Far From The Sea We Know by Frank Sheldon Read Free Book Online Page A

the
seats, it looked like the weight of the load was in balance. Only
three seats, including the one next to the pilot, remained
free.
    Matthew took the seat next to Penny, easing
himself in behind the pilot, who was flipping switches and checking
his gauges.
    Penny was still in her swimsuit and was
already strapped in with her clothes on her lap. Though she must
have been cold, Matthew could feel the heat from her body.
    “Somewhere back there, there’s a blanket if
you need it,” Skimmer said. “Miss, you’re a tough one to take a
plunge this early. It shouldn’t be cold upstairs, though. Won’t be
flying much over a thousand. I got so used to staying low because
of the weather around here, and I get nosebleeds if I go any
higher. Joke, that last one. Looks good today, though, lucky for
us, and yeah, wear the headset next to you, or you won’t be able to
hear a thing over the engine.”
    Then he just sat there, grinning at them, as
unmoving as a gargoyle. Finally, he said, “Just waiting for the
word, mon Capitan .”
    “You have it.”
    “So, okay,” he said, hitting a few more
switches. “We’ll set down briefly at Victoria to clear customs
and—hey! What, this again?” He knocked his knuckles a few times on
the instrument panel. “I guess we can live with it. Okay, here we
go.”
    Skimmer gave the wobble pump a stroke to get
the fuel moving, then hit the starter. The propeller kicked over
slowly, then seemed to start firing one cylinder at a time,
wheezing puffs of blue smoke for a few turns, until the engine
settled into a slow, lazy idle. The motor sounded healthy, Matthew
was glad enough to admit. He buckled his seat belts.
    Out the window, Matthew saw a wedge of geese
coming up across the inlet. Their honking was not audible over the
engine, but he could imagine the sound.
    “Okay, folks,” Skimmer said. “Here we go,
off into the great and wild blue! Hang on and keep cool. Ah, warm’d
be better, I guess, kind of cool up there…”
    Skimmer gave the engine full throttle and
Matthew was glad to have the headset against the noise.
Nevertheless, the sonorous thrum of the engine vibrating through
his rib cage was some solace to his doubts about the pilot. The
aircraft, at least, was well maintained.
    They started moving, slowly at first, then
quickly came up to speed as the pontoons began to lift from the
embrace of the water. The slight feeling of release of suction as
they broke free was familiar to Matthew from the few other trips
like this he had taken. Skimmer pulled up toward the sun as if it
might be their true destination before finally leveling out to a
northern heading.
     
    No one had said a word for the first twenty
minutes of flight. Penny reached into a rucksack stashed near her
seat and pulled out a thermos.
    “Like some coffee, Skimmer?” she said.
    “I usually suck on grapes to save wear and
tear on the ol’ bladder. But I guess it won’t be too long before we
set down at Victoria for customs.”
    “How about you, Matthew?” Penny said, as she
suddenly broke into an impossibly wide grin. “A cup of java will
set you right.”
    “Well…”
    “As long as we’re at it,” Skimmer said,
“you’ll find some doughnuts back there on the left in that carrier
bag. You folks look like you’ve been in small planes before. Help
yourself, as long as you’re sure you can keep it down. A guy I ran
up last week had to speak to God on the great white telephone, only
remember, I don’t have one.”
    Skimmer noticed the puzzled look on
Matthew’s face. “A toilet, catch? Well, he couldn’t manage the bag
I gave him so, instead, he lost his lunch right where you’re
sitting, all over that seat. And guess who does cleanup later? Used
that pet stuff, but it still might be a bit fragrant, sorry. Much
obliged if you’d pour me a coffee. Cups are in there.”
    Matthew fished mugs out of an old toolbox
Skimmer was using as a larder.
    “No cream for me,” Skimmer said. “Black