Chapter 7: Feel Like You Are Flying
You walk around with Papyrus for ten more minutes, just admiring the beautiful scenery before something catches your eye. It is shiny, colorful, and makes your heart pound at the mere thought of it. Your hand tightens around the large, gloved one without you noticing. Papyrus looks down at you with a mixture of confusion and concern.
"HUMAN? IS EVERYTHING OKAY?" He asks loudly as he studies the expression on your face.
"Papyrus, I have the best idea!" You begin to tug on his arm. Although you are unsuccessful at moving the large skeleton, you still have his attention and he begins to walk with you. You pick up the pace and soon fly into a jog towards the object of your desire. It is within reach, only a few feet away!
"Yes!" You cry out in triumph when your free hand clasps around the metal pole. It is cold to the touch and causes bumps to form on your arms.
"WHAT IS ALL THE EXCITEMENT ABOUT HUMAN?" Papyrus asks as he looks at the swing set in front of you two. The look on his face makes it clear that he has no idea what it is for.
"It's a swing. You play on it." You begin to explain as you climb onto a free seat. "These are loads of fun and probably the best things in the whole park!" You motion to the seat next to you.
"FUN? NYEH!" Papyrus enthusiastically launches himself into the air towards the free seat. He lands on his stomach and becomes ensnared in the chain holding the seat up. His long limbs flail around for a few minutes, causing you to have to dodge several kicks, before he is finally able to sit on the seat properly.
"Love the enthusiasm Papyrus…" You begin with a giggle. "But maybe be more careful? I don't plan on swinging with a boot print on my face."
You start to slowly swing your legs back and forth. Your body is aching, practically begging for you to go faster. You want to feel the wind on your face, your stomach tickling as you go higher and higher. But you force yourself to remain close to the ground while you show Papyrus what to do. While your head says that he can probably swing higher than you, your heart says that you should wait until you are sure. Carefully, you move your legs in and out to build up small amounts of momentum. The swing begins to tentatively move along with you.
Papyrus smiles widely before attempting it himself. At first he kicks too hard and nearly throws himself off of the seat. Quickly grabbing the chains with his gloved hands, he steadies himself before trying again. With a determined 'nyeh' he kicks his legs in and out slowly. The seat begins to move with an audible creak. He looks at you with worry when he hears the sound.
"Don't worry. Swings are strong and you are doing great!" You say with a laugh as you see his long limbs begin to move with more confidence.
"OF COURSE I AM! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS GREAT AT EVERYTHING!" He exclaims as he begins to go higher and higher.
You decide to start moving your body in rhythm with the movement of the swing. Soon, you are swinging comfortably and picking up speed. Laughter bubbles out of your chest as the wind begins to hit your face. Your laughter is soon joined by Papyrus. The air fills with the sound of you two having fun. Hair begins to whip around your face, tickling your cheeks and causing you to realize how high you are going. Determined to feel like you are flying, you kick your legs with more vigor. You two swing in companionable silence for a while. Not needing to say anything to know the each other is having a good time.
You decide to break the silence and see how Papyrus is doing. "Papyrus! Isn't this fun?" You yell out above the sound of the creaking swings.
"NYEH HEH HEH! THIS IS THE PERFECT ACTIVITY FOR HAVING FUN!" He replies after a strong kick that sends him higher than you. "IT FEELS LIKE I AM FLYING! DO YOU THINK THIS IS HOW BIRDS FEEL?"
"Probably!" You say as you close your eyes. The wind is cold on your face and the movements of your body seem to magnify when you can't see. Darkness surrounds you. The only thing that exists is the feeling of flight and the sound of Papyrus' laughter. "Sometimes I feel like I can go so high, I can touch the clouds. Maybe even the stars!"
"I THINK MY BROTHER WOULD LIKE THAT." Papyrus says thoughtfully. "HE LIKES STARS. MAYBE I SHOULD BRING HIM HERE SOMETIME!"
"That sounds like a great idea." You realize that your breathing is becoming heavy and your legs feel sore. The sky seems to be getting darker, the sun nearly hidden behind low hanging clouds. Your eyes widen when you realize that you and Papyrus have been swinging and talking for at least a couple of hours. You turn your head to look at him, careful not to fall off the moving swing. "We should probably get off!"
"OKAY HUMAN!" Suddenly, Papyrus lets go off the chains and hurls himself off the moving swing. He curls into a ball and rolls on the grassy ground before springing up and standing on his legs. He looks at you with a raised eye bone before motioning to the ground next to him. "HUMAN? AREN'T YOU GOING TO GET OFF THE SWING? I THOUGHT WE NEEDED TO GO."
"I am Papyrus…" You say uncertainly. "Just not like that."
Carefully, you stop moving your legs and allow yourself to slow down. You stretch your legs until the tip of your foot is touching the ground. Digging it into the ground, you wait until the swing has almost stopped moving before you carefully slide off of the seat. When you are safely on the ground you walk over to Papyrus. Your face feels like it is on fire and you are certain that your cheeks are an unbearable shade of pink. You kick the ground a few times with your foot before talking.
"Sorry I took so long, but um… I can't really do what you do." You try to explain your inability to hurl yourself off of a swing without dying.
"NO PROBLEM HUMAN! THERE ARE PLENTY OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CANNOT!" Papyrus says as he envelopes you in a hug. " WHY DON'T WE GET SOME NICE CREAM BEFORE WE END THIS WONDERFUL PLAY DATE?"
"What's nice cream?" You ask when the hug is over. Your body can still feel the surprising amount of warmth that had surrounded you. The look of shock on Papyrus' face causes you to have to hold in a laugh.
"YOU DO NOT KNOW ABOUT NICE CREAM? YOU POOR HUMAN! I MUST RIGHT THIS TERRIBLE WRONG!" Grabbing you by your waist, Papyrus picks you up quickly and drapes you over his shoulder. You head is resting comfortably on his shoulder while you arms are wrapped around his neck for support. One of his arms holds you firmly around your waist to make sure you do not slip.
You begin to stammer with cheeks that are quickly reddening. "Papyrus, I… um… I can walk. You don't… uh… need to, you know… carry me."
"NONSENSE HUMAN! YOU CANNOT RUN AS FAST AS ME AND WE MUST REACH OUR DESTINATION QUICKLY!" He responds as he breaks into a sprint. His legs are simply a blur as he quickly leaves the park. Drifting the turns like a race car, he dodges people walking down the sidewalk. You have to admit that there is no way you would be able to keep up with the surprisingly quick skeleton. "DO NOT WORRY! I AM AN EXPERT AT CARRYING! I CARRY MY LAZYBONES BROTHER AROUND ALL THE TIME! NYEH HEH HEH!"
Not wanting to argue anymore, and feeling relaxed by the warmth of Papyrus, you decide to let him carry you. After all, it is not like he will drop you.
'He is The Great Papyrus after all.' You think as you close your eyes.