Really, I'm even more confused now than I was before!

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with another installment of my, flying by the seat of my pants story! 

I bet you all thought I'd forgotten about it, didn't you? 

I admit, all the Christmas/ end of year posts did put this on a bit of a back burner, but I always had the intention to go back and well, see where the story takes me. 

I hope to continue to expand the story, do some world-building, and eventually introduce some new characters (even though I don't even know their names yet). 

So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy (whatever ramblings inside my head make it onto the page). 

~Really, I'm even more confused now than I was before!~

What I walk into... goes straight past surreal to nearly impossible. 

I'm surrounded by blue. That's my first thought. The second is that I'm IMPOSSIBLY HIGH. 

If there's a God up here, please don't let me throw up. 

Before I can procress anything, I automatically reach for Gus' hand. Mine's dripping with sweat. 

He pulls away immediately. 

"What the? Oh Kid, stop that, your palm's all sweaty!" A deep, belly laugh escapes out of him. He's amused at my horror! 

"What do you mean, stop that?! There's no FLOOR!" I try to run, to move in any which way, just away, so I can make sense of what's happening and how we're somehow in the fucking AIR! 

Gus sighs, scratches his neck. "Look kid, or... look Charlie. You're safe, I promise. Nothing is going to happen to you. Look down." 

"That's the last thing I want to do, thank you very much!" Just keep looking at Gus, Charlie. Don't look down.

"Look Charlie. Just look. I've got you." He reaches for my hand. "Sweaty or not. I promise, we're not going to fall. Just look." 

And somehow, as quick as a chiming of a clock, I believe him. 

Taking one quick breath in preparation, I extend my neck outwards. 

What I see, it looks... magical. 

We're in the middle of a boundless sky, seemingly floating in space, but I also know for sure that it isn't, because I can see movement, when random gusts of wind appear. They come and go. I guess you could describe it as an invisible cloud. 

Below us, there are a number of similar invisible clouds, all criss-crossing in multiple directions. Very much like cars, but less noice, with the drivers swearing less. If I look close enough, they actually look like they're behaving pleasantly towards their peers. 

There's no way I'm anywhere near home. 

"You see? You're fine. There's no way we'll be falling." I'd almost forgotten Gus at this point. 

And then I remember why I'm here. 

"Gus, what is all of this? What am I doing here?" 

He taps my hand gently. "All in good time, my young chap. All in good time." Confident now, that I'm not going to pass out, he releases my hand. "Now. Do you want to hang round here a moment longer, or do you want to get where we're going?" 

I take one last glance at wonderous sky, the circular edges, the topsy-turvy vehicles and it's inhabitants, and turn back to Gus. "I'm ready." 

A slight smile plays on the corner of his lips. "Good. I hope you're not against a little bit of SPEED." Before I have a chance to react, we're going at a nosedrive- break point speed! 

Suddenly, we're running at the speed of light, so fast I can't even tell what's around me! We could be about to crash into a tree or a road, or even another cloud! 

"DON'T THINK! DON'T THINK ANYTHING- JUST SEE." I hear in the corner of my ear, so quick, and so quiet, I'm sure I imagined it. 

The blood is pounding in my ears, blocking everything else out, even my terrified screams. 

"DON'T THINK. DON'T THINK. DON'T THINK." 

I close my eyes, trying to block out everything: the urge to throw up, the urge to embarrass myself, sure that this will be the time that I piss everywhere- 

And then, something changes- the feel of it all. Instead of a mad sprint, the whole thing starts to... glide. 

We're light as air. No! Light as a feather. Suddenly, the speed doesn't seem so much anymore. 

"There you go my boy... nice and easy." 

The grim, chomping down on my teeth expression relaxes, just a little. 

"Open your eyes..." Quiet as a whisper I hear it. 

We're flying through a meadow. It's a meadow of these vivacious, bright yellow flowers that give off a particular scent... honey and ginger? I must be going out of my mind... 

"The flowers change. Right now, they're showing you plumeria, but in yellow, based off your essence and energy, and what they think will calm you. I find them most intriguing." 

"You're telling me," a chuckle escapes my throat, "can I touch them? I feel like I should..." I reach down, before Gus can say anything. 

"No, don't!" Gus shouts, way too late. 

"Ah! What was that?!" I gasp, holding my eye. 

"That is what happens when you don't wait until I answer! You just got blasted with seed water, you idiot!" At this point, he's struggling not to laugh, and not succeeding. 

"YOU!" I'm more annoyed than wounded now, and right when I'm thinking of pushing him off this godforsaken cloud- 

"We're here!" He stops dead. 

It's a building, is where we're at. Like a call centre, or a spa. It's light, like everything around her, but dome shaped, very circular. Glass windows, so I can see inside. I have no idea what we're here for. 

"Careful now. You might be a bit dizzy getting off. You have just flown for the first time, after all. 

Sighing, I stretch my leg out, feeling for the ground. "What a load of-" 

I'm on the floor. 

And somehow Gus is helping me up. 

A low chuckle in the back of his throat. "I told you!" He's full on laughing at me now. 

"Stop that!" I shout- but now I'm laughing too. 

This whole thing... I'm really going to miss this, whatever it is. 

"I can't believe this place! The clouds, the flying, how everything is so bright- this isn't heaven is it?" The thought occurs to me so suddenly, I know, straight away, that I'm right. 

Gus' expression changes from laughter to deep worry in seconds. "No, no, no it's not! Listen to me kid, it is not Heaven! You're not dead, neither am I- this is the Cloudlands! The place above Earth. There isn't God! 

"GUS! What are you doing clowning around! You deliberately disobeyed orders, and protocool! Get inside this instant!" Although I know nobody is with us, it sounds like there is, the voice is that loud. It's coming from Gus' headset. 

"Who was that?!" I say, louder than I should. Doesn't matter though, Gus is talking to mystery voice. 

"Yes sir, right away sir." Gus presses a button and turns to me. 

"Sorry about that. That was my Boss, Mr. Budgeswop. He's mad that I disobeyed him, and wants us inside the dome now." 

"Yeah I heard. What kind of a name is Budgeswop?" Smiles playing at the corner of my lips again. 

"Don't ask. But remember when I said that this place isn't Heaven?" 

"Yeah, course. Like two seconds ago." 

"Well, we might be dead after this. Let's go in." Gus leads the way. 

Oh, Joy. 

Okay, that's me done. I'm leaving it there or I'll be writing all night, with no end in sight. 

As always, I hope you enjoyed reading about the ramblings going on inside my head. I have no idea how I started up with this idea, if it's any good or where it's going, but for me at least, it's a nice little project to get my ideas out on paper. 

I hope you all have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon!

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx