Friday, May 18, 2007

Far and Away to Thee – Part Three (Final)

Drop Zone A bitter cold wind met me as the cargo bay doors of the massive transport aircraft opened. “It’s time to close down your hatches, sirs.” shouted the ensign. “We’ll be over the drop point in ten”. “Roger that”, I called back as I closed and latched the door. “Control, this is Echo-Zebra Eight. The COM link’s online; do you read me over?” “Roger that, Echo-Zebra, we hear you loud and clear, over” Now it was the Lieutenant’s turn. “Control, this is Gamma-Major-Sierra two, I’m up and open, do you copy?” “Ahem, yes sir, we have a copy on that.” “You never get tired of hazing the rookies at Control, do you Benitez?” “No sir, not on your life”. We laughed as the conveyor lurched forward toward the rear of the plane. “All systems are green, you are go for drop in T minus 10…9…8…7… My heart began to beat faster as I closed my eyes. All I could see was my beautiful wife, our little child growing inside her. …6…5…4… I hated leaving without saying good bye. I just hope she read my letter to her explaining why I had to leave so abruptly. No time to worry about that now. …3…2…1… I heard a brief click, and then I was free-falling to the earth in a 30 ton hulk of wires and metal. I righted myself and deployed my chute. A sudden, violent jolt hit me and then a slight shudder fell over my Mobile Suit as I glided through the atmosphere, down to the waiting Earth below. The Calm before the Storm The sun was warm as it kissed the meadow gently, bringing out its vibrant colors. The tall yellow flowers swayed lazily as the breeze swept across the tops in waves. A single tree overlooking the enormous meadow below provided shade for three figures and there small picnic lunch. The blanket was laid out and adorned with small sandwiches and assorted vegetables. Along side it sat a basket of freshly baked tea cakes and muffins. The two figures, one a young lady holding her new born baby, and the other, an elderly lady, carefully sipping her tea, sat under the comforting shade of the giant tree. “It’s so peaceful here”, said the young lady. “My, yes it truly is a beautiful day.” “You know, this is where Jonas and I shared our first date.” the elder women said proudly. “Really? Ayva asked. “It must have been very special for you”. “More than you know, my dear”. Mrs. Helmsworth continued, “Jonas was so insistent that we go, I hardly had time to pack a decent lunch”. “My goodness, what did you end up eating?” Ayva enquired. “Well, all I had time to grab was a loaf of bread, a few pieces of fruit and some wine.” “Hardly a lunch wouldn’t you say?” said Ayva. “You would think so, but it turned out to be the perfect meal for us”. The old lady continued. “We sat under this very tree and I fed him bits of fruit while he shared his hopes and dreams of becoming this great doctor.” “I told him that I wanted a brood of children and a husband to share the love and life of it all with me.” “Sounds a lot like what Adin and I want”. The young woman looked down at the blanket picking at the soft fibers. “I want that so bad for us, to be a family.” Ayva looked up and off into the distance. The old lady put her hand on Ayva’s. “You will have that, my dear.” “I hope your right, Mrs. Helmsworth”. “Please, sweetie, call me Abigail”. Ayva blushed lightly, “Of course, Abigail.” They smiled at one another, though Ayva’s faded quickly. “Is there something the matter, sweetie?” Abigail asked. “I just can’t shake this feeling I have”. Ayva answered. “What feeling is that?” “It’s a hard to explain”. “It’s like something terrible is going to happen to my Adin.” “I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.” The young woman stood up and stared out over the vast meadow below. In the distance, she saw the dusty wake of a convoy of vehicles moving slowly across the horizon. The breeze was warm and relaxing. The old lady was right. It’s probably nothing. Her baby cooed softly as she sat back down on the soft blanket under the great tree overlooking the meadow.

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