Sky-fall

by Lewis

He ran through the field screaming, his long rank hair flying behind him. “The sky is falling.” He shouted at the group of 6 young Cub Scouts and their startled newly promted Akela. The children fled in terror followed by Akela, looking over his shoulder frantically at the oncoming creature. The man was naked except for a dirty torn pair of trousers, his eyes were stretched wide and his dirt encrusted face was spotted with flecks of spittle. The children scrambled over a stile and disappeared into the forest. Akela, heavily invested in his image of the unphased cool Scout leader, bravely waited the onslaught of the lunatic. “The sky is falling” He cried, slowing down now as he approached. “You there, the sky is falling, tell everyone you know. You must get underground as soon as possible.”

“Excuse me but do you mind not terrifying the kids.” Akela said, trying to sound calm and reasonable. His eyes telling a different story to his mouth. The semi naked man stopped and looked at him. “Just because you are closer to the sky in the mountains, it doesn't mean it will hurt you any less when it falls.” And with that he turned and ran down the field. The faces of the children peaked through the trees, drunk on a cocktail of humour, adrenaline and fear.

“Well now i think we should get back to camp don’t you?” Akela suggested. The children set off mimicking the cries of the man and dancing around the path. In the distance behind them a meter long rectangle of blue, suddenly dropped crashing into the grass. Sending up a small but unnoticed plume of dust.

That afternoon the children, to various degrees of success completed their fire safety badge with minimum burning and with Akelas energy fading, their outdoor challenge badge with minimum challenge. At one point John, age 7 and with a keen eye for detail, commented on the strange shape the sky had turned. This also went unnoticed.

By dinner the mountain sky had closed in, quite literally. Sandy whilst out looking for a good bush to wee behind was startled to a stop mid-flow as a meter long chunk of blue bounced off a nearby tree and landing next to her. Akela filed this under over active imagination and focused on getting dinner ready. Meanwhile Amir wept when he saw a cow obliterated into the ground by a 2 meter chunk of blue. Steve laughed in shock when an unfortunate sheep disappeared without a bleat entirely to be replaced by another chunky blue brick. Akela had his own troubles trying to get the rice to cook and had no time for the fantastical cries of the kids. Until he reached his limit shouting at then to sit down and shut up whilst he finished the…. The brick dropped with a gravity of something very heavy. Akela, the bolognaise and the table sprayed out across the campsite. The children were silent, unable to fathom the scene in front of them until John spoke. “I saw a cave not far from here.”

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