The Blue Between the Clouds (10 page)

But Two Moons didn't listen to me. He primed the engine with gas and started crankin' on the propeller.

“Two Moons,” I said. “It ain't goin' to work.”

Two Moons kept crankin'. My mother was callin' us. Pa came out of the house without a shirt on and called too. He could see us in the barn.

“Two Moons,” I said. “This plane needs a—”

Just then the engine turned over and roared.

“Carburetor!” I yelled.

“Get in!” Two Moons shouted above the engine noise.

I jumped in and throttled the engine. Two Moons jumped in behind me and I pulled back as far as I could on the stick. The plane taxied out of the barn and into the field. The banner was still tied to the tail and dragged behind us. Ma and Pa came runnin'. They couldn't believe their eyes. We were roarin' across the field in an airplane!

“Give it more gas!” Two Moons shouted.

I pulled back on the throttle, and looked down at the stick and pedals. One of the pedals was stuck, so I reached down and pulled it up. When I sat back up, we were in the air. Now I couldn't believe it. I pushed the stick forward and almost crashed us into the ground. Two Moons grabbed me and pulled the stick back. We rose into the air like a giant bird. I pushed the stick to the right, eased off the left pedal, and put my foot on the right. Slowly we turned in a big circle. I could see my parents on the ground below, I could see all the way to the mountains, past the mine to the clouds. We were flyin'!

Two Moons let out a yell and threw his arms into the sky. We were bouncin' all over the place like we were in the river again. We rode on the currents of air, floatin', divin'. We turned around and headed toward town. We screamed over Main Street with the banner flappin' behind us. People waved and cheered. It was the best good-bye party you've ever seen.

I pulled up on the stick and we cruised over the mountains toward Salt Creek. I turned to Two Moons.

“Ain't nothin' like flyin',” I said.

“Beats fallin',” he said.

We laughed and laughed. And then it happened. Just after clearin' the peaks and headin' down, we heard a tearing sound. We looked behind us and saw part of the tail give way. It put us into a cockeyed wobble. I could hardly control the plane. Then part of the front wing gave way and we headed down.

“Try to put us in the reservoir!” Two Moons shouted. Then he threw the piece of gold into the air and looked right at the sun.

I pulled up on the stick and it came off right in my hand. I could see the reservoir just ahead of us. We were goin' down fast. I didn't know if we were goin' to make it.

“We'll always be brothers!” Two Moons shouted.

Before we hit the rocky shore, we rose just enough to make it to the water. I swear it was the gods that lifted us. We flipped on our side and skittered across the water like a flat stone.

That's about all I remember. Two Moons had to tell me what happened afterwards 'cause I almost drowned. When I woke up, I had a terrible headache from hittin' my head. Everything was blurry, like wakin' up with a fever. I remember Two Moons holdin' my head up and old Simmons leanin' over me. For a minute it was like the whole thing never happened, like we were still fishin' with the old guy. But then I came to and sat up.

You see, old Simmons was up to Salt Creek Reservoir fishin'. He saw the whole thing. Now, I know Simmons is deathly afraid of water and won't never swim. But Two Moons tells me he jumped in with a rope around his waist and fished me out of the wreckage. Made me think of that day at the pond when we found the grave of his son; you know, that small cross in the ground. I guess old Simmons didn't want another cross clutterin' up his property.

We sat for a long time in Simmons' car, just watchin' the water where the plane sunk. Nobody really said much. After a bit, Pa drove up in his pickup with Claudine, Ma, and Emmett. Pa picked me out of the car with one hand like I was a rabbit. His whole body was shakin'. He held me so tight I couldn't breathe. Then he did the same to Two Moons. His face stayed all worried like for a long time, a couple days at least. Poor Claudine didn't stop bawlin' the whole time we were at the reservoir, and Ma fluttered around huggin' everybody. We stayed there all day long, throwin' stones and talkin'. I think Pa got in some trouble for not showin' up at the mine that day, but he said it was all right. Old Simmons had his fishin' stuff there in his car, so he caught us some lunch. He and Emmett became friends that day and have gone fishin' most days since.

'Long about dark we decided we couldn't put it off much longer. Pa loaded Two Moons into the truck with Claudine and Emmett. Emmett would see them back to the house, and then Two Moons would leave forever.

Two Moons stood with his back to me, starin' up at the stars. The moon was out full and a gust of wind blew hard, then died. I didn't know what to do; I just stood there shakin' like I was cold. I climbed up in the back of the truck and stood beside Two Moons.

“It ain't gonna be easy, you know,” I said. “Flyin' and all without you.”

“I don't suppose you'll be doin' much flyin',” Two Moons said.

“Yeah, bad spirits.”

Two Moons laughed. “Bad spirits. Bad medicine,” he said.

“No,” I said. “I'd do it again if we could get away with it.”

“S'pose I would too,” Two Moons said.

“It ain't never gonna be the same,” I said.

Two Moons turned to me then and hugged me like a brother. Then we both looked up at the stars again, tryin' to think of somethin' else to say.

“Do you s'pose it'll be a different moon in Bozeman?” I asked.

“We'll see,” Two Moons said.

We laughed then, and I climbed down from the truck. Pa climbed in and held Two Moons like a son.

“We're gonna miss you, boy,” he said.

Emmett nodded and started the truck. Claudine climbed in; she was still blubberin'. That woman cries more than anybody I ever knew.

“It ain't never gonna be the same,” I said again.

“There's blue between them clouds,” Two Moons said.

I smiled. Pa and old Simmons looked to the sky like it was gonna rain, but it was clear as glass. The stars were small holes in the night, and the moon looked like the end of a long tunnel, a mine shaft where it ends.

The truck drove away and we waved to Two Moons long after he was gone.

“Pa,” I said while we were walkin' home. “I guess I done wrong makin' you and Ma worry and all.”

“Yes, son,” he said.

“You 'bout made us sick with worry,” Ma said.

“Well, I been a little worried myself. I guess I don't want to spend the rest of my days in the mine.”

Pa laughed then.

“I don't think you're cut out for the mines, son,” he said. “But you do much more flyin' and you're gonna put me in my grave.”

“I won't, Pa,” I said.

Just then, we heard a flock of birds take flight from the treetops. It startled us and I was afraid for Two Moons at first, but as they got farther away, it didn't sound like birds. It was more like angels flyin' up to heaven.

About the Author

Stephen Wunderli
lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he is the creative director for a small advertising agency.
The Blue Between the Clouds
is his first book for young readers.

 

Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

Publishers since 1866

115 West 18th Street

New York, New York 10011

Copyright © 1992 by Stephen Wunderli

All rights reserved.

Published in Canada by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd., 195 Allstate Parkway, Markham, Ontario L3R 4T8.

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ISBN 0-8050-1772-0 (hardcover)

ISBN 0-8050-4819-7 (paperback)

First published in hardcover in 1992

by Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

First paperback edition, 1996

eISBN 9781466885929

First eBook edition: October 2014