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Overview
With help from the police, Jack demands that Ann repay the damage by working at his hangar. After Ann reluctantly shows up for her punishment, she learns that his son died in World War II and that Jack blames himself for his death. But when the ornery boys return to crime scene to inquire if Ann was caught, she is too proud to admit it and impulsively tells them she is at the hanger for flying lessons. As Ann discovers the wonders of aviation, only time will tell if she can convince Jack to overcome his grief and help her fulfill her dream.
Flying on Fabric is the engaging story of a teenagers determined quest to learn how to fly, but only if a grouchy crop duster finds it in his heart to teach her.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781491791233 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | iUniverse, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 03/14/2016 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 108 |
| File size: | 173 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Flying on Fabric
By Marc A. Rossi
iUniverse
Copyright © 2016 Marc A. RossiAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4917-9121-9
CHAPTER 1
Ann dismounted her bike and crouched behind some bushes near the entrance of the little airfield located on the edge of town. The hot Florida sun bore down on her bare arms as she examined the area. There wasn't much to see. America had just entered the space age by shooting John Glenn into orbit a few months before in a Mercury space capsule, but this place looked more like something Orville and Wilbur Wright would have called home sixty years earlier. The airfield consisted of nothing more than an old run-down wooden hangar and a faded wind sock hung from a rusty pole at one end of a long grass runway. An old decrepit camper trailer was parked near the hangar, but Ann couldn't see any indication that it was actually occupied. All the windows were covered by sun-faded curtains, and weeds grew around the flattened tires. She spotted a sign that someone had stuck haphazardly alongside the bumpy gravel road leading to the entrance of the airfield. The faded, weathered paint on the sign simply said "Airfield," with an arrow pointing in the general direction of the hangar. It didn't look like much, but it was the only place to land an airplane within thirty miles of Indiantown.
Ann wasn't there to watch the comings and goings at the forlorn little airfield but instead had come to perform a rite of passage so that she would be accepted by the local boys into their gang. She had tried to make friends with the girls in the neighborhood, but they were into playing with dolls, gossiping, and avoiding getting dirty. Ann much preferred the mischief the boys wound up getting into as opposed to "girlie" things. Her mother called Ann a tomboy as if that were a bad thing, but Ann wore the label with pride. She could do anything the boys could do just as well as they could, if not better, and she never backed down from an opportunity to prove it to anyone who would give her the chance.
"Well, are you going to do it, or are you going to chicken out?" Billy Henderson nudged her shoulder.
Billy was the ringleader of the little gang that included Joey Reed and Tommy Johnson. Billy was a year older than Ann but had been held back, so they would actually be in the same grade when school started in the fall. Joey and Tommy went along with anything Billy told them to do. Ann guessed this was primarily because Billy was much bigger and stronger than the two other boys put together. Ann had heard that Billy was known for passing out more than a few black eyes among his schoolmates and probably spent as much time in detention as he did in class.
"I'm telling you the old man is crazy," Joey said. "My dad says it's from all the chemicals he's been spraying all these years. The chemicals have eaten his brain out from the inside, making him loopy."
"I heard it was from the war," said Tommy. "I heard he shot down a bunch of Jap planes and then crashed on a deserted island. He was there for years until they found him, and by then he had gone nuts."
Billy gave them both a look of annoyance. "You are both idiots." He spoke with an air of authority. "He's just a crazy old drunk that's going to kill himself one day flying into a tree or telephone pole. You've seen the way he flies that old crop-dusting crate."
Ann watched in disgust as Tommy and Joey just meekly nodded in agreement. She had been hanging out with the boys for only a week but already knew that Tommy and Joey would always fall in line with whatever Billy had to say. She had already made up her mind that she wasn't going to let Billy intimidate her like he did the others.
"I'm not chickening out!" Ann snapped back at Billy in a determined voice. "I don't care if the old man is crazy or not. It doesn't matter to me. I'll do it."
Ann really didn't know anything about the owner of the airfield other than his name. She had never even seen a crop-dusting plane before she moved with her mother to Indiantown from Baltimore at the beginning of summer. But just a few days before, she had witnessed a plane with two sets of wings roaring just inches above the ground and spewing a cloud behind it as she pedaled her bike along the road. Ann had watched as the plane popped over a tree at the very last second, avoiding disaster. Based on what she had seen, Ann was inclined to agree that whoever was flying the plane was crazy, regardless of what actually had brought on the condition.
Ann's mother had grown up in Indiantown. When Ann asked her about the plane, her mother had told her that it was owned and flown by a man everyone just called Jack. His family had owned a large amount of land on the outskirts of town generations before, but the estate had slowly been whittled down over the years until all that was left was the little airfield. Jack had been flying planes out of the airfield since before Ann's mother was born. He didn't come into town much, and when he did, he wasn't known for being social. He had a reputation for being a grumpy, cantankerous old man. Ann's mother told her that she was to stay away from Jack's place if she didn't want to get into trouble.
Ann watched as Billy peeked around the corner of the bushes to see if anyone was around. She positioned herself so she could see over Billy's shoulder and get a better view of the hangar. Everything was still in the morning air. The old faded wind sock hung limply on the pole at the far end of the runway. There appeared to be no movement at the hangar or the trailer.
"All right, Jack has an old beat-up pickup truck, and it's not here. He must be in town," Billy said, turning back to face Ann. "If you want to hang around with us, you have to prove yourself by sneaking into the hangar and stealing something. Come back empty-handed, and you are out for good."
Ann considered the challenge. The thought of stealing something from the hangar didn't raise a moral issue with her. It seemed every time she moved to a new place — and there had been a lot of moves since her mother and father's divorce — she had to pass some rite of initiation with the local kids in order to be considered one of the gang. Such initiations often involved petty theft, such as shoplifting a candy bar from a corner store, but stealing something out of the hangar of a crazy old crop duster seemed a different matter. She had no idea just how crazy this old man might be or what he would do if he caught her. Still, Ann never backed down from a challenge, even when she knew better, so she would go into the hangar and come back with something just to show the boys they were no better than her.
"What does it have to be?" Ann asked.
"Anything," Billy replied. "A tool, a can of oil, a spark plug, anything — just get in there and bring something back. You better not rat on us if you get caught, or I'll give you a black eye, even if you are a girl."
"If I get caught, it will only be because you are making too much noise, flapping that big mouth of yours. Be quiet for a change, or you'll get us all caught," Ann said sharply.
Billy was taken aback by her snapping at him. No one had ever said anything like that to him before, let alone a girl. Tommy and Joey started snickering at Ann's reply to Billy, until Billy glared at them and raised a fist. They knew the look, and it wiped the smiles from their faces.
"Do you two find something funny?" Billy growled.
Ann watched as Tommy and Joey just stared at the ground.
Receiving no reply, Billy turned his attention back to Ann and the task at hand. "Quit stalling and move!" Billy said as he grabbed Ann by the arm and pushed her toward the hangar.
Ann slapped his hand away and glared at Billy. "Don't touch me! I'll go when I'm ready."
Ann paused for a moment, just to make a point, before moving from the bushes to the side of the hangar to survey the scene. No one was around. She could see a rusty padlock hanging unused beside the side door and guessed that the door must have been left unlocked. She crept up to the side door and opened it a few inches to peek inside. It was dark and quiet inside the hangar. Hesitating for a moment, she looked back at the boys. She could see in Billy's beady little eyes and by the smirk on his face that he was daring her to go inside. Ann glared right back at Billy with all the confidence she could muster, opened the door, and slipped inside the hangar. She closed the door behind her, thankful that the rusty old hinges didn't squeak.
* * *
The hangar smelled old and dank. It reminded Ann of the musty wood aroma of an old barn mixed with the smell of grease and gasoline. Shafts of light came in at different angles from small openings between the boards of the hangar walls. A few small dirty windows at the back of the hangar allowed filtered bits of sunlight to pass through, providing the only available lighting. It took a few moments for Ann's eyes to adjust to the semidarkness. Once they did, she saw the crop-dusting plane she had seen flying low over the ground sitting directly in front of her. A smaller yellow plane with a single high set of wings sat beside the crop-dusting plane. In the far corner, surrounded by boxes and crates, there appeared to be another plane, abandoned and covered with dusty tarps.
Ann was momentarily startled by a mouse running along the base of the wall. She watched as it vanished under a door at the right back corner of the room. A metal cabinet sat against the side wall of the room and the rear hangar wall. A refrigerator was located next to the cabinet, along with a sink. A workbench ran along the rest of the back wall of the hangar to the far corner behind the tarp-covered plane.
Ann made her way over to the workbench. Several tools where haphazardly laid out. She picked up a few of the tools and examined them in detail. They were old but appeared to have been recently used since they were clean and free of rust. She had never seen some of the tools before and had no idea of their purpose. She then noticed an old screwdriver in the back, seemingly forgotten. It looked like something she could take without anyone noticing it was gone. Ann picked up the screwdriver and ran her finger along the shaft and blade, which were covered with a coat of rust from lack of use and care. Clearly, this is something that won't be missed, Ann thought.
* * *
The boys awaited Ann's return back at the bushes. It was taking longer than they wanted, and they were all beginning to get nervous. They knew Jack could show up at any time, and none of them wanted to be around when that happened. The last thing they wanted was another run-in with the crazy old guy.
"Do you think she'll really do it?" Tommy asked. "None of us has ever done it."
"You just keep your big mouth shut," Billy hissed at Tommy. "No one better tell her, or I'll pound them."
Joey whispered back, "We should get out of here. She's taking too long, and you know what he'll do if he catches us hanging around again. I'm in enough trouble with my father from the last time we tried to get into the hangar."
The boys were concentrating so hard on the hangar that they didn't bother to check behind them. Suddenly, the sun was blocked out by the shadow of someone looming over them. The boys all turned and looked over their shoulders in unison.
Jack towered over the boys with his hands on his hips. "I told you delinquents not to hang around here. Get out!"
The boys scrambled to get away, bumping into one another as they went. They jumped on their bikes and sped down the gravel road, almost crashing into one another as they raced away as fast as their legs could pump the pedals. Only Ann's bike remained behind where she had left it, partially obscured by the bushes.
* * *
Although Ann already had the screwdriver in her hand and had accomplished her goal, she had allowed her curiosity to get the better of her. Instead of heading for the door, she had turned her attention to the airplane that was covered by the dusty tarps at the far end of the hangar. She had to see what was under those tarps. Ann was just about to lift one of the tarps when she heard the commotion outside. She immediately bolted for the side door and was just a few steps short of reaching it when she heard the sound of the padlock being latched.
Ann began to panic as she looked for another way out. The whole front side of the hangar consisted of huge sliding doors that could be opened to roll out the airplanes. Ann turned and ran to the front of the hangar, but the sliding doors were locked from the inside with another padlock. She looked to the windows, but they were covered with bars. There was no way out. She was trapped.
Ann closed her eyes, trying to regain her composure. Relax, she thought. Take a deep breath and think! Maybe she could find a tool that could be used to break the lock on the main hangar doors. She opened her eyes, trying to readjust to the dim light. A groan escaped from her lips. She'd be grounded for eternity this time, particularly since her mother had specifically told her to stay away from Jack's. She had to get out of the hangar fast!
* * *
Jack walked back toward the road, passing the bushes where the boys had hidden. He had chased the same three boys away from the hangar not more than a few weeks ago. Jack wouldn't have been able to surprise them this time if he hadn't had to leave his truck in town and walk back because of a cracked distributor cap. They could always hear his old truck coming a mile away. It seemed to Jack that every year there was a new crop of juvenile delinquents trying to steal things from his hangar. Harassing him had apparently become a local rite of passage over the years, but he was certainly getting too old and tired to be dealing with these kids anymore.
He could still see the dust being kicked up from the fleeing pint-sized felons a hundred yards away as he looked down the road. It was then that he noticed another bike protruding from under the bushes. The boys must have added a fourth member to their gang. He looked around but couldn't find any signs of the owner of the bike. With a growing sense of satisfaction, he realized the new member of the group must be locked inside the hangar. He had one trapped like a rat! He was determined to haul the trapped delinquent before the police to teach the rest of them a lesson. Jack returned to the side door, unlocked it, and flung it wide open.
"I got you this time!" Jack yelled. "You are going to jail."
* * *
Sunlight streamed through the door, illuminating the inside of the hangar. Ann was startled and temporarily blinded by the light. Attempting to get out of the hangar as quickly as possible, she ran toward the door but stumbled into the crop-dusting plane and lost her balance. Her instincts took over, and she stuck out her hand in an attempt to break her fall. It was too late. Ann heard a horrible ripping sound as she hit the floor.
Ann stood up and stared in disbelief, first at a large gaping hole in the wing of the crop-dusting plane and then at the screwdriver stilled clutched in her hand. She had accidently plunged the screwdriver into the wing, tearing a large gash in it as she fell to the floor. She'd had no idea that the wing was covered in fabric instead of metal and couldn't believe a screwdriver could do that much damage to an airplane.
Looking up, she could see a man framed by the light of the door, but she couldn't make out his face. It must be Jack, she figured, but it really didn't matter. Whoever it was, she was quite sure his appearance was going to mean big trouble for her. She could hear the anger in his voice, and the word "jail" had rung in her ears. She would never be able to explain this one to her mother. She needed to get out of the hangar as fast as possible.
"Look at what you've done!" shouted Jack.
"I didn't mean to. It was an accident," Ann said in a trembling voice.
Jack shouted again, "Accident? Is it an accident you're in my hangar?"
Ann, regaining some composure, replied defiantly, "Well, who's stupid enough to have an airplane made out of cloth?"
The man appeared to be startled by her reply and hesitated for a moment before shouting in anger, "Why, you little ..."
Ann didn't wait to hear the rest of the sentence. As Jack moved forward to grab her, she ducked under his arm and scooted out the open side door, running as fast as her legs would carry her. She grabbed her bike and jumped on in a running stride. Not bothering to look behind her, she raced down the gravel road to the main street into town, peddling as hard as she could. Turning off on her street, she continued as fast as she could toward her own house, passing Billy's house along the way.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Flying on Fabric by Marc A. Rossi. Copyright © 2016 Marc A. Rossi. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse.
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