite L.G. visibly brushing his sisters off with the silent chance of retreat without consequences, his sister continued. ‘’Is it not in our oath?!’’ Ellies voice grew louder and stronger as Charleigh and others joined in reciting the oath:

‘’With heart and might,

I swear an oath of love and light,

To honour and protect,

our clouds and bellowing’s.

To bring imagination,

To encourage, to ignite.

Never shall we hinder, nor shall we be named.

To this I pledge my heart and soul,

Untie Cloud people! Unite! Unite!’’

The crowd erupted with booming cheers, his sisters stood and faced their commanding officer with hardened faces.

‘’ATTENTION!’’ The voice roared with fury over the crowd. The sound of bodies falling into line and boots stomping the ground with salute, rippled the tarmac.

‘’You’ve managed to rally the crowd quite well.’’ The Lieutenant General remarked, looking at the crowd and then at the three in front of him, quietly he stood for a moment. His voice billowed s the Lieutenant General continued sweeping his eagle eye over the crowd ‘’If anyone, and I mean anyone! Ever! Tries to take one of my babies on a late-night flight again, they will be court marshaled!’’ Dropping his gaze to the three standing in front of him, ‘’My office, o eight hundred hours.’’

‘’Yes, Sir!’’ The three said in unison.

‘’Who votes to give this young man a shot?’’ Confused glances passed as hands were raised unanimously.

‘’Alright. You can fly.’’ The crowed erupted, morale soared high as hoop and hollers boomed, beret’s shot up into the air.

Watching the Lieutenant General walk off the tarmac they turned to hug each other, enclosing both his sisters in a bear hug he picked them up off the ground, ‘’I can fly! I can fly!!’’

‘’I couldn’t have done it with out you two. I love you both!’’

‘’Anything for you brother!’’ Charleigh said in his ear. Ellie planted a giant kiss on his cheek and looking into his big blue eyes with her own ‘’We love you too.’’

~

Far below the clouds, on a grassy noel, a young lad lay outside his tent, bundled in blankets with his hands tucked under his head. His baby brother beside him whined with inpatients, ‘’Why we gotta wait out here for any ways?’’ They had waited through the early morning light to spy the first of the clouds. His face lit with astonishment as he watched a fire breathing dragon slowly soar into view. ‘’That’s why.’’ He said to his baby brother. The softest gasps escaped his mouth as their jaws hung open.

End