Urbert’s Flight
Urbert saw the sky fall in.
It was the first thing he told anyone that he met, and it’s probably why most conversations in Urbert’s life were extremely short. In reverence for the momentous day, Urbert swept the streets of the city every evening; he figured that if he was under the night sky, in the open, he’d be more likely to catch the sky when it happened again. For Urbert, there was no "but" in the probability, only a "when."
Sweeping the streets had many advantages. Urbert found serial evidence of the instability of the sky: he found transparent stones with dazzling, illuminated centers, mini-skies, every one of them. He kept the stones in his uppermost overall pocket, close to his heart, so that he could feel their radiant glow coursing through his veins. Of course, he knew that the sky was watching him while he collected his evidence. He also knew that it was his duty to save the world, to capture the sky and set it right, to put it back where it belonged.
Dust and sand from the deserted desert plains gusted over Urbert’s world. Rain was rare. While Urbert swept at the endless dust, he kept vigil for angry gray-blue rain clouds, because his witness to the fall was vivid, a celluloid-type memory. On the sky-fall day, the clouds banked, the rain poured, the sky showed itself on the ground, and then... the stones flew, ricocheting against the sky, shattering it into a kaleidoscope of broken fragments that fell with the clear stones into the abyss of oblivion. Urbert knew the only reason the sky hadn't vanished completely was because he'd been there, collected the remnants before they disintegrated, and thrown them back at the black, black nothingness, the sky-hole.
Urbert remembered how he’d congratulated himself after realizing that he’d made the sky fly. made it fly back where it could shine.
On a day that began much like any other, Urbert’s sensitive nose detected the scent of rain on the breeze. He searched the sky for clues, but there were no gray-blue clouds, only wispy, white smoke-like drifts, scurrying hither and thither on the stiff breeze.
But Urbert knew—he knew his day had come.
A single drop of water on his forehead alerted Urbert; the deluge was building; the storm was close.
There were no blue-gray clouds. None.
But he watched the heavens, waiting for the dance of fate, waiting for his chance.
Then…
A cloud seemed to burst overhead. The world darkened, and the rain... the rain was accompanied by distraught outbursts of pain that lit up his vista with jagged bolts of sizzling fire. The heavens screamed out in agonizing drumrolls that forced him to plug his ears with his fingers.
But still, adrenaline flooded. He was ready.
It started slowly at first, but then the sky was everywhere, pockmarked in pools and lying on the ground. Urbert knew that this was just theatrics. A farce... a trick to perplex.
The sky couldn’t fall unless the stones cried out in anger. So he waited.
When they came, the stones came with pelting force, battering the sky as it lay in perfect reflection on the shimmering pools. Water held the sky’s life force in a ripple.
Urbert took a deep breath. He crossed himself. He saw the sky twinkle in the pool of water that lay at his feet.
Urbert knew that time was of the essence. He stood on tiptoe and pushed himself into a diving flight. Urbert dove in after it.
He dove in to save the sky.
Image is a collage of the Pixabay resources below
The magic in your story does not come from the sky falling. It comes from allowing us to experience the world as Urbert knows it.
Could anyone come up with a better hook?
You let us know early that Ubert does not inhabit a magical universe--no more than the rest of us do as we witness the miracle of nature every day.
A brilliant technique to give perspective. We see Urbert now as the world sees him. He is alone in his pursuit, in his understanding of the universe.
Is Urbert mad? Is the sky falling, or is there merely a hailstorm? Doesn't matter. To Urbert it is real. Whatever happens when he dives into that pool of water, he will continue to believe in his miracle.
A great story. So much skill on display here :)
Merry Christmas @itsostylish
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH, Susan 💗💗💗 My heart is dancing. What a special and delightfully endearing character Urbert is. The way in which he sees and understands his world is bold, enlightening, and precious. It's beautiful in its own way... oh I do hope you develop this into longer form... that would be magical to be able to come alongside and watch his journey... Fantastic writing!!! !LUV !ALIVE !hivebits
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You are my heart and soul. Only you would come and comment on my post when you’re gravely ill. Whatever I can do for you, my friend, I will, whatever it is that you need, you just have to ask. I love you muchness, muchness… very muchness and you’ve scared the living daylights outta me! 🤗🥰🤗🥰❤️🥰❤️💕🥰🥰🥰❤️🥰💕🥰❤️❤️🤗🤗🥰💕🙃❤️🥳🥳🥳🥳
I love you too, my Stylish 💗💞🤗💗I'm alive... I'm coughing and spluttering my way through the day... but I'm here hehe... Down...but never OUT! I need to catch up on more of your fiction. It inspires me so much 💗😍
You’re just the sweetest. Merry Christmas. Power to plants 🪴
😊 Thank you
🙈 Now THAT'S writing. You're not allowed to ask me to write ever again. 😁
Merry Christmas sweetheart ♥️🎄🤗
Back to you 1000%
Thank you for reading, your opinion means the world 🌎❤️💕🥰
As I was reading this paragraph below, the song Ghost - Call Me Little Sunshine came to my mind and suddenly the rest of the story changed 😁😁
I really liked the feeling of your story. It would be epic if it was animated. Congratulations. 😱
Animation would be awesome, but it’s only a “little” story. Haha
Thanks for reading
Yay! 🤗
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Thank you ☺️💕❤️❤️💕❤️❤️
Very Happy Holidays to You!
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 🎄🧚♀️❤️💕🥰😉🧚🧚♂️🧚♀️🎅🎄🙃🍷
Thank You!
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This is a lovely story, @itsostylish — beautifully written and so intriguing. We will never know whether Urbert just has a very strong imagination, if he is really off his nut, or if perhaps he sees a reality that others just don't see. But he is so very endearing. A sweet soul that deserves patience and understanding.
Thank you @jayna 🎅🎄🥳
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year 🥳
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