Cloud Riders (18 page)
Authors: Don Hurst
The door slid open and Calamity Horrid walked out of her room. The change Vicki had initiated proved quite remarkable. Her steel brassiere had disappeared. The chrome
Calamity Horrid
buckle had been replaced by a blue silk belt so narrow it almost disappeared into her blue ball gown. She wore the garment straight and not twisted like her other dress. A simple blue velvet bonnet replaced the sideways yellow hat, almost too small for her head. A pair of matching light-blue walking shoes had replaced the red pump and blue loafer. The greatest change shone in her radiant face. Her smile remained crooked, but the faint blue gloss on her lips had been applied to give the effect of her mouth being almost straight.
"Well, what do you think, Paulie?” Vicki said with pride filling her voice.” Fawn? Will? Isno? Worth the trip back?"
"I approve, Vicki Sue,” Fawn said. She smiled.
"Blimey, I thought we came back for my sister, don't you know?” Will said.
"Where'd you put Calamity Horrid?” Paul said, his mind more on the girls than the fashion world.
Isno meowed, “Lady big same."
Calamity Horrid grew toward the ceiling, increasing to her giant size in seconds, her new clothes stretching to match her growth. “Oh, I'm still here,” she cooed. She swept the four of them into her arms, Isno protesting the loudest. She zoomed outside. The wind had picked up considerably. She had grown into what she had been before, only better dressed. “Now get out of here!"
She threw Fawn, then Vicki, then Paul, toward the form-wobbling Silk. Then Will and Isno toward their rides. Huff and Blanch wavered a bit, but remained less affected by the swirling wind than Silk. Calamity Horrid's throws proved to be amazingly precise, each landing astride their cloud rides.
"Where's Holly, like?” Will shouted at the gigantic well-dressed woman. “You can tell me, don't you know. I'm her brother Will. Claude Nab have her, for sure, maybe?"
"Oh, she's here and she stays here!” Calamity Horrid yelled back, her voice conquering the noise of the incoming storm. “Like for sure don't you know,” she imitated Will's voice and tone exactly. “Be off with you!"
Paul, dumbfounded, asked, “Why, Sis? Why'd she betray you?"
Vicki didn't seem the least bit concerned or puzzled. She raised her voice to be heard over the increasing wind. “You can give someone new clothes, but it usually doesn't change their character."
"Why come back to fix Horrid, Sis? What difference did it make?” Paul said in a please-solve-the-riddle enunciation.
"To give her self-confidence.” Vicki looked at Paul and Fawn's puzzled faces, and explained. “For the girls, Paulie. If she can't be happy with herself, she would never allow the girls to go home."
Paul nodded, but didn't fully understand. Silk's form wavering took control of his attention.
The group held on tight to their rides black storm clouds rolled in and cast a dark shadow over the golden cloud. It engulfed them in a swirl of dominance.
Will's face contorted. “We aren't leaving without my sister! No way, no how.” He glared at Paul. “You're pulling me?"
"She's in Friday's hallway, Will,” Vicki shouted over the wind. “She's screams at 7:00 A.M. except for Fridays."
A wind gust almost tore away Vickie's grip on him. He looked back in time to see Calamity Horrid disappear into her ice castle.
"Hold on, Master. Trouble. Blowing away!"
Blanch stayed barely bothered by the storm, her banana shape stable, unable to be peeled away by the disturbance.
Silk maintained her shape long enough to ride Paul, Vicki and Fawn to the top of the yellow dirt road. The storm twisted, pushed and pulled at her. She became distorted, ripping apart.
Vicki's arms wrapped around Paul's waist and Fawn's around hers. Yellow dirt from the road surface swirled about them. A flash lit up the sky, then a second later, the not so distant rumble of thunder.
Huff stayed in form, too small to be puffed away.
Will shouted, trying to gain Paul's attention. “Blimey, I want to know how you get your cloud to go where you want, mate."
Vicki called to her brother. “Will needs to know how to steer Blanch!"
"Talk to her!” Paul looked back toward Will, his face strained. “You taking off?"
"My sister, mate, isn't it,” Will hollered. The wind buffeted his voice and he realized no one heard him.
"Blanch, lady! Take me to Calamity Horrid Ice Castle!” A gust of wind almost blew him off his ride, as her pure white form turned and sped away from his cloud companions. “We got to rescue Holly for sure!” Blanch flew over the yellow dirt road toward Horrid Ice Castle.
All he needed to do is ask? “Five years and I could've been steering you? Talk to me, Blanch Bunch. That's an order."
The banana turned upside down and dumped him.
Will rolled, stirring up even more yellow dirt and came to rest in the center of the road.
"Blimey, woman. I take that for meaning no, I'm guessing."
A flash of lightning chased by a thunderous roar attacked him and his riderless cloud. “You win, Blanch, for sure!” Will called. He thought,
You blimey git!
The first drops of rain teased his face. “So I'm apologizing, aren't I."
Blanch dived and lifted Will onto her back. The lady definitely had a mind of her own.
His dignity badly dented, Will begged, “Steady, girl,” with the odd sensation of not being able to hear himself over the storm.
The weather's flashes and roars circled him with a scary dance. Drops of wet splattered against his face with Blanch heading into the rain.
Will had no real fear of the sky's recreation. How many times had it happened before during his five-year Holly search, being in the middle of a storm and surviving? What did scare him percolated in the back of his mind, digging deep trenches with its fiendish what-if claws. What if she didn't remember him? What if she wanted to stay in the sky? What if he couldn't get into the castle? What if the ape gorilla or Horrid woman got to Holly before he could find her? What if he couldn't find his way back to England? Could there be anything worse than coming to her rescue only to be met with a bland look and a ‘Who are you and what are you selling?'
Will found relief from his what-if thoughts by the joyous observation his small cloud seemed to weather the storm better than Paul's considerably larger Silk.
His memories flashed faster than the lightening strikes around him. Scotland Yard detectives. Bobbies. Photographs of his older, adopted sister being studied by the law officers. The lightness of her skin, the shape of her eyes. Her smile. The sound of his parents’ voices; frightened, demanding respect and quick action. Trying to question only to be ordered to bed. Remembering. Crying. Drifting. Life on pause. The dream. Falling, kicking, and descending—upwards. The white banana cloud catch. The endless ride. No thirst. No hunger. No people. No sleep. No bathroom needs. No nothing. Year chasing year.
A thunder roll and simultaneous lightening flash awakened him to the present. Blanch parked in the middle of the yellow dirt road above the dual castle doors. Despite the rain, he couldn't see any mud. He jumped off Blanch and ran to the left main door. He looked up and nodded, reading
CHOOSE ME
. The passageways were here, the girls were here, Holly was here. He clawed at the door crack, pushed against the ice slab, trying to move the ice barrier. How could he make it work? He tried imagination and failed. “You git!” He tried cursing and it did nothing to help move the huge slab.
The rain now flowed in a waterfall. His clothes soaked through, yet remained dry. What a strange place. And like magic, the door scraped and jerked open.
"Welcome!” came the unwished-for growl. “Do come in!” said Claude Nab. The invitation couldn't be refused, the gargantuan gorilla's hand wrapped Will between hairy fingers, each almost as large as Will himself.
It dawned on Will, this could be the moment he would die. Paul had his Vicki, but he didn't have his Holly. The injustice initiated a flow of acid eating away at his stomach. Five years, and now to have it end like this.
The one thing he didn't expect happened in such an unforeseen manner, Will didn't have time to reflect on it. Gorilla play. Tossed up the stairs and recaptured, and transferred from hand to hand, amidst laughter drowning out the thunder outside. Smacking Will palm to palm didn't hurt or injure, but it tormented him in another way; the complete feeling of helplessness coupled with defeat. His capturer played with him as if he were no more than a rag doll he intended to tear to pieces once he tired of the game. Claude Nab, monster, on stage relishing his domination, playing a game of throw and catch Will. Flying into another handhold catch, inspiration burst into Will's head.
"Calamity Horrid!” Will cried as he flew between the King Kong sized hands of Claude Nab.
The great gorilla jerked his head around just long enough for Will to stiff-leg the catching palm, drop to the floor and escape the monster's closing fingers. Will instantly bounced to his feet and sprinted away faster than he had ever moved in his life, a black blur against the golden ice walls. He dived for the nearest hallway, but hairy fingers encircled his body and lifted him up towards the ceiling. A round trap door lifted from the floor, clattered to the side and exposed the sky below the castle.
"Oh blimey no! I'm sorry, don't you know!” Will screamed.
Claude Nab's grip opened. Will fell through the hole, kicking and flaying in an attempt to run in midair. Earth rushed toward him, although the distance didn't allow him to see it this way. Rain lashed at his body, lightning and thunder chasing. “BLANCH!” Will screamed as only a man dropping through space can cry out. No ride appeared. Will did the only thing he could do, he again cried, “BLANCH! BLANCH BUNCH!"
Several very scary minutes passed before Blanch swooped under him and Will's legs slipped over her banana shape. She sped him back to the yellow dirt road outside the castle.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Blanch, don't you know. Blimey, close one, I'm thinking.” He jumped off and ran down to the
CHOOSE-ME
doors.
He had one choice. Think. What would his sky mate do? Paul would do something, wouldn't he? Even Paul's cat would do something. Meet the Horrid woman face on and have her let Holly go would be one plan worth consideration. Calamity Horrid could do anything up here he figured. She had plenty of girls. She didn't need Holly.
Will didn't hesitate for another second and walked to the right
CHOOSE-ME
door and pushed on it with all his might. It started to move inward. He had the control. At long last, things were going his way. He put his body weight behind it and heaved a final push. His lean muscles bulged. The door yanked open so fast he lost his footing and involuntarily kneeled. In front of him the castle queen, Calamity Horrid stood tall and domineering.
"You
dare
return!” The gigantic voice came from above his head as he stared in disbelief at a Horrid knee.
As with Claude Nab, he had to think fast. Inspiration visited. “Claude Nab wants you up in the other tower, for sure,” Will said, inventing each thought. “Something about cracking ice, kind of like! Hurry, he said, don't you know.” Will felt the strength of his voice would be able to make the long climb up to her ears. “He says to, like, hurry before it crumbles!"
It worked! Calamity turned and raced up the ice stairs seven at a time.
Will jumped to his feet. Now all he needed to do is find the way to the upper story, avoid gorilla Claude Nab and bogeywoman Calamity Horrid, find Holly's hallway and Holly herself.
He sprinted after Calamity knowing she would show him the way to the next level. Surely, this diversion would be told to everyone and handed down to generations of cloud riders.
Calamity reached the left wall and disappeared. Will blinked to clear his vision. The string of swear words that cursed through his head surprised him. Where had they come from?
"Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! It's a hundred Blimeys situation, isn't it! Blimey!"
The two hallways were without light and he didn't want to venture into the darkness. Kid Badd could be hiding there, maybe beside the Horrid woman hulk—Badd to shoot him dead and Horrid to make sure of his death. Still, maybe the dangerous kid wouldn't bother him in Paul's absence. Or Kid Badd could fly out and green-beam kill him right on the spot. Will did miss not having Paul's arm and leg detachment ability, but kept his mind clamped on finding Holly.
He studied the location where Calamity Horrid had disappeared. Several minutes passed before he noticed a barely visible small red dot the size of a period. Running to the wall, he ran his hands over the ice and found a barely perceptible crack. It had to be a door crevice. Body braced, he pushed a finger directly onto the red dot. His world went dark.
Will felt dizzy as he opened his eyes. Before him lay the seven illuminated hallways. No gorilla. No bogeywoman. He couldn't believe his luck.
What did Vicki say? Monday's hallway? Tuesday's? Wednesday's? Thursday's? Friday's? Saturday's... no, Friday's!
At least the seven corridors on this level were well lit. Will sprinted to one hallway after another until reaching,
FRIDAY—FIFTH YEAR ACQUISITIONS.
He sprinted down the corridor, stopping at each door and looking at the brass nameplates. Laura. Gigi. Holly!
Banging on the ice door didn't produce a sound. A push on the name plate brought music wafting out. The door slowly opened. Standing in front of him, a Chinese girl almost a head shorter than himself.
"Yes?"
"It's me, Will!” The excitement of seeing her buzzed through his body like a swarm of adrenaline bees.
"Will?” She sounded confused.
"Your brother!"
"My brother? Well, come in then.” She backed from the entrance, her hand covering her mouth, her eyes so wide they almost lost their beautiful almond shape.
Will had no idea what expression she hid beneath her hand, but made no effort to hide his own smile. He jumped inside and wrapped her in his arms with as much force as he dared, not wanting to crush her.