The Maiden Voyage

"Storks, still delivering babies, what an ancient concept. We have much more sophisticated methods these days."

"Absurd," they said. "That isn’t how it should be done at all."

But it was how it was done. It had always been the way it was done, before they decided it was a method too old to maintain. Time has a way of making you forget, but the progression of time, well, that is a much harsher beast.

It just never knew.

The grand master gathered the new recruits to the nesting area. "Okay everyone, gather around, it's time once again to get those babies flying. Charlie, the grand master mumbled, "Charlie, come on boy, I know you struggled a bit with the process, but this is the day, it's the day you make your maiden voyage."

Charlie took his right wing into his left and wiped down his feathers nervously. This caught the attention of Brad and the other recruits.

"Look at him boys, he is going out of his mind, hahaha! Go home to your mama, Charlie. I don't understand it, just because your great grandfather was a legend back in the day, why that means you automatically get to fly on the big day. All this boy knows how to do is goof off. After today, it will be obvious this tradition needs to end, my dad has a much better way of doing things." They all began to grumble, loud enough for Charlie to hear.

Amy, the only female recruit, and Charlie's best friend, tried to reassure him.

"Awwww, never mind those birdbrains, they have no clue what they are talking about, they're just trying to get in your head, besides, there is a lot to be said for a skilled goof off." She snickered.

Charlie continued wringing his feathers and said, "well, it's working, I don't know why the grand master chose me for this job. I haven't had one successful run yet. Last week I dropped the practice package into a tree shredder."

Amy clicked her bill, took a deep breath and brushed his wings apart. She looked into Charlie's eyes, all the while grooming his feathers, and said firmly. "He chose you, because you care about the process, Charlie. He and your great grandfather flew together for years, he knows you have what it takes. Stop letting Brad get to you, and just do the job you were born for!"

The whistle blew and all of the flock made a single line, as they began their takeoff, they flew, one by one through the gigantic nesting area. Just as they had been trained, they scooped the small packages onto their long slender beaks and using GPS beacons, they were now responsible to fly the packages to their final destinations. Home.

Everything was going smoothly until Charlie made his approach. He had gotten himself so worked up, he was swerving and flapping out of control. The grand master began flapping his wings wildly at Charlie, trying to get him back on track. Somehow, Charlie managed to straighten up enough to get the bundle onto his beak. But, the weight of the package, threw him even further off balance sending him plummeting into a spiral towards the jagged cliffs below.

Everyone on the platform covered their eyes with their wings, waiting for the impact. But it never came. As they gazed down over the edge, they could see Charlie flapping his wings, gaining altitude, as he blew by the platform, they could see the small "package" was now seated on Charlie's neck, riding poor Charlie like a horse. Charlie covered his face as he passed the grand master, who was standing with his mouth gaping open. As Charlie disappeared from sight, they could hear the package giggling with glee, "whoooooo!"

With the successful takeoff's completed, the grand master turned to press the switch, turning on each of the individual GPS devices. What was to happen, was now out of his control.

As Charlie began to get the hang of having the package draped over his neck, instead of on his beak, he said aloud "hey, this isn't so bad."

It was like fate enjoyed messing with Charlie, because as soon as he said those words, the package gripped his neck with both pudgy little hands and yanked it up. It squealed with joy as Charlie did a triple loop da loop, ending belly up in the air.

Amy happened to be soaring at about the same altitude. When out of her peripheral vision, she noticed a small baby, seemingly, floating on a cloud.

She did a double take and recognized the tail feathers. Slowly she dipped just below the surface of the fluffy clouds, cleverly camouflaging Charlie, doing his best to keep the baby cradled on his belly, while flapping upside down.

As they made eye contact, Charlie gave Amy the cheesiest grin.

Without skipping a beat, he said, "well, it liked it better on top, and I thought, who am I to challenge what methods work, he, he, he."

He laughed, but she could tell he was mortified.

She swayed over closer and whispered. “Hey Charlie, there is no right or wrong way to make the delivery, style is personal, keep doing what works.” She glanced at her GPS and said, “gotta go,” pointing in the other direction, winking as she darted away.

Amy always had a way of making Charlie feel better about himself. He knew she was right, he just had to do the job.

All of a sudden Charlie felt a buzzing on his belly, he poked his head through the cloud to see what was happening. The baby flashed a toothless grin at Charlie, chewing on the GPS, that had been attached to the blanket he was bundled in. As Charlie coasted, freeing his wing to collect the GPS, he bumped the baby, who then dropped the devise. Charlie flung his head back down to see the box plummeting towards the ground.

He quickly wrapped one wing around the tot and did a full on dive. He was a natural, poetry in motion. He began to gain on the falling GPS

On his way down he passed Brad, who was sure to take advantage of the situation. As Charlie passed him, Brad began to mock Charlie, teasing him about the methods at which he was transporting his delivery. Charlie ignored him, focusing on the task at hand. Besides, without the GPS, he had NO idea where this little guy went.

Brad dove after Charlie, however, Brad was not especially skilled in the maneuvers necessary to keep his package intact, while diving. This is where Charlie's "goofing off" turned out to be just what the occasion called for.

Brad lost grip of his package, and it slipped off of his beak, falling fast towards Charlie. Charlie felt a hard thump against his stomach, worried he had upset his portly little package, he looked up to find, he now had two little pink people perched on his belly. He adjusted quickly to accommodate both babies.

It was then he realized that Brad had over corrected, and was plummeting at high speeds, directly for them. Thinking quickly, Charlie wrapped the babes tightly with his left wing, flipping them under him just as Brad made impact with Charlie's tail feathers. This sent them all tumbling towards the ground.

Charlie prided himself on his tuck and rolls, and no amount of teasing could prevent him from pulling this one off. He barrel rolled into Brad, securing him with his feet. Charlie spun a few more times, grabbed the GPS box in his beak and aimed for a bundle of hay placed conveniently in the middle of a field.

As he checked on the giggling tots, he released Brad, who was holding on for dear life to Charlie's feet, 4 more feet onto the ground, into a pile of embarrassed.

Unbeknownst to any of the recruits, the GPS's had trackers on them. As Charlie's beacon fell, it sounded an alarm to the grand master, and the entire nest was alerted to the problem. They all were able to witness Charlie's heroic rescue, and delivery of both babes AND Brad to their final destinations.

Charlie had saved the day!

As Charlie was being praised by the grand master, Amy arrived back at base to see him honored with the medal his great grandfather used to wear.

She thumped him on the shoulder and said. "What would we do without such a skilled goof off?!"

Charlie smiled with pride. The tradition would continue, thanks to the most unlikely of heroes.