Sometimes our course might resemble a series of zigzags as we rode the winds of high and low pressure systems and skirted storm fronts.
She nodded thoughtfully.
“Is there something particular you’re anxious to see, miss?” I said. I thought maybe she wanted to catch a glimpse of some volcanic island or maybe pods of whales.
She looked at the floor as she spoke. “Were you aboard the Aurora last year, about this time, when she rescued a damaged balloon?”
I stared at her, feeling unsettled, as if it were about to thunder.
“I spotted it on my watch.”
She touched my hand with hers. It was so cold a shiver went through me.
“You were the first to see it? From the crow’s nest?”
So I told her, and I must admit, I enjoyed telling her, feeling the thrill of it all over again as I explained how we came alongside and tried to winch the gondola in with the davit. How I had to swing across and hook it to the frame and cut the flight lines.
“You were the one who jumped aboard?”
I nodded.
“The cabin boy?”
I bristled a bit. “The captain asked me, so I did it. He knew I could do it.”
“You’re very brave, Mr. Matt Cruse.”
I felt my face warm. “Not brave, miss. It was no hardship for me. I have no fear of heights.”
“In the report, they just said it was ‘a crew member.’ They didn’t give your name.”
“You read about me in the newspaper?”
“No,” she said, “in the Sky Guard report.”
She paused long enough for me to wonder whyon earth she would be getting special reports from the Sky Guard.
“The man in the balloon,” she said, “was my grandfather.”
“Oh.” I now understood that feeling of thunder in my bones, like a weather change coming. Somehow I’d had a premonition of this, from the way her face was when she started asking about it. And I felt a bit of a dolt now, enjoying telling the story like it was a moving picture, wanting to impress her with my aerial stunts.
“I’m very sorry, miss.”
“Thank you,” she said, “for helping him.”
“I wished we’d found him sooner.”
“They said it was a heart attack.”
“That’s what Doc Halliday thought. When I first saw him he was unconscious, fallen on the floor of the gondola.” I hesitated, not knowing how much she wanted to hear, but she nodded. “Anyway, we got him inside and took him to the infirmary, and the doctor tended to him. He woke up for a bit.”
“Did he speak to you?”
“Yes, but he seemed confused.”
“What did he say?”
“Well, I guess he thought he’d seen something.” I heard the old man’s voice in my head, as I alwaysdid when I went back to it. Which was often. On my watch, gazing at the sky, I’d remember his words, the intensity in his eyes. “He asked me if I’d seen them too.”
She didn’t seem surprised by any of this, as if she was expecting it.
“And what did you tell him?”
“I lied and said yes. I didn’t even know what he was talking about. Some kind of winged creature, I gather. He said they were beautiful. Then he said”—I shivered a little bit, finally understanding now—“He said, ‘Kate would’ve loved them.’”
She nodded. Water spilled from her eyes.
“You’re his Kate,” I said foolishly.
“What else?” she said, wiping her face.
“It seemed to calm him down a bit, me saying I’d seen them too. But then he just sort of looked at me hard, like he knew I was lying. And he told me so. And that started him coughing again. I guess it wasn’t long after that he died. After that the captain took care of things, contacted all the proper authorities and so forth.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
She looked drained, and I felt wrung out too, as if I’d swung across the air to board the sinking balloon all over again. We had reached the end ofthe keel catwalk, and I opened the door to the passenger quarters and led her inside to B-Deck.
At the base of the grand staircase, I asked her, “Do you know what it was your
She nodded thoughtfully.
“Is there something particular you’re anxious to see, miss?” I said. I thought maybe she wanted to catch a glimpse of some volcanic island or maybe pods of whales.
She looked at the floor as she spoke. “Were you aboard the Aurora last year, about this time, when she rescued a damaged balloon?”
I stared at her, feeling unsettled, as if it were about to thunder.
“I spotted it on my watch.”
She touched my hand with hers. It was so cold a shiver went through me.
“You were the first to see it? From the crow’s nest?”
So I told her, and I must admit, I enjoyed telling her, feeling the thrill of it all over again as I explained how we came alongside and tried to winch the gondola in with the davit. How I had to swing across and hook it to the frame and cut the flight lines.
“You were the one who jumped aboard?”
I nodded.
“The cabin boy?”
I bristled a bit. “The captain asked me, so I did it. He knew I could do it.”
“You’re very brave, Mr. Matt Cruse.”
I felt my face warm. “Not brave, miss. It was no hardship for me. I have no fear of heights.”
“In the report, they just said it was ‘a crew member.’ They didn’t give your name.”
“You read about me in the newspaper?”
“No,” she said, “in the Sky Guard report.”
She paused long enough for me to wonder whyon earth she would be getting special reports from the Sky Guard.
“The man in the balloon,” she said, “was my grandfather.”
“Oh.” I now understood that feeling of thunder in my bones, like a weather change coming. Somehow I’d had a premonition of this, from the way her face was when she started asking about it. And I felt a bit of a dolt now, enjoying telling the story like it was a moving picture, wanting to impress her with my aerial stunts.
“I’m very sorry, miss.”
“Thank you,” she said, “for helping him.”
“I wished we’d found him sooner.”
“They said it was a heart attack.”
“That’s what Doc Halliday thought. When I first saw him he was unconscious, fallen on the floor of the gondola.” I hesitated, not knowing how much she wanted to hear, but she nodded. “Anyway, we got him inside and took him to the infirmary, and the doctor tended to him. He woke up for a bit.”
“Did he speak to you?”
“Yes, but he seemed confused.”
“What did he say?”
“Well, I guess he thought he’d seen something.” I heard the old man’s voice in my head, as I alwaysdid when I went back to it. Which was often. On my watch, gazing at the sky, I’d remember his words, the intensity in his eyes. “He asked me if I’d seen them too.”
She didn’t seem surprised by any of this, as if she was expecting it.
“And what did you tell him?”
“I lied and said yes. I didn’t even know what he was talking about. Some kind of winged creature, I gather. He said they were beautiful. Then he said”—I shivered a little bit, finally understanding now—“He said, ‘Kate would’ve loved them.’”
She nodded. Water spilled from her eyes.
“You’re his Kate,” I said foolishly.
“What else?” she said, wiping her face.
“It seemed to calm him down a bit, me saying I’d seen them too. But then he just sort of looked at me hard, like he knew I was lying. And he told me so. And that started him coughing again. I guess it wasn’t long after that he died. After that the captain took care of things, contacted all the proper authorities and so forth.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
She looked drained, and I felt wrung out too, as if I’d swung across the air to board the sinking balloon all over again. We had reached the end ofthe keel catwalk, and I opened the door to the passenger quarters and led her inside to B-Deck.
At the base of the grand staircase, I asked her, “Do you know what it was your
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