Short Story

"Go kill a cat, or whatever it is boys like to do these days," he said, waving his hand petulantly. I was tired of killing cats and continued to stare up at the bristly black mustache that stuck out ridiculously far from the end of his stubby nose.

He sighed. "Need I give you a good spanking?"

"No, Uncle Alvin," I muttered. I had no idea what I was going to do now that I was to "stay out of the way." Suddenly, I saw his airship.

"Excuse me," I said, edging toward the door.

Uncle stared at me suspiciously for a few moments, and then turned to talk to my mother, his sister. Now that I wasn't under close scrutiny, I made a break for it. I only tripped three times before I made it to the airship.

The airship loomed over me, at least ten feet tall. It had tapered canvas wings that spanned exactly 25 feet in both directions. The wings were attached to a chrome tube, about 10 feet long, with the Royal Crest painted proudly on both sides. My attention focused on the ladder that led to the cockpit. Nervously, I began to climb up, wanting only to see the inside.

The cockpit was long and wide enough to comfortably seat a man of Uncle Alvin's girth, meaning it was very wide. It had a miniature sofa that looked luxuriously soft. I couldn't help myself; I plopped down, sighing contentedly.

Uncle Alvin looked out the window. When he saw me, he leaped up, eyebrows raised to the top of his pudgy forehead, eyes wide. All three of his chins wobbled as he shuffled toward me. I didn't know what else to do, so I pulled one of the polished levers in front of me. The airship roared to life, flapping its wings in a flurry.
Uncle was blown backward by the force of the wings, and I ascended rapidly.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Uncle said.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I answered.

I was shooting upward now, faster than any bird I knew of. Panicking, I reached for another lever and pulled. It was the accelerator. I ripped forward through the air, wind grazing my ears. After a few moments, I found that if I eased both levers, I would stay at the same level in the air, and would fly at an amiable pace.

The sound of police sirens filled my ears.

"Void," I swore. "Time for some speed..."

I pulled the accelerator and sped off like a lightning fast bird of prey. Except, I was the prey. They were surrounding me now, like vultures. The only way to escape would be to--

I pulled the last lever. Dropping like a stone, I screamed. Almost immediately afterward, I attempted to push the lever back into place. It jammed.

I searched around wildly, not sure what to do. My eyes caught hold of a red button. It was a huge risk, but I pressed it anyway.

Imagine being blind and deaf, in the water, not sure which way is up and which way is down. Now imagine that the water is boiling. That's how I felt as I was ejected hundreds of feet into the air. Sadly, I had forgotten to wear a parachute.

Time shattered in my world, and blackness filled my eyes.

"Void," I muttered. "I'm dead."