Chapter Five: All the Lights in Heaven:

White clouds floated around them. Not even the wind blowing around them made a sound. Strangely enough, it didn’t feel scary. The lights above them danced around like a child playing in puddles after a rainstorm. Joe could feel the warmth touch her cheeks.

“Wow,” she mouthed. Matthieu tried to focus as he racked his brain as to figure out where they were. This place looks so familiar. Where have I seen it before? Joe reached out for a little fat puffy cloud floating by.

“Oh…” she said with wide eyes. Something about this place felt so peaceful. Matthieu narrowed his eyes, frowning.

Why do I have a nagging feeling about this place? Something told him that they shouldn’t be here. Joe slowly turned her head behind her. She spoke, but no sound came out. Still, Matthieu could understand her words.

“I think I hear someone calling me,” she said.

“What?” he asked. Plane-shaped clouds started to form on either side of their plane. The pilots looked to be asleep behind the wheel. Only the Black Betty stood out in the clouds. A faint scent of cinnamon filled Matthieu’s nose before it slowly sank in for him what type of place this was. He grabbed the little girl by her shoulder.

“Joe, we cannot say here,” he said.

“What? Why?” she asked.

“This is a graveyard, my dear.”

“A what?”

“We cannot stay here. This is a place for the dead. If we do not leave now, we will die.” His words came out empty and tangled. Joe could barely make out what he was saying. Another voice filled her head. She turned and looked in front of her.

“Grandma?” she asked. She could see a hand reaching out to her. Her grandmother looked so young and dressed like a fighter pilot. The woman was smiling and looking radiant. Joe gasped and covered her mouth.

“It is you!” she said. “Grandma!” The little girl reached out to the young woman, but her grandmother pushed her away. Joe’s eyes widened.

“No?” she asked. The woman shook her head.

“But why?” Joe asked.

“You do not belong here,” her grandmother said.

“B-B-But why?”

“This is not the place for you. You have to go back.”

“But…”

The grandmother gently put her finger to the child’s lips. Joe looked her in the eyes. The woman smiled as she shook her head. Tears filled in her granddaughter’s eyes.

“Please do not cry, my dear, Joe,” she said. “I am happy here among the heroes of the skies. Your parents and I have made our peace and are enjoying our paradise.”

“But why can’t I stay with you?” the little girl asked. Her grandmother took her by the cheeks and smiled.

“You have your own living to do,” she said. “Make your own legacy and you might come and live with us here.” Joe sniffled as the woman wiped away her tears.

“We will meet again,” her grandmother said. “Live well.” She kissed the little girl on the forehead ad faded away.

“Grandma! Grandma!” Joe shouted as the woman vanished. “I love you!”

“I love you too, dear,” the woman said before she disappeared in the clouds. The little pilot felt someone shaking on her shoulder. She turned to see Matthieu screaming at her, voiceless.

“What?” she asked.

“We cannot stay here. This is a place for the dead. If we do not leave now, we will die,” he said. His words finally sank in.

“A graveyard?” she asked. Her voice made no sounds, but the older man understood her.

“Yes, we have to get out of here now!”

“How do we do that?”

“Believe in yourself!” a voice shouted in her ears. Joe looked around, confused.

“What?” she asked. The plane suddenly jerked forward. Joe jumped in her cockpit as she could feel it pulling her forward.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“The lights are pulling us forward!” Matthieu shouted. “Quick! Turn the plane around and turn us back!”

“I can’t! We’re stuck!” she cried.

“Try harder!” the older man shouted. Joe looked around, freaking out. Grandma, help me! Another gentle breeze blew past the girl’s ear. The little pilot closed her eyes and felt her heartrate slowing down. Joe nodded once and opened her eyes.

“Alright,” she said. The little girl took hold of the wheel. Suddenly, the plane stopped and began sinking downwards. Matthieu looked around as the dead pilots lifted their heads and saluted them.

“You’re doing good!” he shouted at the little pilot. “Don’t lose focus!”

“Okay,” Joe said. The lights became dimmer and as the sound began to return around them. The last thing they heard in the sky graveyard was the sound of applause of the dead pilots in their cloud airplanes.

“Ground control to Flying Duchess, do you read me?” the voice on the radio asked. “Ground control to Flying Duchess, do you read me? Do you copy?”

“Yes?” Joe asked.

“Are you guys okay? Where did you go? Over.”

“Yes, we’re fine. We just went to an amazing place!”

Matthieu sat back panting with his hand to his forehead when he looked up. “Can you hand me the radio, dear?” Joe looked at him.

“Hm? Oh, here,” she said. The little girl handed him the radio. Matthieu took hold of the radio.

“Ace? Bernard?” he asked.

“Matthieu?” Bernard asked. “How are you doing, friend?”

“Not too bad,” the co-pilot said. “We’re ready to go back now. I think we had enough flying for today.”

“Roger that, we’ll guide you back,” Ace said.

“Thank you, over and out,” Matthieu said. He handed the pilot back the radio. “Ready to get back to the ground?”

“Yes,” Joe said.

“You remember how to get back?”

“I think so.”

“I will help guide you back.”

“Okay.” Joe managed to fly Black Betty back to the air park without any trouble this time. Ace and Bernard waited on the ground for the little pilot and her co-pilot. Joe couldn’t stop talking about their adventure in the skies and sky graveyard as they walked into the mini-museum for lunch. The older gentlemen couldn’t help but notice that the little girl had a rosier glow surrounding her that would last into her old age.

“Did something happen while you were up there?” Bernard whispered.

“Can’t exactly explain it myself,” Matthieu said as they watched Joe reach up towards the clear blue sky. “You will have to ask herself yourself.” Joe smiled at the sun high in the sky. She thought that she could hear her grandmother’s voice tell her to forge her own legacy in life. To formerly gloomy little girl, that sounded good to her.