Flight of Imagination
Disclaimer I do not own the characters in this story. I wish the people who did would use them and create new series.
Brain and his Pa where seated on the steps of the homestead. Both were enjoying each other's company as they were looking out over the old barn to the hills in the distance. So many years had come and gone with the memories that the scene evoked for them now. Many seasons that had changed the scene but it always had the feeling of being home. So many good and trying times that one could write a long novel on those memories.
Brian had been about nine years old when they had shifted into what became affectionately called the new homestead. Sully and Ma had Katie in this home, and he had fond memories of feeling a son-connection to the man now seated beside him. This had begun early on when he had caused his folks worry when he and Anthony had stolen off to Manitou. Later Sully had encouraged him to follow his dream to become a well published author and journalist. He had married Sarah when they had left college and they lived on the other side of Colorado Springs that no longer represented the sleepy town of his memory. They had two precious children who were as adventurous as he'd been as a young lad. Luckily Sully was able to still teach his son Theo as he'd been assisted with his Pa all those many years ago and was still learning.
As they watched Theo climb onto the coral Sully gave a chuckle."What is it, Pa?" Brian questioned, looking at Sully's grinning face when he called to Theo to be careful and not to climb too high.
Sully was transported back to a time long ago when Brian was just a fraction younger than young Theo was now.
"Remember when you and I went out to the woods way back?" he asked.
Brain smiled, ""Yeah, but which time are ya talkin' about? There were so many."
"When ya was listenin' to the Cheyenne tale about the Eagle and then decided ya could fly," Sully clarified. "Gave me the worst scare of my life looking back at ya just sailing into space from that high up branch in the oak tree," he continued.
Brian's eyes grew bright. "I remember feelin' free an' just like the Eagle in ya' tale, but then nothin'," he said with a grin. "Didn't realize how it was then being a kid, but Theo sure has taught me a lot," he added wistfully. "Gotta' keep ya' eyes peeled all the time, can't stop them all together though, they gotta' learn some on their own." He was silent for a moment before he went on, "I remember dreamin' you and I flying over Boston and waving to Grandma."
They both drifted to their own memories of that trying time. Brain recalled feeling the pressure as it built up in his head and how he suddenly went blind whilst helping Mr Bray as he was drawing up the plans for the new school house. How frightened he was. Loren was gone now; he was the surrogate grandfather Brian had needed on so many occasions in his life.
Theo had just begun at that school that had been built by the men while he'd been seriously sick. It now had additions though as the town had grown. Brian remembered being obsessed with the idea of flight even back then with his imagination inventing ideas of how he could be free and soaring into the sky.
Sully shuddered at the memory of looking back to see Brian launching himself into space and falling as if in slow motion till he thudded to the ground. He'd run from the woods to Michaela with the unconscious child held tightly to his chest and was relieved beyond measure at her reassurance that Brian would be okay. He remembered how he'd gone out and prayed to the Spirits to look after Brian. The days had slid by so slowly with everyone's nerves on edge waiting. Then finally waking that glorious morning when Brian had regained consciousness and wandered out to the meadow looking at the school house. He'd never felt such relief as he did just before holding Brian and Michaela in an embrace.
"Next ya' tried to see the man in the moon with the telescope ya' Gran sent ya," Sully chuckled. "Remember ya' Ma trying to get ya two over ya' little spat."
"Yeah, and Colleen and I fought over it and it smashed," Brian confirmed."She called me stupid for believing that men could really reach the moon after reading the fictional story "From the Earth to the Moon" by Jules Verne. I didn't know about fiction then, though that was when I became interested in writing."
"Ya' interest in flying has been a dream of yours for ages," Sully reminisced.
Smiling to himself Brian said, "Yes I wrote a lot of essays while at school about the feasibility in flyin'. I got some A's with my ideas as well. Also used a mountain of paper making drawin's an' designs as well. Poor Ma, she was always tryin' to support me but she found it hard 'specially after that fall."
"I think there's a lotta' people who have the ideas ya do about flyin', Brian. Look at the balloons and kites. They're a start, ain't they?" Sully asked.
Brian picked up on this train of thought of Sully's, adding, "Yep, tried myself when ya was away that time. Robert E. drew up plans and we constructed a smaller version of it, launched it off the balcony at the mercantile."
"I can't remember that Brian," Sully said, looking puzzled at his son.
"No, ya' weren't there. Ya'd gone to see Hazen to resign. Ya' were in a bad way then after Washita," Brian reminded him.
"Oh! Yeah, I remember now. Got home the morning ya tried out the bigger one," Sully replied sadly. "Sorry Brian, it was a hard time for me then, didn't want to be part of all the deceit anymore," he ended unhappily, remembering how the army was still treating the Indians at Palmer Creek. He'd been helpless to continue with the government's ideas of assimilation of his Indian brothers.
Brian seeing the pain that it still haunted his Pa said, "That's all right Pa, ya had to do that as ya were hurting, I could tell. Anyway, gave me and the whole town a diversion while ya were away," he ended with a snigger, thinking how it was surprising Hank and Jake hadn't taken a book out on his success. "Ya' were there when I tried and that's the main thing even though I did only reach the hay at the bottom. The tail was too long and hit the ramp," he concluded.
"Ya' did good Brian, I am proud of ya'. You followed a dream," Sully continued in his train of thought.
Brian looking at his Pa with sincerity replied, "That's the most important thing ya' taught me Pa; I hope I can do it for my own children as well. I love ya' Pa," he said placing his arm around Sully's shoulder affectionately.
They sat there for awhile in silence as the moment was significant for them both, reaffirming their bond as father and son.
It was Sully who broke the silence with a slight chuckle, his mind having travelled to another scene. "Did ya know ya' Ma never flew a kite when she was young?" he asked.
"No way, tell me! She has occasionally with the children and you though," Brian replied.
"She does now, but back then... Remember when they all thought the world was gonna end? Well, she told me she'd never flown a kite," Sully mused as he replied.
Brian was intrigued and encouraged Sully to continue, "Go on, what did ya do?"
Laughing quietly at the memory Sully began, "Well, we were in the clinic the day before the end, and I asked ya' Ma if she'd want to do anything special."
Fascinated now Brian wondered, "What then?"
"She said she'd never flown a kite, had seen them as a small girl over the common in Boston but her Pa thought is a waste of time, so she never got to make one little lone fly it. So we constructed one out of dowel and brown paper, took it out here and she flew it. Shoulda' seen her Brian, she was just like Lilly is now - so excited," Sully said.
Brian knew what his Pa meant as he thought of Lilly. His exuberant daughter was inside with his Ma and Sarah who were baking at the moment.
Sully continued with his recollections, "She ran and her face was so bright that ya'd see ya' own face in it as the kite began to rise into the sky. She was jumping around and the wind was taking it higher, but then the string snapped. Ya know ya' Ma, that was the end of that," Sully concluded.
It was Brian's turn to grin. He knew his Ma; she'd only let her inhibitions down and shine through occasionally. She was always in the mode of being a doctor. He marvelled at his Pa's ability to light up her life sometimes. Then she didn't seem to mind if people laughed with her or at her. These were real rare moments indeed. Like when they went after Miss Olive and she tried to rope a steer and got his Pa instead. Again when Pa kidnapped her for the night after Katie was born. Also when she got on the trapeze with Pa in their circus, she looked real good then and tried so hard pushing her boundaries. Suddenly Brian realized that they'd have had the feeling of flying as free as a bird as well.
"So she had that as a memory, and ya did fly Pa, when ya were in the circus," Brian reminded him.
"Oh! Yeah, that was good and she was so determined. I thought I'd be hanging upside down for the rest of my life then," Sully replied, remembering the blood rushing to his head. He slapped his son on the back with a grin on his face. "My goodness, she looked divine in that outfit and I could have whisked her off to a tent in a minute. That blue suited her," he thought.
"We do have a lot to be grateful for, don't we, Pa?" Brian said.
"Sure do, son," Sully replied with a feeling of contentment.
Brian was engulfed with a huge feeling of pride that this man Byron Sully had been his Pa for such a long time now and how they'd fought to keep the family together - but that was another story. His stomach felt the warmth he always felt when looking back on his life and the way things just seemed to happen for the best.
Out of the blue he laughed out loud, and Sully looked at his son in bewilderment. "What?" he enquired.
Brian had suddenly remembered another time his obsession for flight had been triggered. He and Matthew had met Martin Chesterfield when they were out fishing.
"Remember when the Bird Man came to town?" Brain wondered.
"Nope," Sully replied.
"Oh! That's right, ya' were in Denver when he came. Ma was good with him; he called himself Bird Man in Latin. He'd been kept in an asylum because he was supposed to be insane, but he was harmless. When he came to dinner Ma convinced him to consider field manners to table manners. Then she bought him a suit to fit in town. He beat Ma at chess, shoulda' seen her face," Brian laughed.
"Now that woulda' been worth seein'! Now that ya mention it I believe rememberin' somthin': didn't he sleep in a nest? Didn't he help ya with another project ya had on flyin' for school?" Sully enquired.
"Yes, as he left he stabilised the tail and it soared like a bird. Hope he was all right. I was fond of him," Brian replied. "Daniel said he was eccentric like ya' havin' a wolf for a pet, Ma said he was unique," Brian continued glancing sideways at the man seated by his side smiling.
Sully looked sad for a moment. "Yeah, Wolf was different as a pet but he was loyal and loved us as a family. Now we can't even find wolves as they are so rare. We were lucky to have him. He's been gone awhile now," he sighed.
"Sorry Pa. He was a good companion, I just wish Theo and Lilly had had the opportunity to have known him. He saved me from a few scrapes, that's for sure," Brain said.
"Yeah, me too. More than I'd care to mention. We were lucky I guess," was Sully's reply.
.….
Out of nowhere a young voice called, "Look at me, Pa! I can fly!" yelled young Theo who had climbed to the top fencing rail, standing there ready to launch himself off.
Brian before he knew it immediately yelled "NO Theo!"
Sully and Brian both reacted in the same instant, running towards the boy. Sully, even due to his age, was still extremely agile and caught the boy before he hit the ground.
Looking at a stunned Brian with a sheepish grin Sully said, "Don't wanna' have to go through that again with ya' Ma, I can tell ya." Then to Theo he continued, "I hope ya won't be the same as ya' Pa and have some notion ya can fly as well, young man."
"But Grandpa, some day we will fly to the moon! Ya wait and see," young Theo protested.
"Just like ya' Pa, I wouldn't have it any other way," Sully said hugging the boy before placing him on the ground and tousling his blonde hair.
The End
Dedicated to a young boy whose Birthday is today 7th July