09 – Strange Things in the Sky

 

Something shot down from the sky. It looked like a ball.

«What’s that?» he asked his mother.
«You’ll see in a moment,» she replied.

Feilong nodded patiently.

Suddenly he heard a deep, booming voice call out:
«What’s that? Our little Feilong has taken flight!»

Feilong turned towards the voice.
«Papa!» he cried with delight.
«Hello, my son. How was your first flight?»

Feilong was about to tell him everything, but his mother stopped him.
«Greet your father properly first,» she instructed.
«Oh, sorry. Hello, Long Papa,» he said, nodding respectfully to his father.

His father laughed. «Come here, my son. Let me have a look at you.»

Feilong told his father about his adventures. His father listened patiently, then turned to his mother.
«You must be exhausted after transferring your energy. It’s still a long way to go. Why are you flying above the clouds and not through them?»

«Feilong seems to take more after you than me. He has a bit of trouble with the damp,» she replied.

His father nodded. «Tell me more.»

«Hey! I’m right here. Why don’t you just ask me?» said Feilong indignantly.

They both looked at him.
«Oh, sorry, my son. Tell us how flying through the clouds feels for you.»

Feilong explained his difficulties, and how much easier it already felt to fly with dry wings, letting the wind carry him.

He wasn’t quite finished when another object appeared on the horizon. This time, it wasn’t falling from the sky – it seemed to move steadily at a fixed height in one direction.

Before he knew it, both his parents grabbed him and pulled him into the clouds.

«What’s going on?» Feilong asked, confused.

«That’s an aeroplane. It carries humans. They shouldn’t really see us,» his father explained.

«We’ll explain it to you later. There’s no time now,» his mother added, pulling out a large cloth.

She looked at the father. «Take him in tandem and climb higher.»

His father nodded.
«What does ‘tandem’ mean?» asked Feilong.
«You’ll see in a moment,» his mother replied.

«Sit on Papa’s back. I’ll wrap this cloth around you and fasten you with it,» she instructed.

Feilong obeyed.

«I’ll explain everything during the flight,» said his father gently. «For now, you and I must quickly get above the clouds. Even I struggle when my wings are wet.»

He looked over at the mother. «The sky is full of aeroplanes today. We’ll have to climb very high. Fly on in your own element. We’ll meet you there.»

«All right, thank you,» said the mother.
«Thank me? Feilong is my son too,» replied the father.

They nodded to each other once more.
«Have fun, my son,» said his mother in farewell.

Before Feilong could reply, his father shot upwards with him.

«Hold on tight now,» his father called. «I’ll explain everything once we’ve reached our flying height.»

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