The Fabulous Spec-Fic Smack Down

Blown Away (Round 1, Part 1)

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Pipaluk.

All the people below watched in horror as Pipaluk flew across the sky. Yet it shouldn't have been possible for anyone to fly across the sky.

It had been ten minutes since all this began. Pipaluk recalled the event, minute by minute. Each frame played in her mind like a movie. She was running down the downtown sidewalk in a hurry from the local public library, having stupidly forgotten to bring her bicycle from home.

With darkness already fallen, Pipaluk was late getting home from her afterschool job at the public library downtown. Mother's going to kill me when I get home. Pipaluk was meant to be home by sunset, but here she was heading home after nightfall. I've missed curfew.

At least it can't get any worse. As she continued running, she felt her hair get wet from cold water droplets. Obviously, it can. Looking upwards, she saw dark black clouds overhead, draining away the little amount of light present that night. The heavens had opened, and a steady drizzle of rain began to descend from the blackened clouds. The world became a shade darker than it currently was. The drizzle soon turned into a downpour as Pipaluk found herself racing against the rain and the wind. The wind picked up, roaring like an enormous lion, blowing harder and growing more furious with each howl. Pipaluk felt that at any moment she would be swept off her feet and carried away by the wind.

This is not how I die. Not tonight.

It wasn't meant to rain tonight; I checked the weather forecast app this morning. It was supposed to be a clear night. The app has never been wrong.

Pipaluk suddenly remembered in the midst of her thoughts about her raincoat and umbrella in her backpack. She took the raincoat out, quickly putting it on over her drenched shirt as she raced down the sidewalk. She pulled the hood of her raincoat over her head, preventing her already soaked hair from getting any wetter. Next, she took out her umbrella and held it over her head.

The street was covered in rain with puddles here and there. Luckily, she had worn her ankle boots as usual and didn't need to worry about getting her footwear and foot soaked in water.

The water accumulating on the street slowly flowed toward the curb. It gathered there before draining into the storm drain, preventing rainwater from accumulating on the road and causing potential flooding in the area.

The rain pelted Pipaluk, drenching her raincoat as she ran along the sidewalk illuminated by the street lamps. 'Slosh' went her ankle boots as she stepped into a puddle on the street.

As she ran down the street, Pipaluk observed the frightened public in the downtown area beginning to panic. Frantic movements animated the scene, with people running in all directions, seeking refuge in buildings or getting inside cars to escape the unexpected downpour.

The sound of the downpour was drowned out by Pipaluk's heartbeat in her ear as she bolted through the empty town street.

As the downtown area came to an end, Pipaluk found herself faced with darkness. There were no lamp posts illuminating the rest of the way forward. She would have to walk on the sidewalk beside the soccer field in the darkness before coming up to the brightly lit residential area.

Pipaluk paused at the end of the downtown area and took her flashlight out. The pause was a brief relief from all the running. She got to rest her weary legs for a moment and catch her breath. With the beam of the flashlight pointed downward to the street, Pipaluk began walking at a normal pace. The light from her flashlight was her only guide along the street. She needed to be careful not to trip over anything.

Pipaluk caught her reflection in the water on the ground, which was illuminated by her flashlight. She pointed her flashlight down the sidewalk, the beam of light reflecting off the water on the ground, indicating that there was water everywhere.

An earthy aroma permeated the night air, rising from the wet grass on the soccer field. The smell was refreshing.

She knew she was already late to get home, but would be even later now. It was better to be safe than sorry.

How did I lose track of time? I always manage time well. I'm never late or early to get anywhere or do anything. So how did I lose track of time?

As Pipaluk pondered, a hooting sound was heard in the distance. Pipaluk jumped, almost losing her grip on the flashlight. She steadied her hand around the flashlight, pointing it towards the soccer field. The field was empty. The flashlight's beam caused a shimmering effect on the water droplets clinging to the grass blades. It was strange seeing the field at night, especially on a rainy night.

"Hello?" Pipaluk called out.

No one responded. Must have been an owl.

"Stupid owl!" yelled Pipaluk. "You almost gave me a heart attack. I thought owls were meant to be wise, not stupid."

I hope there isn't anything else here except for the owl. I don't want to be attacked by anything.

Before Pipaluk could move forward, away from the soccer field and into the lit residential area, something happened. Pipaluk was suddenly lifted off the ground by a powerful gust of wind, her umbrella becoming a makeshift parachute or kite that carried her through the night sky.

This all led up to where she was now—flying across the rainy night sky with her umbrella transformed into a makeshift parachute, while the residents of the residential area watched in horror.

Pipaluk held onto her umbrella for dear life. If she lost her grip, it would be the end of her. Her mother wouldn't need to kill her.

This is not how I die. Not tonight.

All of this reminded her of a scene in a movie where a bunch of people on the street were blown away by the unexpected wind in broad daylight.

Why did I decide to start reading Fall of Dragonesia near the end of my job? I had already borrowed it. Why didn't I just wait until I got home to start reading? I wouldn't be in this horrifying position now.

Pipaluk glanced down to see ant-sized people below on the street, staring up at her. She had become a spectacle.

Are they filming me? Millions of people will watch the videos on the internet, and I'm going to become a laughingstock.

If I survive tonight, my mother will surely kill me when I get home. I can sneak into the house through the window of my room on the second floor and pretend that I was home all along when she calls me for dinner. She'll never know I missed curfew.

I wonder where the wind will carry me.

As the wind died down, Pipaluk prayed for a safe landing. She slowly descended in front of the town's 'Welcome' sign.

Picking herself up, Pipaluk was relieved to be in one piece. The wind had fortunately died down. She had never been to this part of town before.

She turned away from the town and gazed at what lay beyond—the woods. It was the first time in her life that she had seen the woods. They looked mysterious in the darkness of the night, especially with the blackened clouds overhead. What kind of creatures resided among them? Were they friendly or ferocious?

Was there always a forest at the edge of the town?

Maybe she would muster the courage one day to venture into the woods. After all the trees are woods, and the woods are trees.