by Devan Skyles
Ellie laughed. “So, you think there will be more times, huh?”
“I hope so.”
“You know, I haven’t eaten. Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” he replied. Not only was he hungry, but he was eager to try more human food.
“Um, I’m really bad about keeping food in the house,” she said, a bit sheepishly. “It’s just me here, so I kind of just shop a little at a time. You want to go out for a burger or something? My treat.”
Rhydian wasn’t sure how anything with such a strange name as a “burger” could possibly be appetizing, but he wasn’t against trying it. Besides, it would mean spending more time with Ellie and experiencing more of the human world at the same time.
“I’d love to,” he replied.
“Awesome! I know this great place. You’ll love it. Let me just change and we’ll go.”
“Wait, you just got me all wet and now you get to change?”
She shrugged and crinkled her nose slightly. “It’s my payback for you not calling me.”
He waited on the porch while Ellie changed. She returned ten minutes later with her hair towel dried and brushed. She had on a fresh pair of jeans and a purple blouse, but left her shoes inside.
“Shall we?” she said, slipping her arm around his and leading him to her truck.
Rhydian hadn’t realized they would be driving. He was apprehensive about getting into the truck, as he’d never been in a human vehicle before. He’d heard stories of accidents happening in them, taking the drivers’ lives. He couldn’t understand any species that would create heavy, metal boxes, fill them with combustible fluids, and pilot them in close proximity to other such crafts at excessive speeds. It made him wonder how the human race continued to exist. Still, it would make for a great story to tell Auram.
He climbed into the truck and sat down, looking at the various gages and controls. He suddenly got a pit in his stomach. Was he going to be expected to help operate the craft?
Ellie climbed in too and pulled a strap from the left side, stretched it over her lap, and fastened it with a click on the right. Rhydian, grateful there were safety restraints, did the same. The small, cramped space made him feel extremely claustrophobic. He was aware more than ever that he had no wings, because if he did, there would be absolutely no room to stretch them out in the tiny cab.
“You okay?” she asked, slipping a key into a keyhole on the dash. Turning it, the engine whined a few times and then roared to life.
“Me? Oh, yeah,” he managed. “I’m great.”
She put the truck in gear and pulled out of the driveway. Rhydian stared with fascination as she expertly operated the controls in the truck. Flicking a switch, two blades swept back and forth in front of them, swiping the raindrops from the windshield. She sped up and drove down the bumpy dirt road, the tires splashing mud up onto the sides of the vehicle. Rhydian relaxed as they drove. It was actually fun being in the truck.
The dirt road was long and narrow with no other traffic. After driving for a while, they reached the small town of Clearbrook. Rhydian had never seen so many buildings spread across such a broad expanse of land before. Getting around on the ground, he thought, must get exhausting, as everything is spread out in only two dimensions. Still, it was exciting seeing how the humans lived. Most of them moved around in cars of various shapes, sizes, and colors. Only a few walked, he noticed. Stores and homes were built in long rows along streets.
“So, where do you live?” asked Ellie.
Rhydian’s heart skipped a beat. He knew very little about geography on the other side. He thought hard to remember a city he’d heard of, but his mind was in panic mode.
He said the first thing that came to his mind, cringing inwardly. “Clifftown.”
“Clifton?” she asked. “Isn’t that in Texas somewhere?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s right.”
He was so sick of lying and wished he could just tell her the truth.
“I didn’t peg you for a Texan,” she said. “So where are you staying now?”
“I’ve kind of been traveling from place to place lately,” he replied, trying to be as truthful as he could. “You know, seeing what’s out there.”
“That sounds like fun. I try to travel a lot myself, but I’ve never done the nomadic thing. Do you think you’ll settle down somewhere soon?”
“I’m sure I wouldn’t mind being happily stuck somewhere, like you.”
She smiled, impressed that he remembered their conversation. She drove out of the rural part of town and into a more commercialized area with stores and restaurants. Pulling into a fast food place with a brightly colored sign, she rolled down the window and drove up to a sign displaying a large menu. To his dismay, the sign spoke.
“Welcome to Tommy’s. How can I help you?”
“I’d like a number one with chili cheese fries and a Coke,” She told the sign, then turned to Rhydian. “And what do you want.”
Rhydian was so perplexed, he didn’t know what to say. His head simply filled with more and more questions. What was a number one, and how was the sign supposed to give it to them.
“They have the best chilidogs anywhere,” she offered.
“Um, I’ll just have the same as you,” he replied.
She reiterated his order to the sign, to which it replied, “Okay, that’ll be fifteen, fifty-four at the window. Thank you.”
She pulled forward and, sure enough, there was a window. A teenage boy opened it and Ellie handed him a shiny card with numbers on it. At first, Rhydian assumed this must be human currency, until the boy handed it back to her a moment later with a white strip of paper. Rhydian was more confused than ever now. When the boy handed them a box full of food and two drinks, Ellie thanked him and drove off.
“You want to eat by the pond?” Ellie asked. “Looks like the rain’s let up and it’s a nice spot for a picnic.”
Finally, a question he could easily answer. “That sounds really nice. A meal is always better with a nice view. And, you know, good company.”
She smiled brightly at this. “I enjoy your company, too. To be honest, I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me again after the drama with my ex last week.”
Rhydian laughed. “It’ll take a little more than that loser to scare me off.”
She smiled at him softly. “I’m glad.”
A few minutes later, they pulled up to a large pond with a pebble beach. The sun had peaked out from behind the clouds, making the rain-covered landscape glisten and sparkle. She backed the truck up against the gravel and hopped out. Rhydian grabbed the food and followed her to the back of the truck, where she lowered the tailgate and hopped up on it. Rhydian sat beside her.
“I love this spot,” she said. “It’s quiet and secluded. I mean, on the weekends it’s full of noisy teenagers, but right now, it’s nice.”
Rhydian enjoyed the place too, but he was more thrilled by the fact that she wanted to be somewhere quiet and secluded with him. Rhydian enjoyed the food even more than ravioli. He finished every bite and washed it down with the wonderful, fizzy drink called Coke. They had something similar in Ilimíra, but it was nowhere near as delightfully sweet.
When they finished eating, they went for a walk around the pond. Rhydian loved how easy it was to talk to her. He told her all about his pressures at home, his dissatisfaction at work. He told her how Ferro had offered him the business, and how it made him feel trapped to have others expect so much from him when he wasn’t even sure what he wanted to do with his life.
“It sounds like a great opportunity for you,” Ellie offered. “I mean, yeah, it means more responsibility, but it also means more stability.”
“I just always imagined doing more,” he replied. “I wish I was like you, just knowing what you wanted your whole life.”
“Flying is what I love,” she said with a shrug. “If it’s something you want to learn, I could teach you.”
Rhydian tried hard not to laugh at the irony of th
e idea; a human teaching him to fly. Still, it was an exciting offer, and the idea of working with Ellie every day did appeal to him.
The two fell silent as they walked, and Rhydian glanced down at Ellie’s hand by her side. Timidly, he brushed the back of her hand with his. Her skin was soft to the touch. She didn’t pull away, so he slid his hand into hers and they interlocked their fingers. His heart swelled as she looked up and beamed at him brilliantly. They came to a park bench and sat down, still hand in hand.
Ellie noticed the chain around Rhydian’s neck and pulled the timekeeper out of the neckline of his shirt, examining it. Her expression turned to a look of bewilderment.
“What is this?” she asked.
Several lies went through his mind, but he eventually settled on the truth, or at least part of it. “It’s called a timekeeper. It’s made to count down a certain amount of time.”
“Like an hourglass?”
“Exactly. My father gave it to me before he went away. He was an ambassador in the war negotiating a treaty to allow the enemy the use of our thresho— I mean, our resources, in exchange for use of their land. He was only supposed to be gone three days, so he told me to wind this up, and by the time it stopped ticking, he’d be home again. Well, it turned out the enemy betrayed him and, well, I never saw him again.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said sincerely. She noticed that the device was still ticking. “And you still wind it, huh?”
Rhydian simply nodded. He suddenly realized he’d never told anyone the story before. Somehow, Ellie made him feel as though he could share anything with her.
“I wear something of my mom’s, too.” She said, pulling out a silver necklace with a simple green stone. “It makes me feel like she’s close when I wear it.”
A slight breeze tossed her hair, tickling Rhydian’s neck. He settled in closer to her and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“I really enjoy spending time with you, Rhydian,” she said.
“So do I,” he replied.
She sat up with a broad smile on her face. “Hey! You want to do something exciting tomorrow?”
A New Kind of Flying
Rhydian rushed through his work the next day. Mr. Ferro had gotten the forge back together and was busy trying to catch up on missed work. Rhydian had gotten there extra early so he would be finished by mid-morning, though his mind lingered on only one thought: Ellie. She had completely taken over his senses. Everything he saw, heard, or smelled made him think of her. He was completely infatuated with her and he knew it.
When he finished his work, he rushed out and flew straight for the top of the city, where he landed in front of the barracks. In the middle of the barracks complex there was a tunnel that led to the back side of the city, beyond the canyon. This was his newly developed method for losing Redwing’s spies, which he was quite proud of to say the least. He flew out the other end of the tunnel and across the grassland below, the canyon far to his right. He followed the telltale rift in the ground for several miles before swooping over and ducking back down below the cliff tops and down the chasm to the cave. Once inside, he wasted no time retrieving his timekeeper from its usual hiding place and running through to the other side.
He ran through the woods around to the road, then doubled back along it to give the impression that he’d walked from town. He excitedly knocked on Ellie’s door, who promptly opened it and led him by the hand to the truck.
“I was wondering when you’d get here,” she said. “You really need to start using your phone.”
“Oh, that,” he replied, not sure what a phone was, or even how to use one. “Yeah, I guess my phone is broken.”
“Oh, that sucks!” she said as they climbed into the truck.
“So, where is it we’re going then?”
“I told you, it’s a surprise!”
They drove into town again, then up a dirt road on the other side. Rhydian couldn’t help but wonder what she had in store for them. Finally, they pulled up to an open field with a portable building and an airplane waiting for them.
“Ta-da!” she exclaimed, hopping out of the truck. “You said you’d never been skydiving before. Now’s your chance.”
Now, there was nothing Rhydian was more comfortable with than heights, but being miles above the earth without his wings made him more than uneasy. In fact, it terrified him. He was reminded of his ordeal plummeting to the earth in the canyon after the attack, and it wasn’t an experience he was eager to repeat.
“Are you sure this is safe?” he asked.
“Rhydian, I do this for a living,” she assured him. “Statistically, it’s safer than driving.”
This didn’t comfort him much, but he wasn’t about to refuse.
“Let me just get the pilot and we’ll take off… unless you really don’t want to.” She seemed to be able to read his apprehension.
“No, I can’t wait!” he replied. “Let’s do it!”
She smiled and ran to the building. A few minutes later, she came back with a man in a jumpsuit with dark skin.
“Rhydian, this is Benji,” she introduced. “Benji, Rhydian.”
The two shook hands, Benji’s grip a little tighter than his, but he seemed friendly enough.
“You ever been in an airplane before?” Benji asked.
Rhydian almost admitted that he hadn’t, but then remembered that he’d told Ellie otherwise. “Only a couple times.”
“Well, you’re in for some fun then,” he said. “Don’t worry, man. I do this all the time. And you got me on a sober day, too!” He clapped Rhydian on the shoulder and laughed at his own joke. When Ellie was out of earshot, though, he came in close and whispered, “I don’t think you realize what a special girl you got here, so you better treat her right or I’m gonna have to throw you out of this plane, you got me?”
Rhydian nodded, unsure if he was being serious or not.
Benji smiled. “Well, all right then! Let’s get this bird in the air and have some fun!”
Ellie strapped on a harness and then helped Rhydian into his.
“Now, don’t worry about a thing, okay? Once we jump, just put your head and feet back and let me take care of everything.”
“Okay,” Rhydian replied.
They all climbed into the plane, Benji in the cockpit, Rhydian and Ellie in the back. As the engine started, Rhydian became increasingly nervous, but he was excited to experience flying the way humans did. The plane began moving and soon lifted off the ground.
A few minutes later, the plane leveled off and Benji shouted from the pilot’s seat, “So, Ellie and I are going to jump. You know how to land a plane, right?”
Ellie rolled her eyes. Rhydian could tell he was joking this time.
“Okay, it’s time to jump!” Ellie shouted over the roar of the engines. “Come here and sit on my lap!”
Rhydian felt a bit foolish, but he did as he was instructed as she strapped their harnesses together and synched up the straps. They awkwardly made their way over to the door and slid it open, through which a torrent of wind roared.
“Ready?” she hollered.
Rhydian nodded, heart pounding.
Without any further warning, Ellie jumped, pushing Rhydian out with her. For a moment they tumbled end over end, during which time he got his last glimpse of the plane above them.
He’d been ready for the feeling of free-fall. He was used to that, but the frightening part was when he instinctively tried to open his nonexistent wings. He fought back the cold panic and tried to enjoy the sensation. From that high up, it didn’t feel like falling. The ground didn’t suddenly rush up at them. It just sort of gradually got bigger. It felt more like drifting through open space while wind rushed straight up at you.
After nearly a minute of plummeting to the earth, they suddenly stopped, as if something had snatched them out of midair. Rhydian wasn’t sure at first what had happened, until he looked up and saw a massive, red parachute above them, sunlight filtering through the
thin material. He was astounded! Where had it come from?
Ellie was beaming brightly as they drifted slowly toward the ground. “That NEVER gets old! What did you think?”
“That was incredible! I can’t believe you do this for a living!”
“Neither can I!” she laughed.
“Nobody in Ilimíra would ever believe this is your job!”
Ellie went silent for a moment. “What did you say?”
Rhydian’s heart leapt into his throat as he realized what he’d said. “Nothing. I just—”
“No, you said Ilimíra,” she interrupted. “I know that name. I read it in a poem!”
“A poem?” he inquired, bewildered. How could any human poetry be about Ilimíra? It had been a safeguarded secret for several centuries, and even before then, the knowledge of it was entrusted to only a select few.
“Yeah, from some old book. I found it in this creepy old cellar in the woods. What do you know about it?”
“I just— I’ve heard stories about it. You know, myths and legends.”
“Seems weird that you’d just bring up some old story you’d heard. Is it a popular myth?”
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “Just a crazy coincidence, I guess.”
“Hey, there were all these papers in there, too; really weird stuff. Do you want to see it when we get back? Maybe you can help me make some sense of it, since you apparently know more than I do about it.”
He had a bad feeling about this, but what was he supposed to say?
“Of course I will. Sounds like fun.”
Now he was in for it. If anyone back home knew he’d even mentioned the word Ilimíra to an other-sider, they’d have his wings cut within the hour.
The two drifted through the sky, the ground getting steadily closer. Ellie brushed her fingers all the way down his arms until their hands met. Rhydian had never felt quite the way he did. In budding Ilimíri relationships, it was a common courtship ritual to fly together. But this was so much more intimate. Never had he been able to fly with someone so close together that they could touch hands. It was a completely indescribable sensation.
Ellie used two handles to steer them down to the drop zone, where they gracefully soared down and landed on their feet, the parachute drifting to the ground behind them.