looked like a giant platypus, complete with black duckbill to match its ebon wings.
The creature roared again, and the masked man rushed me toward it. "Don't worry," he said. "Thundercloud won't hurt you. Climb aboard and hold on tight, man."
With that, he grabbed fistfuls of the fur behind the creature's head and pulled himself up, swinging a leg over its back.
Just then, the splintering noise surged all around us, becoming a sustained crashing blast. Hesitating alongside Thundercloud, I watched as the roof crumbled--starting near the hatchway and swiftly expanding outward. Chunks of masonry fell inward, taking other chunks with them in a violent chain reaction.
"Wake up!" said the masked man, and then he seized my arm and pulled me toward him. "Look alive, man!"
The disintegration was fast approaching us. Grabbing Thundercloud's silky fur, I vaulted up onto his back behind the masked man.
"Hold on!" The masked man kicked the creature's sides as if he were riding a horse. "Yahh, Thundercloud! Yahh!"
The big black wings began to beat. We rose from the rooftop, slowly at first--and just barely in time. Seconds after Thundercloud's clawed feet left the surface, it collapsed under us.
"Higher, Thundercloud!" The masked man kicked the creature's flanks again. "Higher, girl!"
The black wings beat harder, and we climbed faster into the sky. Down below, the rest of the roof gave way, taking the walls with it. The entire auditorium folded in on itself like a house of popsicle sticks, sending up a plume smoke and debris.
"Higher!" shouted the masked man. "Higher, girl!"
Thundercloud angled upward. I felt myself slipping and tightened my grip, barely holding on.
We were racing the rising plume, trying to get away from it. I swear, it almost got us--but Thundercloud was just a little too fast for it. Looking down, I saw the plume nearly touch us...and then it crested and started to recede. As it billowed back to the ground, the masked man cheered, and Thundercloud roared.
"We did it!" Tugging on the creature's fur as if it were reins, the masked man leveled us out. "Ain't that a kick, man?"
"You betcha." As the plume dropped, clearing my view of the ground, I realized we'd gained some serious altitude. Eyeballing it, I figured we were about as high up as I'd been during my helicopter stunt at the Brooklyn Bridge. My fatal helicopter stunt.
Chills raced up my spine at the thought of it. My hands started to sweat. I shut my eyes for a moment and took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.
"So, Stag," said the masked man. "Still think there aren't any real bombs in Heaven?"
His deep voice anchored me. It sounded very familiar, though I couldn't quite nail down why. "It still doesn't make sense." I opened my eyes and gazed down at the rubble that used to be the huge auditorium. "But I can't argue with the evidence, can I?"
"No you can't." The masked man tugged on Thundercloud's fur, and the creature turned right. "And you best never do so again, or you might end up in sorry shape."
"How sorry?" I said.
" Dead sorry," he told me. "Just because you're in Heaven, that doesn't mean you can't die all over again."
I snorted and shook my head. "That's like the exact opposite of what I've been told since I got here."
"It's one of the true rules of Heaven ," said the masked man. "Count yourself lucky you finally heard it from me."
As Thundercloud continued banking right, gliding away from the sea, I took a good look at the scenery below. Seven giant domes clung to the shore, lit from within by filigrees of light and gleaming pale white in the moonglow. The auditorium building had been outside their walls, in the middle of the vast complex. Now, there was just a huge pile of rubble where the seven connecting tunnels from the domes had once intersected.
Further inland, I saw lush green jungle stretching for miles. At first, I could see no other artificial structures, but as Thundercloud kept banking, I did glimpse a silver
The creature roared again, and the masked man rushed me toward it. "Don't worry," he said. "Thundercloud won't hurt you. Climb aboard and hold on tight, man."
With that, he grabbed fistfuls of the fur behind the creature's head and pulled himself up, swinging a leg over its back.
Just then, the splintering noise surged all around us, becoming a sustained crashing blast. Hesitating alongside Thundercloud, I watched as the roof crumbled--starting near the hatchway and swiftly expanding outward. Chunks of masonry fell inward, taking other chunks with them in a violent chain reaction.
"Wake up!" said the masked man, and then he seized my arm and pulled me toward him. "Look alive, man!"
The disintegration was fast approaching us. Grabbing Thundercloud's silky fur, I vaulted up onto his back behind the masked man.
"Hold on!" The masked man kicked the creature's sides as if he were riding a horse. "Yahh, Thundercloud! Yahh!"
The big black wings began to beat. We rose from the rooftop, slowly at first--and just barely in time. Seconds after Thundercloud's clawed feet left the surface, it collapsed under us.
"Higher, Thundercloud!" The masked man kicked the creature's flanks again. "Higher, girl!"
The black wings beat harder, and we climbed faster into the sky. Down below, the rest of the roof gave way, taking the walls with it. The entire auditorium folded in on itself like a house of popsicle sticks, sending up a plume smoke and debris.
"Higher!" shouted the masked man. "Higher, girl!"
Thundercloud angled upward. I felt myself slipping and tightened my grip, barely holding on.
We were racing the rising plume, trying to get away from it. I swear, it almost got us--but Thundercloud was just a little too fast for it. Looking down, I saw the plume nearly touch us...and then it crested and started to recede. As it billowed back to the ground, the masked man cheered, and Thundercloud roared.
"We did it!" Tugging on the creature's fur as if it were reins, the masked man leveled us out. "Ain't that a kick, man?"
"You betcha." As the plume dropped, clearing my view of the ground, I realized we'd gained some serious altitude. Eyeballing it, I figured we were about as high up as I'd been during my helicopter stunt at the Brooklyn Bridge. My fatal helicopter stunt.
Chills raced up my spine at the thought of it. My hands started to sweat. I shut my eyes for a moment and took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.
"So, Stag," said the masked man. "Still think there aren't any real bombs in Heaven?"
His deep voice anchored me. It sounded very familiar, though I couldn't quite nail down why. "It still doesn't make sense." I opened my eyes and gazed down at the rubble that used to be the huge auditorium. "But I can't argue with the evidence, can I?"
"No you can't." The masked man tugged on Thundercloud's fur, and the creature turned right. "And you best never do so again, or you might end up in sorry shape."
"How sorry?" I said.
" Dead sorry," he told me. "Just because you're in Heaven, that doesn't mean you can't die all over again."
I snorted and shook my head. "That's like the exact opposite of what I've been told since I got here."
"It's one of the true rules of Heaven ," said the masked man. "Count yourself lucky you finally heard it from me."
As Thundercloud continued banking right, gliding away from the sea, I took a good look at the scenery below. Seven giant domes clung to the shore, lit from within by filigrees of light and gleaming pale white in the moonglow. The auditorium building had been outside their walls, in the middle of the vast complex. Now, there was just a huge pile of rubble where the seven connecting tunnels from the domes had once intersected.
Further inland, I saw lush green jungle stretching for miles. At first, I could see no other artificial structures, but as Thundercloud kept banking, I did glimpse a silver
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