LOST IN THE CLOUDS
LOST IN THE CLOUDS
LOST IN THE CLOUDS
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<strong>LOST</strong> <strong>IN</strong> <strong>THE</strong> <strong>CLOUDS</strong><br />
by<br />
Jason W. Chan<br />
SMASHWORDS EDITION<br />
* * * * *<br />
PUBLISHED BY:<br />
Jason W. Chan on Smashwords<br />
Lost in the Clouds<br />
Copyright 2012 by Jason W. Chan<br />
Smashwords Edition License Notes<br />
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be<br />
re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another<br />
person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're<br />
reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then<br />
you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for<br />
respecting the author's work.<br />
***<br />
Acknowledgements<br />
For Walt Disney, who believed that with imagination, perseverance and most<br />
importantly, passion, anything is possible.<br />
***<br />
A Message from the Author<br />
I hope you will enjoy reading Lost in the Clouds.<br />
After you’re done, I have a few tiny favors to ask of you:<br />
1. Please post the link to this ebook on your facebook and twitter and other social<br />
media networks.<br />
If you liked this story, please write a review for it, on whichever site you found it.<br />
This last part is the most important: please recommend it to as many friends as<br />
possible. Thank you for helping me spread the word.<br />
Please email me if you have any feedback: jasonwchan@hotmail.com
Visit my blog where I have in-depth discussions about some of my favorite love<br />
stories: www.jasonwchan.blogspot.com<br />
If you liked this story, check out my Amazon author page:<br />
http://www.amazon.com/Jason-W.-Chan/e/B004OMMIMS/ref=sr_tc_ep<br />
qid=1324187501<br />
There, you can find many more of my ebooks. If you liked this novel, I would<br />
recommend Hiding In His Dreams, Meet Me at Taylor Park, A Romantic Ghost Story<br />
and The Patter of the Spring Rain, all love stories.<br />
Thanks for supporting me.<br />
Always Yours,<br />
Jason W. Chan<br />
***<br />
Synopsis: When 10 year-old aviator enthusiast Lucas meets the spunky rain spirit<br />
Shayley, a journey of mutual friendship begins that restores Lucas’ faith in himself.<br />
Lost in the Clouds is coming-of-age fantasy that will remind you of the magic in<br />
life, bring you back to the innocence and wonder of childhood and make you believe in<br />
dreams again.<br />
Short Story: 4,000 Words<br />
***<br />
Chapter 1<br />
“You can’t be a pilot. You don’t even have perfect vision.”<br />
Lucas sat at the dinner table as his fourteen year-old brother Steve, a gangly,<br />
awkward teenager with acne, pointed out why his dreams were impossible to achieve.<br />
Lucas’ mother, a tall woman with long dark hair, turned to Steve. “Hush now.<br />
You can’t tell your little brother that. He can do anything he wants”<br />
“I’m not little anymore,” Lucas piped up. “I’m ten years old.”<br />
“Not yet,” his father said, a man with glasses and receding hairline. He took a sip<br />
of his water. “Your birthday isn’t until tomorrow. Are you excited about your party”<br />
Lucas nodded. “Sure am.”<br />
His brother Steve still wouldn’t let the matter go. “How can you be a pilot with<br />
those glasses Pilots need to have perfect 20/20 vision.”
Lucas touched the frames of his glasses. It was subject that he had always been<br />
self-conscious about.<br />
His mother shrugged. “So Lucas can always get laser eye surgery.”<br />
“What’s laser eye surgery” asked Lucas.<br />
“You’ll find out when you’re older,” replied his mother, spooning some more<br />
corn onto his plate.<br />
Suddenly, Lucas heard his favorite commercial come on the television set.<br />
His eyes widened as his heart beat harder. “May I please be excused” he asked,<br />
practically jumping out of his seat.<br />
His father frowned. “Yes, but I thought I turned the TV off….”<br />
Lucas leapt out of his seat and dashed into the living room, just in time to hear the<br />
lively music playing and see the image of the Cessna plane gliding majestically in the<br />
sunny sky.<br />
The pilot did a loop-de-loop in the cloudless sky and then dumped a load of water<br />
on a forest that was on fire. Then he landed gracefully and spoke directly to the viewer.<br />
“Sign up at Jer’s Pilot School if you want to save lives.”<br />
A young lady came up to the pilot and kissed him, thanking him.<br />
As he was watching, Lucas imagined himself as that pilot. He wanted to be a hero<br />
and save lives. He wanted to be the one gliding in the night air. He wanted to be the one<br />
the young lady kissed…well, maybe when he was older. For now, he wasn’t thinking<br />
much about girls yet. All he wanted to do was take to the sky and see the world. But he<br />
was too young for flying lessons and besides, they were expensive. His father made a<br />
modest living as a government bureaucrat, but he couldn’t afford flying lessons for his<br />
son.<br />
Outside, it started to pour. Lucas looked out the window. Gigantic raindrops<br />
splashed down as the wind whistled through the tree branches.<br />
In the far distance, thunder rumbled.<br />
His favorite time to fly was night. Lucas imagined himself as a pilot soaring<br />
through the night sky. He started zooming around the room, his arms outstretched like the<br />
wings of a plane.
A flash of lightning illuminated the enormous moon. Then, the sound of thunder<br />
inched closer.<br />
Lucas froze and stared out the window.<br />
His mother’s voice came from behind him. “What are you looking at, honey”<br />
Lucas pointed to the sooty sky.<br />
The rain spilled down, soaking the sidewalks.<br />
Then, thunder banged, resonating throughout the house.<br />
Lucas jumped back, straight into his mother’s arms.<br />
His mother chuckled. “How are you going to be a pilot when you’re scared of<br />
thunder”<br />
Lucas thought about it. She was right. He had to be braver than that.<br />
***<br />
Later that evening, Lucas’ mother was tucking Lucas into bed.<br />
His mother kissed him goodnight and was about to leave when Lucas grabbed her<br />
arm. “Mommy”<br />
His mother turned around. “Yes, honey”<br />
“Is it true what Steve said That I can’t be a pilot because of my eyesight”<br />
His mother chuckled. “That’s ridiculous. You can be anything you want to be.”<br />
He sat up in bed, eyes wide. “For real”<br />
His mother tucked him back in again. “For real.”<br />
She kissed him again and left the room.<br />
Lucas stared out the window. The moon was a bright yellow pie, shrouded by<br />
wisps of clouds.<br />
Thunder rumbled again.<br />
Lucas hid under the covers. His mother was right. He had to get over his fear of<br />
thunder. It was just a loud sound.<br />
There was nothing scary about thunder, he tried to convince himself. No, nothing<br />
at all.<br />
He pulled his blanket with a picture of an airplane on it closer to him. His father<br />
had given it to him as a gift a year earlier. It first sparked his interest in aviation.
But how could I be a pilot now He wondered. I wear glasses and I’m scared of<br />
thunder.<br />
I wish I could be a pilot, he thought.<br />
He kept stroking the blanket and pretty soon, he must have fallen asleep, because<br />
the next thing he knew, he was not in his room anymore.<br />
He was lying on something soft and fluffy. The chilly wind brushed past him.<br />
He sat up. In front of him, a fluffy white cloud was grinning at him. “Lucas!<br />
You’re here.”<br />
He had a funny voice, kind of like Mickey Mouse’s. His eyes were big and dark.<br />
Lucas rubbed his eyes. “Where am I”<br />
A dark empty vastness surrounded him.<br />
The cloud merely smiled. “You’re in the clouds. I’m Stratus the Cloud. Take me<br />
for a ride. You know you want to.”<br />
***<br />
Chapter 2<br />
“Why am I up here” Lucas asked. He stared at the cloud. It was the size of a<br />
refrigerator.<br />
“Someone must have heard your wish, you lucky little boy. You want to be a<br />
pilot”<br />
Lucas nodded. “More than anything.”<br />
“Why”<br />
“Because I want to be a big boy, like that man in the commercial. He gets to fly<br />
all over the place and explore.”<br />
He glanced around. “It sure is dark up here.”<br />
The cloud floated closer, so that Lucas could easily step into it.<br />
“Who cares why” Stratus said. “Someone liked you enough to get you up here.<br />
Now come for a ride.”<br />
Lucas knew he shouldn’t trust strangers, yet Stratus the Cloud seemed totally<br />
harmless.<br />
At first, he was apprehensive. He had never really flown anything before. This<br />
was going to be his first time.
Lucas climbed into the cloud transport, holding onto a solid steering wheel made<br />
out of fluffy cloud vapor.<br />
“Ready” Stratus asked.<br />
Lucas was hardly able to contain his excitement. “Let’s go!”<br />
And away they went.<br />
Lucas rushed through the clouds, the wind whooshing through his hair. They<br />
zoomed above and below the clouds. When they were above the clouds, Lucas could see<br />
a vast emptiness. When they were below the clouds, Lucas saw a different view. Houses,<br />
rivers, sparkling lights, forests, mountains, oceans – all of it seemed so beautiful.<br />
His heart pounding, Lucas lost himself in the delightful ride.<br />
As they were flying, the cloud transport said, “See You can fly even wearing<br />
glasses.”<br />
Adjusting his glasses, Lucas smiled. He was right.<br />
I could do this, he thought. I can be a pilot one day.<br />
After a while, the cloud stopped. They were hovering somewhere above the<br />
clouds.<br />
“Why are we stopping” asked Lucas.<br />
The cloud trembled as it spoke. “A storm is coming.”<br />
And so it was.<br />
Dark clouds were gathering not far from them. The air was even colder than<br />
usual.<br />
“We should escape while we can,” whispered Stratus.<br />
“Alright,” murmured Lucas. “Let’s go.”<br />
They were about to take off when Lucas noticed a young girl with blue hair<br />
floating around the gathering storm clouds.<br />
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.<br />
Lucas felt his stomach churn.<br />
She looked over at them with a forlorn expression on her pretty face.<br />
Lucas gripped tighter onto the steering wheel. “We can’t leave her here.”<br />
Stratus shrugged, which shook the entire transport. “You’re the boss.”<br />
They glided over there and Lucas gestured to the girl. “Come on. Get in!”
The girl climbed into the transport. “Thanks.” She looked at the impending storm,<br />
her eyes filled with fear.<br />
After scooting over to make room, Lucas gazed at the girl. She was beautiful. She<br />
had an angular face with dark eyes. Her blue hair flew in the wind.<br />
Stratus took them farther and farther away from the whirlpool of clouds.<br />
“I’m Lucas,” said the little boy. “And this is my new plane, Stratus.”<br />
“I’m not a plane,” said the cloud transport irritably.<br />
The girl smiled. “I’m Shayley.”<br />
“What are you doing up here, Shayley” asked Lucas, the wind rushing into his<br />
face.<br />
“I’m a rain spirit,” replied Shayley. “It’s my turn to drop down to the Earth, but<br />
I’m not ready.”<br />
In the distance, thunder crashed and both Shayley and Lucas jumped.<br />
Lucas’ eyes grew wide. “You’re afraid of thunder too”<br />
Shayley smacked her pink lips and nodded. “When there’s a storm, the air gets<br />
cold and lightning and thunder soon follow. That’s how I know it’s time for me to drop<br />
down, but I’m just not ready.”<br />
Stratus slowed down and Lucas examined the rain spirit. She was certainly pretty,<br />
albeit a tad shaken up.<br />
Lucas asked, “Why aren’t you ready”<br />
“Because,” she answered indignantly. “I have so much to see up here before I<br />
drop down to the Earth.”<br />
“Like what” asked Lucas.<br />
“Well…uh….”she stammered.<br />
“The Earth is beautiful,” said Lucas. “There are mountains and rivers and lakes<br />
and oceans and lights. It’s so beautiful you’ll lose yourself in it”<br />
“Really” asked Shayley. She looked convinced.<br />
“Yes, for sure. And I get to see all that from the skies, when I become a pilot.”<br />
“You want to be a pilot That’s so cool.”<br />
“Sure is.” Lucas thrust his chest out. “Except….”<br />
“Except what”
“Except I’m scared of thunder and pilots can’t be scared of anything.”<br />
Shayley’s face grew sad. “That’s too bad. My mother told me that we’re all here<br />
to fulfill our destinies. If it’s your destiny to become a pilot, then you’ll do anything it<br />
takes to succeed.”<br />
Lucas digested that information. She was right, of course. And he knew that it<br />
was his destiny to become a pilot.<br />
“Dream big,” said Shayley. “Don’t listen to people who tell you no.”<br />
“Thanks,” he said, feeling better about his dreams. “What’s your destiny”<br />
Shayley sighed. “I guess it’s to fall down to the Earth as a rain drop.”<br />
“What are you waiting for”<br />
Shayley glanced at the gigantic, smiling moon.<br />
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s my first time. And it’s scary.”<br />
“I know how that feels. This is my first time flying. It feels great.”<br />
Shayley looked unconvinced.<br />
Lucas patted her shoulder gently. “If it’s your destiny, then shouldn’t you look<br />
forward to it, no matter what obstacles are in the way That’s what you taught me.”<br />
“I guess you’re right. If I didn’t follow my own advice, that would make me a<br />
hypocrite, right”<br />
“What’s a hypocrite” asked Lucas.<br />
“Never mind.”<br />
For a minute, they rode in silence.<br />
The view remained unchanged, except for when they passed a spot in the night<br />
sky where thousands of stars were glittering gently.<br />
“That’s beautiful,” whispered Shayley, afraid to disturb the silence.<br />
“Yeah,” agreed Lucas.<br />
The glowing stars were moving, rearranging themselves so that they were spelling<br />
out a message.<br />
The message read Believe in yourself.<br />
The note flashed for a few seconds, and then disappeared completely.<br />
Lucas felt his mood uplifted. So what if he was afraid of thunder He had to<br />
believe that he could conquer it.
He looked over at Shayley, who looked deep in thought.<br />
Pretty soon, lightning lit the sky again. Thunder growled not too far away.<br />
Lucas tapped Stratus on the head. “Let’s go! Faster!”<br />
Dark storm clouds were heading their way, chasing them.<br />
Shayley looked behind them and let out a piercing scream. Stratus sped up. They<br />
were now zipping through the air like a peregrine falcon.<br />
The sooty storm clouds soon took on human faces complete with pairs of glowing<br />
red eyes.<br />
“You can’t get away from us!” the ringleader, a big, puffy gray cloud, shouted at<br />
the three of them.<br />
The temperature plummeted, becoming icy cold.<br />
Lucas could see his breath as he exhaled.<br />
He tapped Stratus on the head. “Faster, Stratus, faster!”<br />
“I’m going as fast as I can!” Stratus replied, his voice echoing in the empty void.<br />
The storm clouds were catching up. No matter how fast Stratus went, the storm<br />
clouds inched closer and closer.<br />
Shayley looked at Lucas with tears in her big eyes. “Maybe I shouldn’t fight it.<br />
Maybe I am ready. Maybe it’s time to go.”<br />
Lucas nodded. “Goodbye, Shayley. It’s going to be fine. I promise.” Of course, he<br />
had no way of knowing that it was going to be fine, but he wanted to assure her<br />
nonetheless.<br />
Shayley reached in for a hug. Lucas felt her cold body on his.<br />
She was transforming before his very eyes.<br />
Shayley the rain spirit was turning transparent. She was also ballooning up.<br />
Lucas grabbed onto her hand, but she was soon plucked into the air, joining the<br />
storm clouds.<br />
The wind howled and battered the dark clouds. Lighting flashed, illuminating the<br />
process.<br />
Other transparent rain spirits were joining Shayley.<br />
They were all moving around in a circle, surrounding the dark storm clouds.<br />
Thunder roared.
Lucas stood his ground. He did not look to Stratus for comfort. He was facing his<br />
fear. Shayley had taught him that.<br />
Thunder roared again, but Lucas didn’t bat an eye.<br />
He was too distracted by Shayley, who was now barely recognizable as she joined<br />
the other transparent rain spirits.<br />
“You were right,” shouted Shayley, amid the howl of the wind. “This isn’t so bad.<br />
Bye Lucas!”<br />
Lucas watched as Shayley and the other rain spirits plummeted to the Earth.<br />
He waved goodbye to Shayley.<br />
***<br />
Chapter 3<br />
When Lucas woke up, he was amazed to see that he was in bed. He looked<br />
around: Stratus the friendly cloud transport was gone and Shayley’s screams had stopped.<br />
She was nowhere to be found.<br />
Lucas wondered whether it had been a dream.<br />
He felt water running down his face, splashing onto his chest.<br />
He remembered the storm that had taken Shayley.<br />
That was how he knew it wasn’t a dream.<br />
***<br />
That following evening, Lucas’ family gathered around the dinner table and sang<br />
happy birthday to him.<br />
“Now, close your eyes and make a wish,” his mother said.<br />
Lucas was debating between two wishes. On one hand, he wanted to wish that he<br />
would become a successful pilot. On the other, he wanted to wish that Shayley would be<br />
OK.<br />
“Hurry up,” his brother complained.<br />
Lucas closed his eyes and did nothing. After a while, he wished that Shayley<br />
would be OK.<br />
Everyone applauded and Lucas’ mother gave him a box wrapped with a red<br />
ribbon.<br />
“Go on,” his mother urged. “Open it.”
Lucas looked at it with a sense of wonder. He wondered what it could be.<br />
When he unwrapped it, he found that it was a toy airplane.<br />
He smiled, his face lighting up. “Thanks, mom.”<br />
His mother put a hand on his shoulders. “You can be anything you want to be.<br />
Don’t you ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”<br />
Lucas nodded. He was unable to stop smiling.<br />
Outside, thunder rumbled. Soon, it began to rain.<br />
Lucas rushed out of the kitchen and into the living room.<br />
“Lucas, where are you going” his father asked. “We haven’t had cake yet.”<br />
Lucas pressed his nose against the cold window glass and watched.<br />
Where’s Shayley He wondered. I hope she’s OK.<br />
Soon, the rain came down in torrents.<br />
Quickly, he scanned the area: the houses across the street, the giant cherry tree in<br />
his front yard, the mailboxes of each residence. But he knew it was hopeless. There were<br />
so many raindrops. How could he possibly see Shayley<br />
He began to cry.<br />
He felt a hand on his shoulders.<br />
He turned around to see his mother looking at him with concern in her wide eyes.<br />
“What’s the matter, honey It’s your birthday. It’s supposed to be a happy time.”<br />
“I’ve lost a friend,” he said. “She’s this little rain spirit that was supposed to fall<br />
from the sky the next storm.”<br />
His mother gave him a confused look. “Who’s this friend You’ve never told me<br />
about her.”<br />
Lucas continued to sob.<br />
His mother whispered in his ear, “Alright, let’s say it is a rain drop. It’s OK<br />
because she’s OK.”<br />
Lucas stopped weeping and looked up at his mother. “What do you mean”<br />
“Didn’t your teacher teach you about the water cycle in school”<br />
Lucas shook his head.
His mother said, “It’s all part of this cycle. Rain falls down from the sky, only to<br />
go back up as water vapor. It’s called condensation. Then, it falls down again. It’s called<br />
precipitation. This cycle continues on forever.”<br />
Lucas’ bright eyes lit up. “Are you sure”<br />
“Of course, honey. It’s always been that way.”<br />
Lucas wiped his tears and smiled, staring out the window. Somewhere out there,<br />
Shayley was raining down, but she would go up again. She was going to be fine.<br />
Lucas hugged his mother tight and his mother hugged him tight too.<br />
Outside, the rain continued to spill down rhythmically, but Lucas didn’t care<br />
anymore. Shayley was going to be alright.<br />
***<br />
Epilogue<br />
Fifteen years later…<br />
Dressed in his official pilot’s uniform, Lucas sat comfortably in the pilot’s seat in<br />
the cockpit as he flew a big commercial jet nonstop from New York to Paris. He glanced<br />
out the window. The water below him glittered in the sunlight.<br />
His co-pilot Jay was making himself a cup of coffee.<br />
Lucas was stroking a piece of his blanket with an airplane image in one hand. He<br />
glanced at the headboard. His model toy airplane was bobbing up and down.<br />
Jay took a sip of his coffee and smiled. “Still holding onto childhood memories,<br />
huh”<br />
“Yeah,” Lucas replied. “I’ve had both for fifteen years.”<br />
Jay put down his steaming cup of coffee. “Did you ever think we’d have this I<br />
mean, I wanted to be a pilot since I was fifteen.”<br />
“Yeah me too. Since I was ten. I never thought I could though.”<br />
“Why not”<br />
“A lot of reasons. But this girl made me believe again.”<br />
“Always a chick, huh”<br />
Lucas remained silent, deep in thought.
He scanned the horizon, hoping to catch a glimpse of the rain spirit Shayley. He<br />
wondered how she was. He wondered if she’d gone through the water cycle again, like<br />
his mother had told him.<br />
Jay interrupted his thoughts. “So what happened Why didn’t you believe”<br />
Lucas remained silent.<br />
Finally, he spoke up again.<br />
“My brother said that they don’t allow people with glasses to be pilots and I was<br />
wearing glasses back then.”<br />
“So what did you do”<br />
Lucas turned to his co-pilot, a mischievous glint in his eyes.<br />
“I got laser eye surgery,” he said with a grin.<br />
Jay chuckled.<br />
Lucas returned to navigating.<br />
At 20,000 feet above the ground, Lucas could feel when they were about to face<br />
turbulence. Dark gray storm clouds were beginning to gather around the plane.<br />
Thunder rumbled close by. Lucas barely even winced. He had long since gotten<br />
over his fear of thunder. Shayley had helped him do that.<br />
Soon, tiny raindrops were sprinkling against the windshield.<br />
Lucas raised an eyebrow, taking a closer look at the windshield.<br />
“What’s wrong” Jay asked, but Lucas did not reply.<br />
He wasn’t sure, but for just a moment, he thought he saw a raindrop with<br />
Shayley’s blue hair splashing against the windshield.<br />
It smiled at him briefly and then was gone.<br />
In a while, the rain disappeared and the sun came out, shining a gentle rainbow on<br />
the very spot that Shayley had been.<br />
***<br />
A Message from the Author<br />
I hope you have enjoyed reading Lost in the Clouds.<br />
I have a few tiny favors to ask of you:<br />
1. Please post the link to this ebook on your facebook and twitter and other social<br />
media networks.
If you liked this story, please write a review for it, on whichever site you found it.<br />
This last part is the most important: please recommend it to as many friends as<br />
possible. Thank you for helping me spread the word.<br />
Please email me if you have any feedback: jasonwchan@hotmail.com<br />
Visit my blog where I have in-depth discussions about some of my favorite love<br />
stories: www.jasonwchan.blogspot.com<br />
If you liked this story, check out my Amazon author page:<br />
http://www.amazon.com/Jason-W.-Chan/e/B004OMMIMS/ref=sr_tc_ep<br />
qid=1324187501<br />
There, you can find many more of my ebooks. If you liked this novel, I would<br />
recommend Hiding In His Dreams, Meet Me at Taylor Park, A Romantic Ghost Story and<br />
The Patter of the Spring Rain, all love stories.<br />
Thanks for supporting me.<br />
Always Yours,<br />
Jason W. Chan