Free Over the Darkened Landscape by Derryl Murphy

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    This spurred Jack on even more, and soon he was back at the Aquila . He quickly threw his gear into its compartment, then pulled out the dephlogisticator and plugged it back into his suit, turned it on and then fitted his helmet into place.
    He was just climbing in when he heard another roar, and saw the ogre bounding up the hill towards him, dagger as big as the largest human sword in his hand. Jack sealed the cockpit, then turned on the magnets. The high foreheads had told him that if he needed to descend ahead of schedule, the magnets would hopefully pull the Aquila and the beanstalk towards the lode-mites back on Earth.
    With a groan, the beanstalk started to twist and shudder and the Aquila started to rise. The vessel was soon speeding back up towards the Earth, but it was shaking horribly at the same time. Jack peered out the side window that faced the Moon, and saw that the ogre had managed to leap up and grab hold of the beanstalk and was climbing towards him.
    Jack turned up the choralis again. “Mission Control, we have a problem. Aquila is being pursued by a hostile creature. I may not make it back. Please respond, over.”
    There was squealing, and Jack thought he could hear the Mission Specialist whispering in the background. But then another voice came on, saying, “Détacher! Non . . . Detach yourself from the legume. We will bear you back to your home and take care of the beast.”
    “Who are you?” asked Jack.
    “Look to the front of your craft,” came the reply.
    Outside there hovered the harp with several other winged beings, all of different shapes and colors, all beautiful beyond belief, flapping their wings with slow, easy movements. She smiled at him and nodded, and so Jack flipped all three switches, releasing the latches from their grips on the beanstalk. There was a brief lurch as the craft jumped away and towards the Earth, and then he could see that it was being held up by winged beings on all sides.
    They spiraled down towards the Earth, and soon the launch center and landing pad came into stark relief. He could see the base of the beanstalk, and saw that several people and even two of the winged beings were hard at work chopping at the base of the stalk with large axes. As he was brought down for a feather-light landing two axes sliced into the last bit of plant, and then the stalk was straining over to one side with a creaking groan that put to mind giant teeth grinding together, loud enough so Jack could hear it through the closed hatch and his suit.
    Two techs ran and let him out, then hurried him off to the side. His helmet was removed, and then they all stood in awe and watched as bits of the beanstalk fell to earth, accompanied by what looked to be a flaming comet that roared and cursed angrily the entire way down until it crashed to the ground several hundred meters away. The earth shook with the impact, gulls wheeling into the air and screaming madly, bats pouring from the mouth of some uncharted sinkhole and whirling through the daytime sky with precision confusion, and dust and moisture ventured into the air, forming new clouds before delivering wet, blackened soot in large splotches on the pavement and on their heads.
    The ogre was dead.
    Jack tilted his head back and with the awed techs watched as the winged beings—he knew now to be angels—ascended into the skies, going back home to their place in the Universal Plane. Melodious music reached down to stroke his ears, this time an orchestra and chorus that was joyous and soaring and free, telling tales of release and ecstasy that did his heart glad.
    Jack smiled, and then walked back to the Aquila to retrieve his gear.

Last Call

    T he phone rang. Jackie rolled over and peered at the clock, eyes blurry and trying to make out the numbers. 4:25 .
    Her eyes flew open and she reached for the phone. The baby chose the same moment to practice soccer with her bladder, and she grimaced, pressing her free hand to her belly.