Aeron reacted instantly, throwing a
flow of air underneath the creature to prevent it from crashing. The
insect righted but continued toward the land, gliding along the
current. It struck the ground with its belly and slid through a
large cornfield. Stalks flew upward and outward as they were sheared
off by the wings. But the plants slowed the creature’s advance,
until it finally came to a halt in mid-field. He watched with a mixture of
curiosity and fascination as humans slowly emerged like live
hatchlings from the insect’s body. One by one they jumped onto what
appeared to be a bouncy cushion before scrambling off of it and
sliding to the ground so the next person could have a turn. Once
they were out, they put some distance between themselves and the
creature before gathering in small groups. Aeron remained alert for sign of the
dark-haired woman who had seen him…or maybe she hadn’t. He glanced
over his shoulder. Perhaps she had reacted to the sight of the
storms he had created. Regardless, he had to know for certain. Because if she had truly seen him… She finally appeared. Another mortal
helped her jump down to the ground, but her legs buckled underneath
her. Aeron started toward her, but stopped himself and waited. He
continued to keep his presence unknown to the mortals, but he had to
know if she had truly seen him. The woman managed to get to her feet.
She staggered a few more steps, then fell heavily onto the downed
stalks. No one approached her to see if she needed help. No one
spoke to her, and Aeron felt irritated that she was being ignored. Someone called out and pointed
overhead. Glancing in that direction, he noticed one of the wind
spouts approaching. With a quick wave of his hand, he dismissed it,
causing the mortals below to exclaim with relief. Aeron’s gaze returned to the woman,
and this time there was no denying the fact that she was staring
directly at him. Her eyes roamed over his whole body, from his face,
down to his feet, halting momentarily at his groin, then back up to
his face. Her mouth hung open slightly as she took him in. He took a step toward her, then
thought better of it. He couldn’t concern himself with her. Not
right now. Not when he had work to do.
But she sees me. I do not know how or why, but…she is a
mortal! And she can see me! The impact of this miracle was
difficult, if not impossible to ignore. Nevertheless, he couldn’t
remain here and abandon the work that must be done.
I will return,
he silently promised.
And when I do, I will find out why you are
able to observe that which no mortal should. Giving her a final glance, he turned
his back to her, grabbed his rope, and quickly climbed back up into
the clouds. * * * Ceris felt a scream rise in her
throat as the giant reached for the airplane. Before she could utter
it, the plane suddenly jerked sideways, tilted to the right, and the
sense of total freefall came over her and the rest of the
passengers. Screams, including hers, filled the cabin as the
aircraft began spiraling in its descent. She clutched the seat in front of her
and squeezed her eyes shut as she fought the need to throw up. Her
stomach fell to her feet, but her gorge rose into her throat to
where she couldn’t make another sound. She expected… She didn’t know what to
expect. Would she feel any pain when the plane crashed? Would it
explode into flames? What if she survived the initial crash, only to
burn alive? A joke she’d heard ages ago came back
to her. But instead of laughing this time, it sent chills through
her.
It’s not the fall that kills you. It’s the sudden stop at
the end. She tried to pray, but her thoughts
refused to congeal. She could only hope that it would be over
quickly and with as little pain as possible. The screaming suddenly lessened. At
the same time she sensed the plane slowing down, but that had to be
impossible. It had to be a trick of the mind. “We’re slowing!” someone yelled.
“We’re leveling off!” “Dear God, what’s happening? How is
this happening?” a woman cried out. Ceris gasped for breath. Somehow she
managed to turn her head to look out the window. Incredibly, the
ground wasn’t coming up straight at them. They were moving over it.
Gradually dropping lower, most definitely, but also gliding
sideways. If she didn’t know any better, it would appear as if they
were on an approach and getting ready to land. But land where? There
was nothing beneath them but open fields and plots of land. “Please brace for impact!” a terse
voice announced over the PA. “Brace for impact! Make sure your
seatbelt is tightened securely around your waist. Bend over or lower
your head, and clasp your hands behind your head.” The voice
repeated the instructions, but Ceris managed to take one last glance
out the window. Her brain registered the fact they were coming down
over a corn field before assuming the crash position. Seconds later, she heard a series of
what sounded like small explosions coming from the belly of the
plane. The aircraft waggled from side to side as its wings skimmed
through the stalks, slicing through them as the pilots fought to
keep the nose up. When they came to a sudden halt, the
tail lifted up, hung momentarily suspended in the air, then dropped
onto the ground. Everyone gasped, and the cabin became eerily
silent. “Open it! Open the door!” The man
next to her gave her a hard push. Ceris tried to get to her feet, but
the plane was lying on its left side. She tried to shove against the
emergency exit, but something was blocking it. “I can’t!” she
argued. “It won’t budge!” “Here. Let me get in there.” A large
man who looked like he could be a defensive tackle held out a hand
to her. She allowed him to pull her away from her seat and into the
aisle so he could take her place. But he was also unsuccessful in
opening the exit. “I think it’s blocked,” the guy
finally announced. “We have to exit on the other side.” Ceris noticed the flight attendants
were already one step of ahead of them. They had deployed the air
chutes on the other side of the plane and were helping the
passengers with exiting. She turned to go back to retrieve her
purse, but she was shoved forward, toward the opening, preventing
her from getting it. When she reached the opening, she
jumped down as instructed, landing on her bottom. She slid to the
end of the slide where a man helped her to her feet. She made it
less than a dozen feet away from the plane when her legs went out
from under her, and she collapsed onto a pile of crushed corn
stalks. The wind was gusting, sometimes
fiercely. If she hadn’t fallen, it would have knocked her over.
Believing she might be in the way, she struggled to stand and keep
going, when her feet went out from under her again. She fell a
second time, throwing her hands out to help break her fall. Gasping,
she fought to catch her breath. Her body was singing from
adrenaline. Several strands of hair blew into her
eyes. Brushing them away, she glanced up…and almost stopped
breathing. The glowing blue man stood several
yards away. He was scrutinizing her, almost studying her, a frown on
his arresting face. He wasn’t a giant any longer, but at ten to
fifteen feet tall, he wasn’t what she considered to be normal-sized. She continued to stare up at him.
Again, she wondered if her mind was playing tricks on her. If she
was hallucinating. If her medication was creating this image. But if
it wasn’t, damn! Unabashed, she let her eyes roam over
his body. His nude and undeniably fine-looking body. Even his
slightly flaccid dick was impressive. If he was
real,
who was this guy? He moved as if to come toward her,
but hesitated. Ceris watched as a humongous rope dropped from the
overcast sky. The man grabbed it and cast her one final unreadable
look before hoisting himself upward. She kept her eyes on him as he pulled
himself hand over hand, until he disappeared into the darkening
clouds. An instant later, lightning forked across the sky, and
enormous drops of rain began to deluge the survivors. |