“Let’s look for a wardrobe compartment,” Garry suggested. “Since these
fliers are used as lifeboats sometimes, there must be space suits and
things. Maybe we’ll find magnetic shoes, too.”
“How’ll we ever get around in here to look for anything?” Patch
sputtered. By now he was floating, his legs and arms flailing helplessly
like a bug on its back.
Using the handles on the backs of the seats, Garry worked his way across
to a cabinet set in the wall. Then he moved from the last seat handle to
the wall rail and worked himself down it to the plastic case. Through
the clear window Garry could see space suits and accessories. He pressed
a button, and the door popped open.
“We’re in luck, Patch,” Garry reported. “There are magnetic shoes in
here. I hope the gravity plates in the floor are working.”
Garry managed to pick up two pairs of the shoes, tucking one pair under
one arm. That left one hand holding the second pair and the other hand
free.
Even then, it took quite some doing for him to work his way across to
Patch, who looked like a pennant floating in the breeze as he hung
crossways in the air, one hand tightly clutching a seat handle.
“Garry, I don’t feel so good,” Patch complained. “Everything in me feels
like its pushing upward. Even my brain seems to be floating.”
“It’s lack of gravity doing that,” Garry said. “You are used to gravity
always pulling down on you. When that pull is gone, it makes you feel as
if your body is moving up. At least that’s what all the books say. And I
believe them, because I feel that way myself. Here are your shoes.
They’re pretty big, but they’ll be better than nothing.”
“Garry, how’ll I ever get them on?” Patch protested.
“I’ll hold onto you while you put them on,” Garry offered. “That’ll make
it easier—I guess.”
Garry got behind Patch and held him by the collar. Then began Patch’s
struggles with the shoes. It was comical for Garry to see his friend
having such a hard time, but he knew Patch would have the laugh on him
later.
It took them both a good while to get the shoes on. When the floor
current of the gravity plates finally held them down, the boys laughed
at each other in their oversized equipment.
“I guess we look like snowshoe rabbits with our big feet!” Patch said
with a laugh. “Good thing those straps pulled up tight, or we’d never be
able to keep them on.”
The craft had been moving along smoothly, but before long it began to
shudder irregularly.
“The jets have cut out, Patch,” Garry said. “We’re coasting. Without any
air friction out here in space, we _could_ coast along forever.”
“Garry, don’t say that!” Patch gasped.
But Garry found out that his guess was wrong, and he was glad that it
had been. Presently, twin jets of flame were seen pouring from the front
of the craft.
“Garry, we’re on fire!” Patch shouted.
“No, they’re the braking jets,” Garry corrected. “We’re being slowed
down, Patch! I think we’ll find out very soon now what our destination
is.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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