Rose placed a hand on the carpet and pushed with all her strength, only to slump to the floor. Another attempt saw her crouch, then wobble to her feet, steadying herself with the sofa. “What attacked us?”
“I don’t know. Nothing I’ve ever seen before,” said Lily. “Try to wake Stanley.”
She took a step forward, testing her footsteps before continuing. She then knelt by Stanley’s side, rocking him. He didn’t move of his own accord, nor did he flutter an eyelash. More forceful rocking did little to accomplish his revival.
A shadow intruded the hallway. Lily saw a dark figure rise outside the door, the only obstacle between them and it. That door remained unlocked; with haste, Lily locked it.
The Govern pulled down the handle and peered through the frosted glass pane. It moved away. Seconds later a mighty crash came from the living room.
Rose scrambled to her feet and dashed to the back door, rattling the handle. “Sis?”
Click.
She swung the door open and raced into the twilight garden, almost identical to hers back home. She then passed the vegetable patch and ran towards the forest where the fence was far from rotten. Rose clambered over it, not taking her time as she was always told.
Lily watched the approaching Govern. It slivered along the ground on its tentacles, appearing to float without effort.
“Rose, remember what Stanley told us?”
“Yes… yes, I remember.”
She sprinted, noticing the tree house, free of rot. At the top of the hill, Rose looked with relief; the lake, too, featured. She ran, not looking back, but knowing all too well what lurked behind.
Along the lake edge, another hopeful search came to fruition. A two-metre-long wooden raft bobbed up and down, tied with rope to a wooden stump. She stepped onto the centre of the raft, adjusting her balance with her arms.
Lily caused the rope to vibrate. It began to uncoil, releasing them from its mooring.
Rose then used her hands as peddles and splashed the cool water surface; a hopeful deterrent for their nemesis.
The Govern glided from out of the shadows to arrive at the lake edge. It gave a hideous, high-pitched screech and leapt into the air. It flapped its wings with force, heading back towards the house. Others followed and took flight, echoing its torturous cries.
She stopped her paddling and took deep breaths. Two swans came towards the raft, drifting along on the calm water. The sunset illuminated the lake with an orange tinge as the raft gently bobbed. The sound of birds tweeted, whooped and whistled, just like they did on Earth.
After ten minutes of circling, Rose peered into the water, staring at her sister’s vague reflection in the ripples. “We have to go back. I’m tired of running, sis. I just want this to be over.”
“It will be soon. I know it will,” said Lily. She paused. “I thought I’d lost you back there.”
“I owe you one, sis,” said Rose, watching Lily’s refection break into a smile. “Let’s go.” She placed her hands into the water and steered the raft towards shore, eyeing the land for anything that prowled.
The moon shone in the dark sky as she headed back though the forest, creating an experience of déjà-vu like never before. She stepped as gently as she could, making the slightest of sounds possible. Every crunch, crack or rustle jolted her senses like a needle on a polygraph. She knew that at any moment she could be face to face with the faceless Govern.
Arriving at the fence, Rose climbed over. She forced herself to walk along the path, looking for the tiniest of movements within the cottage.
At the porch door she reached for the handle with hesitation. Her hand lowered to Sophie’s cat flap. She pushed it open. Nothing could be seen except the porch interior, cluttered with pottery, so she turned the door handle and proceeded inside.
Beyond the porch and into the kitchen, Rose peeked down the hallway towards the front door. Stanley was nowhere to be seen. Moving into the living room, she viewed the empty sofa where Mother had last lain. The house seemed soulless.
“Bella Air,” whispered Lily. “Stanley may have gone back. He might have taken Mum there.”
“Okay,” said Rose, holding up the compass to observe the needle twitch – ever so faintly.
* * *
Rose retraced her steps, picking up her pace as she did so. Over the stone bridge, she scaled the winding path and up the hill. As she neared the crest, Bella Air’s mast could be seen – though it didn’t point skyward, it leant. Through the trees, Rose observed the vessel, a ruin, a broken and abandoned sight, once the glorious Bella Air.
She dashed to gain a clearer view, only to witness further devastation. It had been broken into two, meticulously destroyed with great intent of her never reaching the sky again.
“Stanley! yelled Rose. “Mum!”
Birds replied with song, and the sails flapped in the breeze.
“How can we…?” said Rose, surveying the wreckage.
“Check inside. We’d better make sure,” said Lily.
Rose clambered onto the shattered deck. She squeezed through the interior, scrambling over and under the remains, looking in every room, all of which were in the same sorry state. The rocking chair, pictures and the cuckoo clock were all broken, the latter spilling out a book titled ‘Stanley Hopkins II’.
“They’re not here. How do we search for them now?”
“Portals?”
“But Stanley told us not to.”
She turned over fallen furniture; some she lifted with ease, whereas others were too heavy. She then entered the control chamber, crunching over shattered glass. The room appeared worse than the rest of the vessel, but it was the feathers that caught her eye. In shock and with sudden awareness, she covered her mouth with both hands and held her breath.
Underneath a pile of clutter, a grey wing was spread. Rose pulled the dismantled machinery aside. Brunel didn’t flutter, nor make a sound. One wing looked broken, while the other was tucked away. She gently lifted his limp body into her cupped hands. “Wake up, Brunel,” she said. “Say something, won’t you?”
Silence.
“Sis…” said Lily, “is he… really?”
Rose stood and climbed out of the control chamber to observe his peaceful appearance in the moonlight. She began to sniffle.
“We should bury him,” said Lily softly.
“I don’t want to.”
“Neither do I. But we have to.”
She weaved through the jagged metal and abandoned Bella Air, then walked beyond a number of trees to a spot in the shadow of moonlight.
Brunel was lowered to the ground. Rose then dug a hole big enough of his body, then she placed him into the earth. “I hope you had a wonderful life. And have a happy next one.”
“Wait,” said Lily, “I should at least try.”
Rose looked into Brunel’s lifeless eyes. She nodded and gave her sister a better view.
Lily took in a deep breath and gazed into Brunel’s soul. Her fists began to shake. She breathed nosily for over twenty seconds, searching and searching.
She stopped.
“Anything?”
“No, nothing…” she said, quietly. “His soul’s gone.”
Rose took a handful of soil and filled the grave, until not a feather could be seen. She patted it down and placed a buttercup on top, which she had plucked from the grass nearby. “Rest in peace, Brunel. And thank you.”
“Bye,” said Lily. “We may have lost you – but not Bella Air.”
“What?” said Rose, wiping tears from her eyes.
“I can do it – I know I can.”
“But – look at the size of it. You’ve never done anything like that,” she said, worried for Lily, and herself.
“I’m stronger now. I don’t need to take your strength so much. We have to try – we don’t have much choice.”
Rose stepped out from under the trees and looked towards the epic feat ahead. She glanced at the stars and said a quick plea to herself, th
en said, “Whatever happens, no regrets?”
“No regrets,” said Lily.
“I’m ready when you are.”
Lily took a deep breath.
The surrounding landscape awoke, as if a storm had arrived. The trees rustled with a violent shake. Rose’s uniform flapped; she steadied her footing. Grass cuttings swept and spiralled like mini tornados. Bella Air groaned, creaked, rattled and rumbled. The sails unfolded and the mast straightened. Plates clanged and glasses clattered. Ropes tightened and twanged into knots. Windows became windows. Chairs became chairs. The two halves met and healed, like a skin wound – only rapidly.
The gusts withdrew. The leaves settled and the grass fell.
Rose slumped to the ground.
All was quiet.
“Rose…” said Lily, softly. “Wake up. We did it. We did it.”
She heard Lily’s voice, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move a muscle. Her heart fought to beat. Her entire body seemed to have shut down, which it almost had.
“Say something, sis. Anything.”
“W– wel… done,” she said, without moving her lips.
That’s all Lily needed to hear. No more words were shared. She waited, and waited, until her sister was ready to rise again.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
A Twin Voyage
The sails of Bella Air flapped in the morning breeze of Sector BL-903. The sun awoke for its timely rise and sat on the horizon, while the twins lay still on the grassy hilltop.
Rose opened her eyes for the first time since Lily had begun rebuilding their hopes. A sleep of nine hours and forty-three minutes had finally revitalised her strength.
“Sis?”
“Oh… morning,” said Lily. “Can you stand?”
“I think so,” she said, and wobbled to her feet, dusting the dirt off her hands while admiring the triumph. “Wow… good job.”
“Yeah, sapped your energy pretty good, huh?”
Rose couldn’t help but smile. “You did – the works.”
She then held the compass closely to her face. The arrow didn’t twitch, flick or jitter. It pointed southwest, while the dials displayed a distance further than ever.
With her limbs shaken, she stepped towards the vessel, rubbing her aching neck. The entrance steps flowed open. “Thanks, sis,” she said, and boarded.
Lily unlocked the door of Bella Air. Rose paused, noticing a bird flying low and landing on the mast, the exact perching spot Brunel would choose. She watched it bop its head for a moment while Lily took care of the entrance steps. Rose then entered the kitchen and headed down below.
Within the control chamber, she browsed the jungle of dials, switches and levers, dismayed. “I wish Stanley were here. Where are you?” she whispered, lowering her head.
“We can do this – I believe in you,” said Lily.
Rose looked at the maze of controls and gizmos. “I know he presses this one here. I guess that’s the engines,” she said, hovering her hand over the lever. “Here goes…” She bit her lower lip, and pushed the lever forward. A deep rumble ignited, then ceased. She looked puzzled.
With a curious glint in her eye, Lily got an idea. “Fuel – I bet fuel needs activating.”
“Yeah…” Rose searched for the elusive switch she knew Stanley had used.
“The switch up there,” said Lily, pointing. “I remember him using that before take-off.”
On her tip-toes, Rose stretched her arm. “Sis?” she asked.
Lily pulled with thought, turning the red light to green.
Rose then pushed the flight lever. The same rumble vibrated the floor, followed by deep humming in motion, gathering pace with every second. “Okay… now for take-off,” she said with dread, and held the wheel tight, pulling it towards her. The vessel briefly departed the ground, before plummeting with a hefty thud.
“More power!” shouted Lily.
Rose pushed the lever a further four inches, creating a boom from the engines. Lift-off was slow, but steady. Bella Air climbed higher and higher. Rose spun the wheel, turning the vessel in the direction of the nearest exit point: southwest, seventeen point four kilometres away, as described by the dashboard dials.
The thrust lever to her side rested at neutral. She placed her hand over the handle and pushed forward to ten, twenty, thirty, forty; Bella Air bowed her nose above the treetops and was propelled through the sky, gaining a velocity.
“Yes!” cried Rose.
“Woooo-hooo!” screamed Lily. “Great job, sis.”
“Thanks,” she said, and thought of Stanley, by her side, saluting.
* * *
Twenty-five minutes of flight had churned Rose’s anxiety and now the next challenge drew near. She viewed the entrance bay, beyond which lay the hell of Kiian.
“We can do this. Take it steady,” said Lily.
Watching the exit open, Rose’s grip on the wheel tightened and her eyes widened. Bella Air was surrounded by rotating lights.
“Nothing can stop us,” said Lily, oozing determination.
Rose flicked another switch. The steel creaked open while she steadied her feet firmly on the floor. The parting doors revealed the howling winds and the sunlit clouds.
She fought to steady the vessel, which rocked as if it had been hit by a gigantic ocean wave. Its force was much more robust than she remembered, and the pounding threw her off balance, but managed to prevent her head from impacting a lever.
Lily steadied the wheel from afar, while Rose stabled herself, and soon returned as captain. She concentrated on the front nose, adjusting the vessel to the dipping and rising within the sector stream. A quick glance at the compass revealed southwest – the only direction in which she wished to travel.
* * *
Day two.
The twins flew over Sector EE-848. The information on the dashboard described an Egyptian-inspired land. Rose imagined the great pyramids and ancient pharaohs. A world full of mummies, and where tales of Tutankhamen were retold.
* * *
Day three.
Curious, Rose thought about the sector below. Those within KA-283 lived as knights, congregating at the round table. They rode their mighty steeds through enchanted forests, where princesses lived in tall towers and witches roamed haunted hills.
* * *
Later.
The twins had no choice but to visit Sector QV-381: the fuel gauge read two nudges to empty.
Rose took hold of the lever, and up they went to the top deck. She returned to the wheel and prepared to land for the first time.
“You managed take-off, so you can land,” said Lily with sureness. “Take your time, and you won’t mess up.”
“I’ll do my best. But where?”
“Hmm…” Lily observed the sunlit grass beneath. “There, down there, next to that… enormous tent?”
“Looks like some kind of circus,” said Rose, pulling down the thrust lever, lowering the landing carriage and easing Bella Air down. The vessel hovered with a slight wobble above the field, then clobbered the ground.
Rose finally exhaled. “Could have been worse,” she said.
“A little more practice, sis – you’re only human.”
After Rose departed Bella Air, the local folks began to gather, as if an alien had landed. The residents were dressed in multicoloured garments and had decorated faces. Three approached the twins, speaking in tandem, as if rehearsed:
“You should join us,” said a lady. She was ever so thin, and wore skin-tight clothes. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until she stretched her leg over her head as easily as Rose could reach out her hand.
“You’ll fit right in, you two,” said another. He was a funny looking chap with a mammoth round face; by far the largest mug the twins had ever seen.
“You can earn a decent bob here,” said the third. His face was barely visible beneath tattoos and pierced flesh.
Rose presumed they were performance artists – of some variety. Sh
e looked at the bendy lady and politely declined her offer, then brandished a handful of tokens which Lily had successfully accessed on Bella Air.
With the exchange complete, Rose retreated back onboard with the fuel. The vessel rose to the sky, entering the brutal force of Kiian, continuing the journey with gusto.
* * *
Day four.
Bella Air soared over those within Sector HH-344. According to the history information, many residents there had starred on the silver screen: Richard Burton, Clark Gable and O’Sullivan; greats roamed the Hollywood hills of lucrative luxuries featuring film stock, props and décor from a golden era.
* * *
Later.
Beyond Kiian’s equator, the twins passed over Sector MS-673. Within this treacherous landscape were poisonous plantations and physically challenged critters, in search of inquisitive adventurers, no doubt. Some inhabitants were Earthly, others alien, but most were mutations – none of which Rose wished to befriend.
* * *
Day five.
The second fuel stop forced their descent into Sector AI-792. Bella Air drifted through the night sky of nineteen-fifties Fairmount, Indiana, America. The twins’ first impression was the abundance of vehicles moving below like glowing ants. Rose set her eyes on GAS, displayed in glorious red neon.
After an almost gentle touchdown, the twins watched vehicles with revving engines. Some drivers honked their horns while Rose made her way across the dust-swept road.
“Well now! Not every day I see the likes of you,” said an American man, staring with an odd expression. “You’re not from round here.”
Rose hesitated, wary of strangers wanting to chat. “We need fuel – for our vessel,” she said.
“For your… what now? You look too young to be pilots.”
“It’s a long story.”
“I see. Well… you’re in the right place,” he said, then smiled. “Listen, I’ll give you a hand with it to your ride. I would now but… we’re about to race. You wanna watch?”
Rose pulled a ‘no’ face, and said, “We really should be –”
“Not take long, right?” said Lily.
“Heck… the way I race, I’ll hit the finish line before you can say start your engines.”
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