The Old Man and the Sky

a story
flash-fiction
2017-03-10 12:39:33
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    Midshipman William Kaur looked over the sea. He could see the water stretching far beyond the horizon. He dreamed of going far away, seeing the expanses of the empire. However, joining the crew of this Airship was far from helpful.

    He joined the Kanteburian Aerial Forces hoping one of these Airships will be needed to travel to another part of the empire. However, he was stuck on a patrol ship only traveling the Island of Tyre. They would go over his home nation of Kantyre that occupied the fertile lands of Tyre.

    He sat in a small observer's seat aboard the Vimana class airship. The airship was large in size due to the multiple ballasts and gas bags. The Vimana class airship was amazingly fuel efficient due to its reliance on air currents for the majority of its movement despite having several means of propulsion. The hum from the duel prop propeller on the front of the airship filled the cabin. William was waiting to hear anything from his Captain.

    The old man had been flying this old contraption since the Empire took to the air. He was a skilled captain, said to have navigated the very same airship through a hurricane years back. He managed to keep the airship not only in the air, but he managed to keep them over the island. Day in and day out he stays, keeping a close look over the island nation. His beard was extremely long, which annoyed William because he was completely bald. The Captain took extra time to ensure his head was clean shaven and his beard was well groomed.

    He expertly worked the pedals and wheel of the airship. He expertly kept the Airship high above the palm trees. The airship had a line of tight oars made out of a small sail stretched against a steel skeletal structure. They were worked into a clockwork mechanism that moved all the oars like cilia. This helped the Captain keep in control of the Airship and even help it move forward. It made the Airship look like a mighty sea ship with a mighty sea swirling around it. 

    All day he stared out the observatory windows and wondered how he could transfer to a shipping vessel that could take him all over the world. Instead he was stuck here with a team of three other people, one of whom was this old Captain. Smoking his pipe. So content in his meaningless existence. Just content in piloting his airship around the same island nation for weeks at a time. How could he have no ambitions? No desires to see the world? Content.

    Midshipman William Kaur looked over the sea. One day he'd fly away, he'd fly far away from this Airship and this island of Tyre.