of your words."
"Why say?"
"Because you're a cat, I guess."
"Okay not?"
Paul shook his head and laughter escaped into the wind. His thoughts joked with him. His cat could talk and he worried over the order of his words.
He heard Vicki's laugh. The sound defied location and swirled around him, a teasing elation he could ride in circles pursuing. But the sound brought the knowledge she existed somewhere up here with him. Good thing, she laughed. Bad thing, where was she?
Out of the corner of his eyes Paul thought he caught a glimpse of something just beyond Isno. He jerked his head around toward it. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He couldn't believe his eyes.
Just beyond Isno, Paul witnessed the semi-transparent figure of a boy. Then he disappeared. A ghost? Maybe a new cloud rider playing hide and seek . A memory flashed. He knew it had to be the same green-eyed boy he thought he saw at school. Somehow, he knew this boy.
"Isno, did you see anything off to the left a moment ago? A boy? With green eyes?"
The cat turned to face Paul. “Thing see no."
"You didn't even look.” Paul waited for the cat to glance in the other direction. “I saw someone off to your left, ahead of you where you might of seen him.” He continued to wait for Isno to turn his head.
Isno blinked his good eye. “Boy see no."
"Honestly, Isno, why are you here if not to help me?"
"Ride fun cat?” Isno grinned, his whiskers twitching. “Meow?"
"Master?" a friendly female voice overrode Isno's ‘meow'.
Paul looked for the owner of the interruption. Did he hear it only in his head, or had Isno disguised his voice to sound female?
A breeze brushed past Paul's face. If his imagined life had any meaning, then he may as well forget what he thought he saw and try to enjoy what he did see. “I've never been this free, Maken Fairchild! Where have you been all my life?” The flight surpassed the ecstasy of a flying dream. Totally secure on his unicorn ride, they overtook other clouds and breezed by like they owned the sky. Paul Winsome, master of his universe.
The rapture proved to be short-lived, interrupted when he heard Vicki's faint giggle. He willed his cloud to fly toward the sound. The cloud changed directions, hopefully toward Vicki.
Several yards from Paul, there appeared an object so weird he could only stare at it in disbelief. Not a semi-transparent boy with green eyes, but a gray flying elephant. It lifted its pink trunk and blew a blast. “ Thruumpttttpt! ” Its trunk transformed to gray once the sound escaped.
Paul shook his head to see if the image would shake out of his mind. He closed and opened his eyes. The trunk turned pink as it Thruumpttttpted.
Isno purred and watched the flying elephant as if he visited with an old friend.
Paul's eyes widened. How can Isno be so undisturbed by the sudden pachyderm flyby. It had been a very impressive Thruumpttttpt. To be as blase about it as Isno deprived his sense of logic. His unicorn cloud drifted toward the elephant and Isno's cloud puff followed.
"So, Paul, how do you feel about flying elephants? I know you might think it is fun seeing one, but trust me; it is more of a frolicking blast to be one."
After his heart dropped back into his chest, Paul watched the sun's reflection change the elephant's color to a golden tan. Jumbo-type floppy ears pressed close to his head unused to aid navigation. Its wide thick feet tromped across the air as if it were ground.
"Did you just talk to me?” Paul asked in an excited voice. “You're an elephant!"
"I know I am an elephant. Do you think I could be an elephant and not know it? I would be most appreciative if you would speak to me before my next form change. My appearance is limited due to having to avoid one Kid Badd with two d's. Excuse me.” The elephant raised its trunk and it turned a deep pinkish red. “ Thruumpttttpt !” It lowered its trunk, its color returning to golden tan. “When you have to Thruumpttttpt!
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