Jumping For The Stars

Chapter 9

Alone

It took seconds for the systems to deploy, in all honesty, Tea didn't know how the canvas would hold up before hand, the material being military grade she had just assumed that the problem would solve itself. Or maybe she calculated it earlier, she didn't know exactly. She probably calculated it earlier. A current of air redirected her to the left and she heard the ripping of fabric.

Or maybe not.

"Come on, Peck, we're going down," Tea said, flipping open the watch like object on her wrist and pressing a random combination of buttons as she internally panicked. Then everything was gone.

There was nothing for a split second, just the gut wreching sensation of falling. Then Tea went crashing down once again, plummeting towards the ground below. She knew she should have added the waterfall into her calculations.

Tea leaned to the right, hoping to catch an up draft that would hopefully guide her somewhere safer. Luck was on her side as she felt the wind catch the two wings and they filled the material with air. Tea could hear the canvas rip just a little further and she flinched, guiding herself further to the ground.

Tucking in the wings she tumbled onto the grass. Her instincts kicking in, stopping any broken bones from being created, but instead painfully knocking the wind out of her.

"Ow," she gasped, Peck climbing out of the pocket she made for him and tapping her face. After a few moments she lifted her head up to look at Peck, "That went better then expected."

The animal just swatted at her nose again and Tea plopped her head back down, "Thanks, Peck."

----

It was a few moments later that she got up tucking her invention under something, her bag much to heavy with the creation inside it. The canvas had, thankfully, only ripped around one of her backpack straps and with a good deal of duck tape and the promise to Peck that she would buy a new bag soon, probably, it was a good as it was going to get.

After about half an hour of walking Tea found a park, and being unable to go any further without motivation, she layed on a bench staring up at the sky.

Fluffy white clouds moved past, and the changing leaves stirred above. That was nice, at least she knew the season, almost fall.

A little girl tapped her shoulder as best she could and Tea turned her head to look at her.

"Excuse me, miss?" she piped up, her Scottish accent clear.

"Yes?" Tea asked curiosity barely evident in her voice.

"Are you okay?" the little girl asked.

"Naw, but I think I'll get over it," Tea told her, "Why do ask?"

The little girl smiled slightly, "My sister told me a story."

"Aw, do you think you could tell me it? I could really like that now," Tea asked.

"Okay," the little girl smiled and waved over to her mother. "Is it okay if my mom listens too, she doesn't like me to be alone with strangers."

"I wouldn't mind at all," Tea smiled.

The little girl waved her mother over, and the woman waiting not ten feet away appeared relieved by the invitation.

"She said I can tell her a story, mom," the little girl tugged on her mother's shirt.

"Is that right?" the mother looked at me, asking the silent question of whether or not this was true.

"Yes, it is. Would you mind if she told me it?" Tea asked, standing up to meet the woman. Then Tea felt the familiar claws digging into her shoulder. "Oh, and Peck, too. He's a martin, very clever creatures. They do love a good story."