Amanda stood on the edge of a cliff over looking a snow-covered mountain. The wind played with her hair while snow collected on her exposed skin. Thomas stood next to Amanda sharing the breathtaking view. A hundred feet above them an island floated in mid-air.
“How the hell are we suppose to get there?” screamed Amanda.
“Exactly how I said we would,” said Thomas as he shrugged out of his climbing gear.
“We’re going to float, right?” said Amanda oozing sarcasm.
“That’s right,” said Thomas with a smile.
“What? Are you cracked in the head? Do you need some oxygen, old man?” Mocked Amanda. “You can’t just invent a floating-thingy and then WHOOSH, you’re all floating around straight up to an impossible island in the middle of nowhere!”
Amanda threw her arms up in disgust and attempted to walk away from Thomas. When the drop to the mountain below presents itself for the final walk away, Amanda turned and glared at Thomas.
“I don’t have to invent anything,” said Thomas while he reached into his backpack. “Not if someone invented it before me.”
From the deep recesses of his pack, Thomas produced an object about the size of a bread box. Amanda was opening her mouth to laugh at Thomas, but instead her jaw just dropped.
The object burst from Thomas’ hand and flew into the sky where it instantly began to change shape. Spheres, cubes, dodecahedrons, every shape of both science and the imagination. After a few seconds of this fantastic display, the object disappeared.
“Where did it-” began Amanda until a flash of pure white and a sound like falling tuna sandwiches made her stop.
“Don’t close your eyes,” warned Thomas “This is the best part!”
Braving the brightness, Amanda looked back at the object. It was now a spiral staircase, each step floating just above the last, reaching up to the floating island.
“When I say go, you run,” said Thomas looking at Amanda. “Got it?”
“What? No!” said Amanda taking a step away from “This has to be some sort of hallucination, or something. There’s nothing there; there can’t be. Did you drug me, you sicko?”
“I’ll say this once,” said Thomas as he took Amanda’s hand. “You can come with me, and I’ll explain, or head back down the mountain alone.”
Amanda looked from the stairs to Thomas.
“Go,” said Thomas with a wink. He squeezed Amanda’s hand, let go and ran up the stairway.
After a brief thought about her personal safety, and what she would tell her best friend Shelly if she didn't see this adventure through, Amanda rushed after Thomas. As they ran up towards the island, the stairs began fading from sight behind them.
© 2014 Mark Fiske
© 2014 Mark Fiske
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