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“You want to go back to your home, don’t you?” Anne asked in a conversational tone as she poured the two of them a cup of tea. Biblio pushed the cup aside as always, but she didn’t seem to notice. He looked up at her and nodded his head. “I thought you might.” She smiled down at him as she placed a plate of boiled potatoes on the tables.
“Home. Find it.” Biblio nodded. He had no idea where to even begin to look, but he had to try.
“Well, you’ll probably be heading back to New Zealand, then? I doubt you can fly that far and over an ocean to boot,” Anne paused thoughtfully, placing a finger to her chin. She left the table suddenly, mumbling to herself.
Biblio grabbed a potato and popped it into his mouth before jumping down from his seat and following Anne. She walked from the small field into the woods. They walked for what seemed hours. Biblio had never been out this far before and he was wary, ears perking up at every sound.
“Here we are!” Anne exclaimed, holding up her hands. Biblio saw another hand-built shack like the one they had just come from, except this one was a lot bigger. Biblio cocked his head to the side as he watched Anne skip excitedly over to the door. “Wait right here while I get everything ready,” she giggled, dodging inside and slamming the door behind her.
Biblio watched the shack patiently, looking around to make sure there were no predators on the prowl every now and then. He noticed that the sun was starting to make its descent from the top of the sky. How long had they been out here?
He heard a sudden loud noise coming from the shack. He flew into the top branches of a nearby tree as fast as he could, heart racing. He watched as the boards were pushed outward and fell in a heap on the ground. “Come on down here, silly!” Anne called.
Biblio landed on the ground, crouching on all fours as he walked cautiously forward. “Predator?” He asked.
“Of course not!” Anne kicked aside some of the boards that had fallen to clear a path to what appeared to be a rowboat with a large red sheet tied to it with several ropes. “You said you sailed the seas, but I bet you’ve never sailed the skies. This here is my flying ship, the SS Angel Wing. The second I saw you land in my field, I knew you would have to return to your home and so I always planned to give this to you to, you know, help your destiny along.”
“Sail the skies?” Biblio asked, thoroughly confused. He walked over to the boat. How could this thing ever fly? It didn’t even have wings!
“It sure can. I’ll show you.” Anne walked over to the boat and held her hands to the red sheet. She mumbled to herself and her hands glowed a faint yellow color. Biblio’s eyes widened. She was using magic! All this time, he had thought her mumblings were just an odd quirk of hers like when she skipped or always offered him tea. He had heard tales of magic when he sailed with Morgan, but Morgan had said that magic had fallen from the world a long time ago.
Anne stood, smiling to herself as the red sheet --which was actually a balloon--rose from the ground. Biblio released his wings, preparing to flee if necessary. Anne laughed at him. “I can see you’re surprised. Remember, something’s not dead or gone until everyone who believes in it is dead or gone. Magic won’t be gone until all those who believe in it are.” Biblio nodded.
The ropes pulled taut as the boat rose into the air along with the balloon. It hovered just above the ground as a rope was tied from the sky boat to a stake. “I never got a chance to fly this myself, but I never needed to fly.” She smiled at the boat proudly. “The oars on the side are attached to ropes and depending on which way you row, the boat will turn in that direction. It’s easy enough to get the hang of once you try it yourself.”
Biblio nodded and looked up at Anne. “It okay?” He asked.
“Of course it is. You have to get back to New Zealand and I have to stay here, so I have no use for this old thing.” Anne bent down and hugged him tightly. Biblio looked up at her and felt incredibly sad. He was once again leaving someone he had gotten close to but never really had gotten to know. Who knew Morgan wasn’t a real captain and who knew Anne could use magic? People were so colorful and full of surprise and he hoped that he could meet more that were as nice as his two friends.
When Anne stood back up, Biblio flew into the boat and withdrew his wings. He leaned over the side and watched as Anne untied it. “I’ve used some magic to help guide you, but feel free to explore as you wish. Good luck Biblio!” Anne waved goodbye and Biblio raised a paw. He didn’t understand human gestures very well, but he knew she understood what he meant. Biblio watched as she grew smaller as the boat rose higher.
Biblio grabbed an oar and rowed with it. The boat turned in the desired direction and began flying towards the sea. He was surrounded by cliffs on either side and sea gulls flew as fast as they could to avoid him. Biblio closed his eyes, feeling the wind on his fur. Ah, nothing could ever beat the sensation of sailing and beginning yet another new adventure.
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