The Silent Girl (Chapter 23)

 

*Disclaimer*: This is a work of fiction. Some events may be based on real life, but some events are made up.

It wasn’t a hard task, changing the looks of the helicopter. All I had to say was, “Helicopter, helicopter, oh so high, change to match the color of the sky!” Well, I didn’t have to say that, I could have grumpily murmured, “Helicopter, blend into the surroundings on my command, which is Right Now!” But I secretly liked the silly moments of life, they were like little treasures stored away deep inside the oblivion that was my brain, stored inside a buried locked chest full of those precious little jeweled memories. 

So, as I pushed away my fears, I chanted my silly little poem, and soon the helicopter’s windows disappeared, replaced with a dreamy sky blue, and cottony clouds. The shafts of light coming out were my only source of the world beyond. “Helicopter, helicopter, on my command,” I began. “Let me see out to thee, but so thee may not see me.” I know that sounded like nonsense, but I really meant to say, “Helicopter, open up some light for me to see the outside, but don’t let the others outside (except for Cora) see me.” I was just really enjoying this rhyming thing, and I couldn’t help doing some amusing poems. June would giggle at that, I knew she would!

After I finished reciting my rhyme, I turned back to the loudspeaker. “Cora, how are you doing?” I asked. “Ya finished yet?” 

“Yes!” Came Cora’s excited squeal. “Oh, the helicopter actually listened to me, this is so exciting, it looks like I’m just floating in the air, and my hair is actually drifting up, oh come see!”

 

“Sorry, no can do. I don’t see your window, or the helicopter, for that matter.” I smiled. “Can you see mine?” 

“No! I can’t! All I see is blue and clouds!” 

Oh… so now I had another problem to deal with, getting Cora a window. “Okay,” I said nervously in response. I wanted this to work, I really, really did, but how? What if Cora’s sorcery straw magic wasn’t strong enough to withstand the power of light? I didn’t want that to be the case, I really, really, super didn’t, but what if it was? I couldn’t bear to let down Cora, she was such a kind, caring girl, but what if I did? Oh, I just couldn’t let that happen! I would lift her strong spirit, no matter what happened, I would let that little, benevolent child see the best in herself! I just had to figure out what to say for her to succeed though, and I wasn’t so great at encouraging. Except for June, but, of course, that was June, my own sister. Cora was another case. A different case.

“Okay, what?” Cora’s bright cheery voice lifted my spirits a little. “Okay, just say, “Open the windows to see thee, but don’t let thee see me, got it?” 

“Got it, Cool!” The sound of  Cora’s giggle was like a rainbow, a bright one, full of vibrant colors blending together, mixing together, at just the right frequency, to make each color shine bright as the other, transforming into the perfect harmony of laughter. I loved that sound, so beautiful and pure. It reminded me of the time June and I had walked through the jungle together, oh so harmonious that had been!

Then I heard Cora say, “Open the windows to see thee, but don’t let thee see me, got it?” I couldn’t help but smile. Cora could always make my day, squeeze a little rainbow into it, no matter what. 

I waited for a moment and waited some more. Cora, Cora! My mind screamed furiously, my rage striking inside my head. When can I see you!?

A moment later though, a head popped through the window, Cora’s head. I couldn’t see the rest of her body, but I had a feeling it was still intact. “I can see your head, and that’s it.” I stifled a giggle. I wanted to seem mature and responsible, so I tried to hide my silliness, but I just loved laughing, it made me feel like me! I had never laughed at the line before, not once, as I dreaded the oozing blood trickling down my forehead, but now, now everything was changing, taking a toll for the better. 

Cora’s head smiled. I can see your head too! But not the rest of your body. Isn’t that funny!” She laughed. I chuckled a little, but my laugh wasn’t very sincere. I was distracted, thinking about Samuel all alone in a dank, dark prison that probably smelled like rotten fish and hay bales with needles in them! I shuddered at the thought. 

“Okay, Cora head,” I said in the most confident voice I could muster after I brushed away the haunting thoughts of prison. “You’ve done a great job leading me through the terrible hardships that have attacked us in an un-denying, horrifying way, but I’ll take the plan from here. So now that we’re invisible all we have to do is sneak into the palace, find June and Coconut, rescue Samuel - who I’m guessing June told you about?” Cora’s floating head nodded. “Did she also explain about the horrible man Liam?” 

“Well,” Cora stated, “June said there was a guy that we called Uncle Liam, and Uncle Liam has the same name as the horrible man Lia-” “-Well, great,” I interrupted. “They’re the same person, I just started calling him the horrible man Liam - for personal reasons of course. Anyway, so after we rescue Samuel from prison, I’m paying a visit to the horrible man Liam, if you want to come along you can, I’m not going to be inconclusive like Coconut is, not that I don’t like Coconut, just that-” “-Uh, yeah, I think we can launch into your plan, like right this moment,” Cora said, giggling nervously. I see a helicopter headed this way, and I think it could crash into me any second now!”

“Uh-oh,” I said, my voice full of worry. “Quick, leap onto my helicopter!” 

“Yeah, there’s just one tiny problem, I can’t see your helicopter!”

“Ohh..well, um, say something!”

“What!?”

“Um…, tell helicopter to move!”

“But I’m surrounded!”

“Then just tell the helicopter to go straight up!”
           

 “Got it!” I held my breath. Cora, please, please, please be okay! I thought. Not just please, make Cora, force Cora to be okay, I just can’t live without her cheerful spirit! MAKE HER BE OKAY! For some odd reason, I was quite fond of Cora and her cheerful spirit.

I knew I shouldn’t be thinking about such forceful thoughts, but I just couldn’t help it; I needed Cora, I needed Cora so much, she cheered me up in the hardest of times, like right now! I looked out the window to check on Cora, but her head had disappeared, like a whoosh of the wind, and the clap of thunder, suddenly whirling into nothingness, and a storm calming down, the gray clouds fading away. Except for Cora, on the other hand, wasn’t a gray cloud. She was a bright, cheerful child, who sparked a rainbow in my day.

She might have died now, though, with her head disappearing and she herself getting smashed into another helicopter. Oh, I couldn’t bear to think about the innocent, ignorant, benevolent Cora passing away at such a young age! As I closed my eyes, I prayed for Cora’s life.

To be continued... 

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