The Landing

Chapter 2

Charlie held onto the handrails as the airship drifted down. They were swooping ever downwards to what seemed like a ruined castle and a gloomy cave appearing in the distance. Captain Sophie was struggling to steer the ship into a nice open space while Charlotte was watching out the window when she eyed a familiar looking creature. Charlotte thought for moment, taking in every inch of it. She realised what it was and went to go grab every one else. Its sharp talons tore into the airship’s ballon. Luckly it wasn’t too damaged so they could still fly for a little amount of time, or at least enough to land.

With a squeak and a bump, the airship landed. Charlotte won the battle against the creature although it had already flown away before they hit the ground. Charlie examined his surroundings one by one. He saw three things: a ruined castle that looked like it was made in the Victorian times, a strange cave with steam coming out of it and quite a few dead trees that looked really sharp.

Charlotte too stared around at the land. In front of her, a wall stood covering the whole width of the land. Over the wall there were log cabins that looked brand new. At the far back of the island the hills are towering over the land. To the left side, two massive piles of wood were stacked neatly on top of each other. The land itself was very quiet and empty. Overhead you could hear the raging thunder slowly gliding north. The sky started to darken, and the wind got chillier.

Ten minutes later, the children found themselves alone aboard the Sharkflyer. Captain Sophie and the crew had gone to explore the island and Charlie and Charlotte had been told strictly not to follow or leave the airship. They were getting quite board waiting for the adults so they planned to break the rules and disembark. They packed some food and torches in their bags then started to head towards the gloomy cave Charlie seen earlier. After about fifteen minutes they reached the cave.

At that moment, they heard something.

Sharkflyer

You’ve probably been on an airship when the skies are calm, the breeze is soothing, and the birds are migrating. Remember how it feels to see the feathery clouds passing by, to see the cities and towns from above and to feel totally pleasant when you wake up every morning.

I bet you’ve enjoyed going on fancy cruises abroad. Walking across the glimmering sand on sunny beaches, seeing the sunset on the hotel balconies, knowing that once you’ve landed you can go and explore, discovering new things that you might have not known before.

But you should also try a trip when the winter’s icy air is as cold as a freezer, with the clouds turning dull and the rain is starting to drizzle. When the lightning strikes are like a cheetah sprinting hastily across the savannas and thunder rumbling like a giant’s tummy, when the engine gradually begins to come to a halt. That’s when an airship ride’s not so enjoyable…

And some say, they’ve seen silver sky goblins roaming around the hills waiting to steal any valuable treasures. You probably won’t believe this, but some say there are creatures that may look cute and cuddly but on the inside they’re vicious beasts, with teeth as sharp as daggers, able to rip their enemies to shreds.

*****

Charlie scampered to deck to find Charlotte, who was terrified seeing that there was a nasty storm ahead. Charlie clutched tightly onto Charlottes wrist dragging her to the storage room. Suddenly the airship began to twist frequently. They left a few days ago from their home in the countryside and should have been going over the sunny beaches of Spain but this storm had blown them off course.

At that moment, coming out of the grey, the silver sky goblins were climbing up the side of the ship leaving claw marks. Captain Sophie alerted Charlie and Charlotte to come up onto deck and commanded them to hold on to whatever special thing they had brought with them. Meanwhile, Captain Sophie was sprinting over to a steal box, quickly lifting the lid. Inside was a big red button. She pressed it, then suddenly, the Sharkflyer shut down. No one could see in or out, it was all darkness, until captain Sophie turned on the lights and panted, “You’ll be safe for just now.”

For a short while, the silver sky goblins disappeared then everything went back to normal, now you could see out into the storm. Thunder raged around them, and the lights flickered. Charlotte took a deep breath and watched as Charlie was controlling the steering wheel. Captain Sophie shouted, “Right Charlie, I’ll take over from here.” Then she said with a confident voice, “Prepare to land!” Charlotte and Charlie glanced at each other.

Briefly the Sharkflyer reached below the clouds, it was now quiet and peaceful, the airship’s engine was running smoothly. They drifted down, swaying from side to side under the storm. All of them stared up looking for any sky goblins. Had they managed to escape them for now?