Choking On Paradise
By MITCHELL HARGREAVES
She didn’t know how long she had been dead. A murmuring sung through her mind, carrying a tune of fuss and bustle. But she stood apart from the commotion. Harsh white walls encompassed her vision, their pretense of innocence masking nauseating memories. Like Fiara, they remained strong throughout fatal times, serene and compassionate in their embrace. Unlike the walls, though, Fiara’s serenity was painted freshly upon her soul. She remembered a time when she was chained to being alive. Today, she held hands with life. Her thoughts became a vision to the past—a gateway to the future—as she visited her rebirth.
A jumble of colourful flowers fluttered in an artificial eddy. A young couple, each clothed in an ensemble of Hawaiian attire, nervously watched the spinning blades whip around their heads. The first passenger to rush towards the helicopter had blonde hair that remained untouched by the gale, lending him an appearance of certainty. But this illusion quickly dissipated as he stumbled on the landing skid. His hands’ grip on the fuselage stopped an untimely tumble.
Clothed in a tight white shirt and long black pants, Fiara’s face was smiling, but appeared strained. “Right up on the boarding step, please.” She waved at the woman running to flank her friend. “You look like an energetic couple. Climb aboard and we’ll make good use of your spirit,” said Fiara as she grasped hands with the second passenger, pulling her into the chopper.
A long black bench ran along the back of the cockpit. The cockpit itself was a deep blue colour, and appeared to shrink with its new occupants. A metallic arch stretched over the glass canopy, obscuring a slice of the panoramic outlet. Fiara’s hand rested on a black instrument panel, decorated by strings of lights, knobs, and buttons. Her black hair hid one dark eye. The other eye addressed the young adventurers.
“On behalf of Kilakulu Air Tours, I would like to thank you for letting us share with you the splendor of the Hawaiian landscape and welcome you to the beginning of a glorious experience.” She paused, trying to emphasize her last words. It was the same introductory speech she gave to every group. Only an hour ago, she had said those same words, in that same order, to a group of people who looked the same as this one.
She smiled. “We guarantee that your Hawaiian exploration from the sky will be as pleasurable as you could imagine. But first, I think we should know each others’ names, before we do something so,” she provided the rehearsed emphasis, “…intimate together.”
They laughed.
Her right hand covered her heart. “I am Fiara, and I will be your helicopter pilot, steering you towards the most fantastic of locales.” The pulse of the beating blades drove her on. “Once we get into the air, you won’t want to land.” Her attention came to the blonde man. His brow was raised and crinkled in anticipation. “And who is this adventurer?”
The man licked his lips. “I’m Sam,” he said while putting his arm around the petite girl beside him, “and this is my fiancée, Kal.” They both beamed at Fiara. Mistaking her blank stare for curiosity he continued. “We’re from…” Fiara missed the rest of their words for her mind had already receded into a dark yawning place.
When Fiara had first taken a group of passengers into the sky, it had seemed an exhilarating experience. Truly, she had felt that they were sharing something special together. But that feeling of camaraderie had diminished at the hands of time. His neat fingers had managed to poke holes through her spirit and drain her passion for flight.
But flight had always been a passage of ascension, and Fiara had to ensure that her passengers had that very experience; though she herself seemed to be in a stagnant drift.
Taking a seat before the flashing instrument panel, she jabbed at several buttons and tweaked a few knobs. Thoughtfully, she considered, not for the first time, the complexity of a purpose so simple—flight. The lights danced as the helicopter gave a lurch, the couple toppling forward in turn.
“Hold on, kids. We’re flying.”
The wingless bird climbed over the rolling green hills, watching lava fingers, cracked and wrinkled, snake down a central mountain. Foliage scrambled up the mountain, but hesitated just short of its zenith. From the sky, a large crater was visible where there should have been a peak.
“Folks,” started Fiara, directing her gaze to the fiery hill, “that’s Mount Kilauea, a hot-devil of a mountain, but still only a baby. In fact, she’s only been around a million years old or so.” Fiara envied the mountain’s spirit.
Fair-haired Sam and Kal shared a look at the volcano. Though there were slight puffs of clouds at their altitude, it was clear that the vents of lava were making their own steamy ghosts.
Fiara continued her story of Kilauea. “It’s pretty to look at, but if you’re looking for explosions, you’re probably not apt to find one here.” They watched the volcano as if daring it to tell lie to her words.
Sam stole several shots of the sleepy giant while he said, “So it doesn’t erupt? That’s disappointing.”
Fiara’s hands turned the pitch lever, directing the helicopter towards Kilauea. “Yeah. Because she’s so young, the magma can just melt through the thin crust. There’s no build-up of pressure.” She shook her finger. “But if you get a granddaddy volcano, you’ll see some angry eruptions.” She looked back at the couple. “You don’t want to be around them.”
Looking at Kal, Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it would be exciting.” The pilot replied with a grunt.
Kal’s apple blossom face looked adoringly at Sam. “Fiara’s probably right, Sammy. She’s been doing this for years,” she said, gently patting his hand.
The chopper continued its revolution of the mountain. Sam continued to push Fiara. “How much closer can we get to the volcano? You see so much up here, yet you see so little.”
Fiara sighed. “We can land right in it, if you’d like. But the lava would probably burn right though my chopper. And Kilakulu Air Tours prohibits getting too close to volcanoes. It’s for your safety, you know.”
A scowl took Sam’s face. “Forget about our safety, Fiara. We don’t have to land. I just want Kal to see the heart of a volcano. It’s my engagement present to her.” He took Kal’s hand and softened his tone. “Anyway, you said it doesn’t erupt. So, there’s no danger, right?”
This time it was Fiara who scowled. “I said it probably won’t erupt. Why would you want to needlessly risk your life?”
Sam’s face was softer when he answered. “Fiara, I don’t think that it’s needless to want to experience life. I think life is needless if you don’t experience want.” Fiara made no move. “Have you ever seen the heart of the mountain, Fiara?” There was no response.
As the helicopter flew against a setting sun, several bevies of birds took wing. Streams of steam sprouted from Kilauea. Ash blossomed into the sky.
Sam, still absorbing the volcano, turned around. “Fiara, what is Kilauea doing?”
Fiara looked behind her and watched as the volcano launched a torrid of rock and fire into the air. Her fingers grew white as they tightened around the controls. Kilauea was not supposed to erupt.
She steered the chopper towards the mountain of fire. The couple watched as they drew nearer to the erupting giant.
Steam covered them as they hovered over the bowl of the mountain. As Sam and Kal began to photograph the fiery cauldron, Fiara gazed at the furious crater. Like blazing dragons, red hot rocks bounced between the pools of lava. Spouts of steam boiled from the crust, spewing dust and ember into the air.
She stared in wonder at the sleepy giant finally igniting. It was chaos, yet it was order. Her eyes were open and she saw that it was beauty.
A plume of volcanic vapors struck her. Her vision blurry, she rubbed her eyes, but it did not help. Her chest burning, she tried to breathe, but that only made her cough. As the helicopter staggered towards the volcano, Fiara struggled to regain control. Desperately, she veered the helicopter away from the crater.
Then, the pain stopped.
Posted 21 OCT 04 in Fantastic Fiction
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