The City in the Sky

PART 1
THE WATCH

Ethan stopped running, and was panting by the side of the road. He had missed the bus and was chasing it for the last couple of blocks. He sighed; he would never be able to catch up. A big fat raindrop landed on his nose. "Just my luck!" he thought, "not only will I be late, but it's going to rain, too." He looked up at the dark mysterious clouds, tree more raindrops fell on his face. He wished more than anything now, that he could be some where in the sky and on top of the clouds where there was no rain and no school busses to miss. Cursing under his breath, he started to walk. He was too wet and too tired to run.
When Ethan arrived at school, he was sopping wet and had dirt all over his face. Without thinking, he marched straight to the washroom to clean up. Ethan splashed water up on his face, it dripped down on his shirt; he couldn't care less for he was already drenched in water. Footsteps were echoing in the hall. Coming closer and closer. He quickly stepped in a stall and locked it, lifting his feet as though it were to look like he wasn't there. The footsteps stopped as the bathroom door opened. Ethan peeked through a crack to see that the footsteps belonged to two people. And those two people were 10th grade bullies named John and Will. Chris, Ethan's l0th grade brother, had told him all about them, and what terrible people they were.
" YOU IDIOT! WHY DID YOU-!" screamed John.
"SHHHHHHHHHHH! We don't want to get caught," Will cut in, pulling out a shiny object and setting it on the bathroom counter.
" What do you mean we? It was you who decided to pick it up. Not me! You!" John said angrily. Ethan opened the door to the stall just enough for him to see and not to be seen.
" You were the one who told me to take it!" "SHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Well what are we going to do with it now? We can't just leave it here."
"No, but we can put the watch in someone else's binder or locker, it will look like they took it and not us"
"But who?"
"How about Chris! he wouldn't let me cheat on his test," said John. Ethan gasped; the shiny object on the counter was a silver watch. He instantly knew it was not theirs. And they were going to put it in his brother's locker and blame him for it. That was just not right. He then decided he had to do something, and do it quick.
"Isn’t that a bit harsh?" added Will.
"Do you want to get caught? I don't think so."
"No, but-" Ethan crept out of the stall in such a sly way, that no one saw him. Ethan approached the bathroom counter and snatched the watch.
"But what? Come on we should hurry," interrupted John as he reached down to take the watch. But it was already gone. Ethan started to sprint to the door, but before he was through, they saw him. Ethan ran faster and faster until he was out of the school. He didn't dare look back, that might be their chance to get him. The schoolyard was no place to hide, so he climbed a huge tree. He climbed faster and faster. Twigs and branches scratched at his face, but he still climbed. "Don’t look down, don't look down," Ethan told himself over and over again, but he looked down. The kids in the schoolyard looked so small, and he was so high up. If he fell, that would be the end for him. Being too scared to climb down, Ethan knew the only way to go was up. Ethan climbed for what he though was forever, until he saw something white up ahead. It was clouds. He had no idea he had climbed so high. He could tell the tree was getting thinner. The top must be near. As he reached the top, he reached out to feel the cloud. To his surprise, the cloud was rock hard. Not at all like every one had told him. It was definitely not made of water and dust. He pushed leaves and snapped branches until there was a hole big enough for him to climb through. Soon Ethan was standing on the cloud. As he looked up, he saw a city. A city in the sky, imagine that. Huge buildings towered over him. Thousands of people rushed past Ethan, not even aware or even caring that their city was stuck in the sky.
Ethan wandered the streets looking at the peculiar architecture until he decided it was time to go home. He walked back from the direction he had come from until he came to the tree. Or should I say what was the tree, because it was now gone. The wind must have blown the cloud away from its original place. Ethan wondered where he was now. He ran to the edge of the cloud, got down on his hands and knees, and looked down. Patches of fields covered the land in geometric patterns reminding him of an old, dusty quilt he had once found in his attic. " I don't think I am in Kansas City, Missouri any more," said Ethan.
"Well, of course not, neither am I,” said a voice from behind him. Ethan spun around in alarm, only to find a girl, about his age, standing right in front of him. "Sorry to startle you," said the girl again. " I thought you might have been sick."
"Oh, I'm fine,” said Ethan a bit too weakly to be convincing. He was not expecting anyone seeing or talking to him.
" We should be right above southern Illinois now. Why?" said the girl.
"Uggg," Said Ethan, who was starting to feel a little sick now.
"Are you sure you are ok?"
"Fine! Just fine!" said Ethan who was now upset. But the girl didn't seem to notice, and kept on talking.
"I don't know how to help you, though I do know what will," said the girl as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards a triangular shaped computer monitor. The girl pushed a button on the screen and a keyboard rolled out. The girl typed furiously, "Do you know what time you came here?"
"I think 10:47. Probably around that time," said Ethan. After another minute of looking for results, the girl finally found it and gasped.
"Did you find it?" asked Ethan eagerly.
Yyyes, I found it" said the girl very weakly.
"Well, where is it?"
"Uhhh, somewhere"
"I need to know how to get home, so please tell me,” said Ethan growing very impatient.
"The forbidden cloud," she said very quietly
"Well, I guess I'll be going. I've got a tree to catch. Thanks for your help,” Ethan said as was about to turn and leave.
"No!" said the girl "You can't!"
"Why not?"
"Because ...it's the forbidden cloud."
“So?”
"So, it's forbidden!"
“So?”
"You can't go!"
"Says who?"
“Says…every one! They all know that any person foolish enough to go in will never come out. Never!”
“Well, I don’t believe them.”
“Neither did my parents!” yelled the girl as a big fat tears rolled down her face.
“Your parents?”
“They were one of those people.”
“You mean your parents actually went in?”
“Yes, and were never seen again.”
“How do you know they are dead?”
“ Oh trust me, I know. There has been a report of over 24, 560 people missing- and none of them were related whatsoever.”
“ What happens to people who go in?”
“No one will ever know.”
“ There is only one way to find out.”
“You are going in? Now? Alone?”
“Well, I have to. I need to go home before anyone gets in trouble. That watch had the power to throw my whole family in jail.”
“ But I thought you have the watch.”
“I do. But if I am missing, and the watch is, too, the police will threaten and maybe torture my friends and family until some one says something – which no one will because no one will know where I am.”
“ What is so great about this watch?”
“It is one of America’s most treasured artifacts from its past It is, supposedly, the very first wrist watch made in history.”
“ Well, if you are going, you know you can’t go alone. You don’t even know where it is- or how to get there, unlike me.”
“Yes, I know. I was hoping- wait a minute, are you trying to say that you actually want to come?”
“Well, now that you mention it, I wouldn’t mind a little adventure to brighten my week.”
“ You just said it would be difficult and dangerous, and now it’s just a little adventure? Which one is it?”
“I don’t know, maybe both. Oh, by the way, my name is Maris.”
“You mean you made up those stories? And tried to scare me into asking you to come!”
“None of those stories were fake. My parents, for your information, are actually missing.”
“But, you wanted to come all along!”
“Not in the beginning, but once I realized you had made up your mind to go, I knew I could help you maybe survive.”
“Now that we are partners, what do we do now?”
“ Take the sky way of course!”
“The what?” But Maris didn’t hear him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a sign, which read skyway.
“Maris, what is a sky w-?” said Ethan.
“Not now, we have to hurry,” interrupted Maris.


PART 2
BILLIONS OF BIRDS

Billions of birds, flying in a v formation, came rushing towards them. Maris waved her arms in the air until the birds slowed down. As they drew nearer, Ethan was able to see that the birds were harnessed to a piece of cloud big enough for only four people to stand on. In the middle of the cloud stood two chairs, which were tightly fastened to the cloud. Near the front, a small man sat with reins in his hand.
“Come on,” said Maris as she stepped on the little piece of cloud and seated herself on one of the chairs.
“Har ya weth t-daj mees marees?” said the small man so loud that it was a wonder that such a loud voice came from him.
“ Oh, Angus, this is Ethan. We’re on an adventure together,” said Maris “Sa wer ya heedn ta neow una yar a veeture?”
“To the forbidden cloud”
“ Das ferbideen clood? Oh nu, ac‘nt teek ya dar! Nu nu nu nu a woont teek ya dar stu deenjarus ya giing tu be keed. Boch a jue. Keed!”
“Please Angus you have to take us there. Many people are depending on you. Ethan needs you to take us. You don’t have to leave the cloud, I promise. Please Angus, please.”
“Wej, uka. Nuw dat ja poot at dat ay, I gees ac’n teek ya dar.”
“ Oh, thank you Angus! Thank you!”
“Uka, uka, jeest seet doon, sa weec an goo.” The two adventurers took off and soared through the air.
“ Do you know anything useful about the forbidden cloud, Angus?” said Maris.
“Annly dat da keeng es nammd foonarell”
“Foonrall?”
“Nu, foonarell”
“Funnrell?”
“Foonarell”
“Aha! It’s fonurl!”
“Yees, yees. Foonarell. Oh luk weh ar heer. Neece chuting weth jue. Seh ya leeter ma bee?”
“Maybe. Bye Angus, thanks again,” replied Maris as she and Ethan stepped off the cloud. As they turned around, they saw heaps of bones everywhere. Ethan looked into the distance and saw some thing towering over the bone heaps.
“The tree, it is over there. Come on, Maris, let’s go!” So Ethan and Maris run as they see the tree getting closer and closer. Out of breath, Ethan finally reached the tree.
“I just don’t get. I thought it would be harder than this!” said Maris.
“Oh, don’t worry, it will” said a deep eerie voice. Ethan spun around to find a tall thin, man in a tattered cloak towering above him.
“You asked it to be more difficult and out of the kindness of my heart, I, Fonurl, shall grant your wish.” The eerie man screeched and then cackled to himself. A ball of light gathered in the palms of his hands growing bigger and bigger by the moment. Ethan shielded his eyes as the ball of light glided towards him. He closed his eyes only for a second but to find that the light ball had not touched him. The stolen watch had blocked the path of the light beam. The hands on the wristwatch began to spin, faster, and faster till the watch began to burn. Ethan quickly took it off and threw it to the ground in fright. The moment the watch hit the cloud, the same light shot out and hit Fonurl. With horror, Maris and Ethan watched, as Fonurl grew older and older so fast until a new pile of bones lay on the ground. Ethan bent down to pick up his watch, which was now at normal pace. But the moment he touched the watch, it turned to dust and blew away with the wind.
“Well, this might be the last time we will ever see each other,” said Maris
“It’s not fair,” said Ethan. “I finally make a friend, and as I do, I have to leave knowing I will probably never see you again.” A tear rolled down his face.
“ You see, Ethan, I was, well, wondering if I could come with you?” said Maris.
“What about your home and family?”
“What home? What family? After my parents disappeared, I sold what I had to pay for food and clothes. I have no family and no home. But I have a friend, you. You are the only thing I have. And were the only thing I needed and wanted. Nothing should have to separate our friendship. Not even height or distance. So please, Ethan, can I come?”
“Yes, Maris, please come.” The two best friends make their way down the tree safely to ground. You might say this is the end of their little quest, but I say it’s only the beginning of a lifetime of pure adventure.


THE END