by Nye, Laine
Brad concentrated, his spine tingling. In a couple of seconds, they all started to lift off the ground. Cries of shock and amazement coursed through his friends. Allen looked down at the retreating ground with a look of horror on his face.
“You're okay Allen. I can keep you safe.” Brad reassured him.
Rocks and some loose dirt were flowing upwards with them. They were all yelling in delight and fear, like children on a roller coaster. Jeff's head collided with a large rock that was floating and he rubbed his head but otherwise ignored it. Brad observed the floating debris and made the decision to see if he could fine tune his non-gravity field so that only the people or objects he wanted to lift would come off the ground. The debris or other objects would then stay put. He would soon be successful.
Brad then warned them to be quieter, so they did not bring any attention to them. They continued to rise higher until they could see over the top of the building and out onto the highway where cars were going by. Brad took them back to the ground. The rocks and dirt settled last.
“Okay, you guys ready for more?” Brad asked them.
“Yes! Do it again,” Jeff said. They all nodded. Even Allen was willing now that he was over his initial fear.
Brad said, “Okay everybody, get ready to jump on three.”
They agreed. Brad counted to three. They all leaped into the air and Brad let their inertia carry them far higher and faster than they could ever imagine. They laughed in delight and with nervous fear.
“That is how I beat Rod today,” Brad told them. “I can control gravity!”
He took them back to the ground. They stood there staring at him in wonderment. “How is this possible?” Jeff wanted to know.
“How long have you been doing this?” Brent asked.
“Where did this ability come from?” Rudy asked.
Brad had already decided that he would not tell them about Albert Belasco and the hole. He did not want them bothering Albert or trying to find the hole. Even though these guys had been there the night that Albert had caught him on his bike, he still would not share that information with them.
He answered them by saying, “I've known about it for a year or so. I don't know why I can do it, and I don't even understand how it works. But you saw for yourselves that I can do it. So please, keep your promise and tell no one.
“As God as my witness, I won't,” Rudy said.
“I said no one Rudy!” Brad replied pointing to the heavens.
“Are you ready to go back up again?”
“Heck yeah!” Brent said.
“Let's do it Jeff added.
Allen and Rudy just nodded their heads with smiles and anticipation.
“Okay, on three again. Got it.?”
They all agreed and on three they went floating back into the air without rocks and dirt following them. They did some tumbles and rolls while laughing with delight. After some more antics and air acrobatics, they all came back to the ground. Rudy and Brent landed on their rears and got up to brush the dirt off.
They were all laughing as they piled back into the car to take Brad back to his place. On the way, Brent asked everyone if they were still on for Saturday's camp out. Everyone agreed, so Brad reminded them to have their camping gear ready and bring it to his place Friday night after school. Rudy said that he would have one of his parent's cars available to take to school on Friday so that they could all have their camping gear with them when they went to school.
“Hey Brad, do you think we could do something Friday night before our camp out with this gravity thing of yours?” Jeff asked.
“Yeah, we can do that. Should we go to Rainbow Gardens again?” Brad asked.
“Not on a Friday night.” Allen told them. “That place is too busy with all the bowling leagues. People park out back where we were.
“Okay. How about the college then,” Rudy suggested? “It's pretty quiet on Fridays except for the student center. We can wait until nine or so; the parking lots are usually pretty much empty by then.”
Everyone agreed that was a good meeting place as they pulled up in front of Brad's place. Getting out of the car, Brad turned back and told them, “My parents know I can do this thing. But no one else besides you guys. Keep my secret!”
They all vehemently agreed they would then drove away. Brad was watching with a big grin on his face. His self-esteem never felt higher than it did right now.
Thursday afternoon Rod found Brad in the hallway. His look was undisguised humility and a little fear.
“How did you do it Brad? How did you beat me? It felt like I was suddenly weightless, then I weighed too much. How did you do that?”
“Just lucky I guess,” Brad said watching him warily.
“No. Not luck. You have learned how to do something. I used to kick your butt.”
“Yeah. You did Rod. But those days are over. If you ever attack me again you will know that what happened the yester- day was just a warning.”
Rod looked somewhat intimidated but wanted to understand. “But what is this form of self-defense you used on me. I want to know. And how could you have become so good at it in just a few months?”
“Do I owe you explanations?” Brad asked him heatedly. “I can't stand bullies and that is what you are. Don't ever try anything again. You got it? And leave the other kids alone too.”
Brad walked away letting the indignation he felt toward the bully subside.
It was Thursday night. Sherry sat next to him on the way home from school, and he had enjoyed her closeness tremendously. They were both excited to spend the evening with each other, but Brad more so than Sherry because she had no idea what he intended to do. He was looking forward to her surprise just like he had seen in his friend's eyes the other night. He was sure he was about to make a big impression on her.
After he had introduced Sherry to his Mom, he was allowed to start their date a little early by taking her for a ride in his car. They drove through North Ogden, then Pleasant View and took the old highway toward Brigham City. They laughed, talked and chatted almost without any knowledge of where they were. Once in Brigham City, they turned east and went up Sardine Canyon towards Logan. She had never been this way before. They finally stopped where the small stream on the left side of the road met its headwaters.
Getting out of the car, they went over to the spring and watched as the water seemed to materialize out of nowhere back in a cove that was like the beginning of a cave. The water oozed out of the ground in large quantities and began the run down the river bed. After a while, they left and went back down the canyon with a promise from Brad that one day soon he would take her all the way to Logan and from there over to Bear Lake. It was a beautiful road to travel and Sherry said she had never been there. Bear Lake was a huge lake that straddled the borders of Utah and Idaho.
Arriving in Ogden after their long drive, they went to an old Chinese restaurant. They stayed there after they ate until it was nearly dark when Brad suggested they should go back to North Ogden's Oak Lawn Park. She cheerfully agreed and told him what a good time she was having.
Brad thought things could not have been going better. Yet the climax of their date was still ahead of them. Arriving at the park, they got out of the car and walked into the large field of grass. The park was surrounded by trees. As he had hoped, even expected, they were alone in the park. They had the whole place to themselves. That was just how Brad wanted it to be. Not only would the park be very private for his demonstration, but it was much more romantic than the dirt roads behind Rainbow Gardens.
He turned with her toward the mountains, and they walked up until they were near the big pine trees. Brad knew that at this time of night there was almost always a good breeze coming out of the North Ogden Divide and the canyons next to it.
“Sherry, do you trust me?” He asked her with his heart pounding. Wow! It hadn't been that anxiety producing when he had shown his friends last night. Why was he reacting this way?
“Y
es, I trust you, but...why are you asking?”
“There is something I want to show you that is not like anything you have ever seen or heard about.”
She turned to look at him, puzzled. “Brad Shaw, what on earth are you talking about?”
“Sherry, I want you to take my hand and then I'll show you the adventure of a lifetime. Will you take my hand?”
She slipped her hand into his as they faced the expanse of the park in front of them with their backs now to the mountains. He felt a thrill go through him as her hand enclosed his.
“What is going to happen?” She asked.
“I'll show you right now,” Brad replied. “Get ready... Now!”
He so very carefully, gradually lifted them off the ground.
Sherry cried out in shock looking down at her feet and seeing that they were no longer touching the ground.
“It's Okay Sherry,” Brad said soothingly. “I'm causing this. You are safe.”
She looked at Brad, looked up at the sky and then back at the ground. She let out a nervous anguished sound.
“Brad, how are you doing this? You're scaring me,” she said shakily.
“I promise you it is okay. I've done things just like this before. I did it with your brother and the others the last night.”
No dirt or rocks floated up with them this time. The grass kept everything below intact, and Brad had figured out how to control that issue. They continued to rise higher.
“I'm afraid of heights, Brad.”
“Like I told my mom, you are afraid of falling, not of how high up you are. You won't fall with me holding your hand.”
Her hand felt warm and soft in his. He'd had very little physical contact with her since they had been together. This was very special to him. He was also enjoying the slow climb they were making.
“Brad, how can you do this?” She asked nervously.
“I don't know. I just know that I can. Enjoy it Sherry. You're okay.”
They cleared the height of the pine trees and the breeze now hit them. They began to drift forward and slightly to their left. They could see the lights of the town beyond the park now.
“Look Sherry,” Brad said in a romantic tone of voice. “We are being blown by the wind as if we can fly.”
She looked down to see the ground going by. “Oh my...” her voice caught as she looked over at him. Terror was starting to ebb away, and excitement was taking over.
“Feels neat, huh?” Brad said to her smiling.
She smiled back, still a little nervous. Brad had been careful to keep them in an upright position. He warned her not to move too much or it could make her spin or tumble. As the breeze continued to push, they went up still higher. Now they could see the lights all the way to Ogden and beyond!
“This, this is the most amazing thing I have ever done!” She said nervously. It is fun!”
Brad laughed out loud. “I love it Sherry, and... I think I love you too. She looked over at him with a sweet expression on her face, one that made him want to kiss her very badly. He stared at her intently and imagined himself drawing her in close and kissing her. “Now would be a perfect time,” He thought. She was open to him, off guard, and was starting to enjoy what Brad was doing. He thought it through one more time concentrating on whether or not he had the courage to do it. “Should I kiss her?” He could just draw her over to him with his hand holding hers and turn towards her.
His concentration on his romantic interests had been too strong, overwhelming all of his other faculties. The gravity modification zone he had placed under them suddenly narrowed to just him. Sherry's grasp was torn from his and she was falling! She screamed in absolute horror and total panic. “Nooooo! Braaad!”
He was so caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events that he froze. He didn't know what to do. This ability had always been about instinctual self-preservation. Now he could see just how true that was! She was falling while he remained afloat. “No, Sherry!” He cried out.
Panicking, he began to dive toward her to catch her before she hit the ground. Faster and faster he descended more quickly than normal gravity could take him. He reached out toward her, but she was dangerously close to the ground now, and he had not been able to pull his panicked thoughts together. He failed to concentrate on putting the null gravity back under her so she would start floating again.
He was too far away to grab her. Then he realized what he should have been doing. Using immense levels of concentration, he finally threw the gravity modification underneath her just before she hit the ground so that her landing was hard but not enough to kill her. Then his instinct took over for himself, and he slowed his descent to a gradual level soon touching the ground right next to her. She was still lying on the ground, on her side, in a state of shock. She had not moved, but was breathing like she had just run a marathon.
“Are you okay?” He asked her in a frightened tone. He gently reached down and helped her to her feet. He wanted to hug her and comfort her. She spun and slapped him hard across the face and then let out a cry of pain as she did so. She lifted her right leg off the ground and hopped and hobbled to keep her balance.
“You hurt me Brad!” She said in a venomous tone of voice.
“I'm sorry. I never thought that would happen,” Brad pleaded.
“You dropped me!” She screamed. “You took me up into the air and dropped me! You freak!”
“Sherry, no. It was an accident. I would never hurt you.”
“You just did, stupid!”
“I'm sorry.”
“You will be. That’s for sure. Wait until I tell my parents hear what you do with girls on a date!”
“I have never had an accident like this before, Sherry! I swear it!” But then, in Brad's vivid memory came the scene of Milo Weathers lying dead.
She looked at him with cold hateful eyes. “You stay away from me you monster!”
Brad was hearing the exact same insults that Linda Day had thrown at him a few months ago. Why was it always this way with the girls? He thought in a wry and bitter way. It was over. He knew it. She would never trust him again. But he still had an obligation to help her.
“I'll help you back to the car,” Brad said in a resigned tone.
“No!” She screamed back at him. “Don't you even think of it!”
“Sherry, I can't just leave you here with your injured leg. You are a long way from home.”
“Go get my aunt Sofia. She lives two blocks from here.”
“Let me take you home Sherry; I don't know where she lives.'”
“I will explain it to you stupid. I do not want you touching me or driving me or helping me in any way.”
“Alright,” Brad finally relented. “I'll go get her. But if she is not home, you'll have to rely on me.”
“I don't have to do anything!” She yelled.
Brad backed away from her after receiving instructions on how to get to her aunt's house, his mind still reeling from the sudden turn of events. He had always felt warned to keep this ability to himself. Now he had let several people know what he could do and with no guarantee that they would keep his secret, especially not Sherry who was likely to tell people far and wide just to get even with him. Would anybody believe her? He did not want to believe she was capable of such anger, such hatred, but he had seen it, felt it.
When she was younger and used to try to follow Jeff and him wherever they went, she always acted like a spoiled brat. She would sometimes try to undermine their fun together or get them in trouble. All she had to do to make him forget those things was show up looking beautiful and smiling and all the negative memories he had of her disappeared. Now he knew that despite her charm and beauty, the old Sherry was the new Sherry. He was in a firestorm of trouble. He knew it. He just didn't know what to expect.
He arrived at Sherry's Aunt's house and knocked. The woman came to the door. “Hello, are you Sofia?” He asked her.
“Yes. Who are you?” She asked.
&nb
sp; “I am... was a friend of Sherry, your niece. She is over at the park and she has a hurt ankle or something. She asked me to come and get you if you would be willing to help her.”
“Why didn't you help her? I trust you were with her or you wouldn't know she was in trouble.”
“She refused my help except to come and get you,” Brad said sheepishly.
“How did she get hurt?” Aunt Sofia asked while getting her shoes and keys.
Brad was about to say from a fall. Then it hit him that the way she had swiveled on her foot to smack him could have easily caused the injury. She had shown no signs of pain or injury after he had helped her to her feet until after she spun to hit him. She probably twisted her ankle, he thought.
“I'm not sure. He responded. But she is blaming me for the injury, so she asked for you.” Brad answered.
Sofia got in her car looking at Brad suspiciously and she quickly drove down the street. Brad got back in his car and drove away in total dejection, not even trying to go back to the park to help Sherry. She would not allow it and would only further verbally abuse him. He was afraid that she might tell Sofia what happened, and Brad felt if he was there, she would certainly be more inclined to tell her aunt because she had shown that kind of vindictive spirit toward him. He could not afford others to know of his ability. He had already gone too far and knew it.
At the park Aunt Sofia helped Sherry into her car. She drove her to the St. Benedict's Hospital emergency in South Ogden. On the way, she listened to Sherry's story incredulously then called Sherry's parents to tell them what had happened. Sherry started planning exactly how she would spin this story so that Brad would get into the maximum amount of trouble that she could cause him. She knew how her father was.
Mack Rowley was still in Ogden, not having gone home yet that night. He didn't much care when he got home and expected that his wife would put up with it without complaint.
He got the news from his sister Sofia what had happened to his daughter. In just a few minutes’ time he stormed into the emergency room demanding to be taken to Sherry.
Sherry was lying down on a gurney waiting for the doctor to treat her. She saw her father come in the door ask where she was and then stormed over to her.