Kite, a short story

December 25, 2009 | Posted by Paul Wolborsky

This is a story about a Boy and his kite; a worm that wants to fly; a falcon that wants a tail, and an otter that wants a sail.

This story starts with a kite. It was a dazzling jade diamond with an orange dragon and a long, crimson tail. The kite flew high in the clear blue sky. It stalked the sun; it’s tail writing arabic stories in the clouds. The kite was tied to a knot, a knot tied to a string, a string tied to a little boy named Peter, who loved his kite so.

He loved his kite more then he loved anything else, and everyday, among the clouds, sky, and sun he stood still while his kite pranced, and the world spun, and it was a dance.

“It’s not a diamond, it’s a jade butterfly”, the worm thought, as it chewed the knot, slowly, patiently. The worm dreamed of flying, and now it was flying, but it wasn’t enough. For the worm wanted freedom, first from the Earth that has given him life, and now, from the tyranny of a little boy’s finger. As the world gyrated far below, the worm chewed the knot everyday, until one day-

A strong breeze grabbed hold of the kite, and the worm bit its last strand – freedom!

The kite flew away, and Peter was left holding the string, now the tail of nothing but empty sky.

The kite gambolled, cavorted, roustabouted, tumbled and rumbled in the wind away into the horizon. But fleet are the feet of a little boy chasing their kites, and Peter flew like the wind… towards a canyon deep and wide.

Freedom is fleeting, the Worm discovered as kite’s red dragon tail fell afoul of a power line. ”Oh my”, said the Worm.

“Oh my”, said the Boy, who stared in disbelief at his kite so far away. It fluttered in the wind, a diamond dangle across an unreachable space. Peter began to cry.

“Oh my”, said the Falcon to his friend and partner in crime, the Otter, from the bottom of the canyon by the icy cold river.

“Oh my, what?” asks the Otter to his friend with the eyes that witnessed the whole scene.

“I see a boy, and a kite out of reach. Such a beautiful tail,” said the Falcon, whose own tail was missing a feather.

“And such a lovely sail that kite would make for me,”.said the Otter who wanted to sail to the Sea, but couldn’t swim downstream himself.

“I could fly up there, and bring the kite back for the both of us”, said Falcon.

“I don’t trust you, you’ll take the kite and fly away”, said Otter.

“Then, we’ll go together.”

And Falcon grabbed Otter with his talons. But they discovered to their dismay that they couldn’t untie the knot. Only little boys can untie a knot. But not to fear, there was one just over there.

Falcon spoke. ”Hi little boy, why do you cry so?”

Peter cried some more, then spoke.. “Mr. Falcon, my kite broke free and now it’s hanging off a wire in midair. I can’t fly. I can’t walk on the wire. I’ll fall into the icy river and I can’t swim. It’s so close, but it’s gone forever” And he cried some more.

“Well, I have an idea”, said the Otter. ”My friend Falcon can fly us to the kite, you can untangle its tail. If we fall into the water, I can swim and take us to safety.”

Peter wasn’t born yesterday, not even last week. He asked, ‘Why would you help me?”

Falcon said, “We have one condition, but we won’t tell you until you have freed the kite.”

Peter thought, and looked at the kite he loved so, so out of reach yet becoming tentatively bridged by a desperate hope. Peter said, “Ok, Mr. Falcon, Mr. Otter, can you help me bring back my kite?”

So, Falcon swept out his mighty wings, grabbed Peter with his mighty talons, while Otter grabbed Peter’s feet. And so, awkwardly, they flew out across the gulf towards the beckoning Jade diamond dragon and tail that was Peter’s most fervent desire.

Falcon flapped his wings, heart hammering, as he hovered over the kite, and Peter put his hands on the tail…

“Don’t tear the tail”, the Falcon cried.

And Peter touched his kite, the dragon biting his finger.

“Don’t rip the kite”, the Otter cried.

And by the time Peter had loosened the tail and held in his hands his most precious prize, he realized what the Falcon and Otter’s price was. ”Give me your kite, or I will drop you!”, said Falcon. ”Give me your kite, or I will let you drown!”, said Otter.

And the boy Peter, who can’t fly and who can’t swim, realized that the only way he could keep his kite was to let it go, for better that his kite be what it was and fly, then to be torn apart.

So, tears in his eyes, Peter threw his kite with a mighty lunge. The worm that would be a butterfly jumped into Peter’s pocket – it had enough adventure for the day. Falcon let Peter loose to fly after the kite, but Peter grabbed hold of Falcon’s tail. And the kite flew away, free of everything but the beckoning sky..

The Falcon, tiring, could no longer fly. Flapping his mighty wings slower, slower, slower, they all sank into the water. And Otter dragged them all safely to the shore.

Falcon shook the water from his feathers, bemoaning the loss of a second feather. Otter shook the water from his eyes, bemoaning the loss of the sea so far away. And Peter?

Peter looked up in the sky, at his kite, now flying free towards the sun, it’s red tail like fire. It was no longer his kite, it flew for itself.

And worm? Tired from its adventures, it slept in Peter’s pocket, dreaming of becoming a Butterfly.