A Girl of the Paper Sky by Randy Mixter Read Free Book Online Page B

pushing the waist high vegetation out of their way as they moved forward toward the jungle in the distance. Though he never turned my way, I recognized Brian by the way he walked, and by his blonde hair below his helmet.
    I called to him often, but he never turned. He just walked a ragged line from the field to the jungle. I would watch him until he entered the trees beyond. Sometimes he got there before nightfall. At other times, the darkness fell on him while still in the grass. Every night I’d call his name and every night he kept walking, except one. One night he heard me.

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    I remained frozen in the same spot each time while he could move wherever he wanted, and he wanted to make for the jungle ahead of him. Maybe want was too strong a word. Although none of the soldiers said a word, I got the distinct impression that not a single one of them looked forward to entering the dark trees.
    The dream seemed different this time. Something was in the grass in front of him, something dangerous.
    The men had spread out and Brian took his place in the rear as always. He walked slowly, a rifle in his hand, glancing from side to side, but not looking down, and that’s where the danger lay.
    “Brian, look down!” I shouted from my perch high on the hill. “Look down!”
    He continued his march forward. “Dammit Brian, if you love me you’ll listen to me!”
    That’s when he stopped. The rest of his group continued ahead, but he stood still. At first he stared ahead, but then slowly he turned towards me. I couldn’t tell if he saw me or not. His face gave no indication of recognizing me. His eyes fixed on the hill.
    “You’re in danger!” I shouted as loud as I could. “There’s something on the ground!”
    Still no recognition, and I thought that maybe he had heard something else and not my voice on the wind. And so, I told him I loved him. I shouted it as loud as I could. As I spoke, something rose up behind him - a shadow, dark and menacing. Its arms rose like smoke until they stretched out.
    It wants you, Brian. It wants you and it doesn’t know love.
    He stared a moment longer before he turned away and I would have turned away too, if I could have, because I knew something bad was about to happen and I could not stop it.
    He stood in front of it, not moving, and the shadow grew bigger. Its arms elongated and moved toward Brian, wrapping around him. Then it suddenly stopped. It cocked its dark head and seemed to look to the sky. As I watched, it shrunk in size, and corkscrewed into the ground.
    I saw Brian look down at where the thing had vanished. He brushed the thick long grass aside with his rifle before bending down. I held my breath as I watched him disappear too.
    And then he rose, back to full height. He had something in his hand. He stared down at it. Then he lifted his arm in the air and called out to those around him. I couldn’t hear what he said, but they all stopped dead in their tracks. He lifted his arm in the air, and I saw the object in his hand.
    It was a paper bird, so white in all the green around it. Brian turned around again and I saw the bird fly from his hand, its paper wings flapping in the wind. It soared upward and as I followed it with my eyes, I saw them, a flock of white birds hovering high above in the evening sky.
    A deafening sound blanketed me, powerful enough to shake the ground beneath my feet. The birds scattered, racing away as fast as they could. I lowered my head to the field below, afraid of what I might see. A smoky fog covered a large area by the tree line. I saw two trees fall to the ground, others swayed back and forth.
    Brian and the others were running toward the hill where I stood, coming directly at me. I would have run to him then if I could. If my legs were not frozen to the ground I would have run to him. Instead, I watched him vanish into the air as my dream collapsed around me.

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    I wrote Brian a letter about that dream only. I saw no need to tell him of my