Silver Wings

by H. P. Munro

  She felt the air pass by her at rapid speed as she freefell towards the ground. A calmness descended upon her as she was buffeted by the air before her training kicked in and she pulled her ripcord. Her parachute shot out and immediately her descent slowed. Floating towards the ground Helen gave out a loud whoop.

  “I'm flying!” she yelled. Her laugher was cut short however as she looked down toward the rapidly approaching ground.

  “And now I'm landing!” she groaned, as the cotton field beneath her got closer.

  She landed ungraciously in a heap, her canopy floating down to cover her beneath a pile of silk. Lying on the mud and with no other outlet for her exhilaration, she pounded her arms and legs on the ploughed earth like a toddler having a tantrum.

  “I'm alive!” she shouted laughing hysterically as she twisted onto her back.

  She lay underneath her parachute for a moment savoring the emotions then reluctantly released the catches of her harness and started to crawl out from underneath the material. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips looking around trying to work out the direction she was from the base. Squinting at the sun she worked out that she was east from where she needed to be, she leaned down and started to pile up her parachute for the long walk home.

  ***

  Lily stood on the flight line taking a long drink from her bottle of cola, laughing as Adele and Adrienne rejuvenated from their flight were now standing singing WASP songs replacing the words for rude versions. Lucy looked up shielding her eyes, watching the next plane line up for landing. “That's Marjorie coming in,” she remarked bringing her hand back down. “Just Helen to come.”

  The women had a rule that no-one left the flight line until their bay were all back on safe ground. They watched as Marjorie had a bumpy landing, before their attention returned to the sky where Helen's plane was now lined up to come in.

  “And there she is, all present and correct,” Lucy smiled.

  They waited for Marjorie to taxi and waved at her as she wandered over towards them walking awkwardly, grumbling that she had taken a stick hit from her instructor during the flight. Lily watched Helen's plane carefully as it parked up.

  Her eyes narrowed as she couldn't see the blonde in the front cockpit, she dismissed the thought, opting to think that her eyesight was playing tricks. However, when only Stark got out of the plane and leaned into the front cockpit she felt panic start to rise.

  “Guys, there's something wrong,” she padded the back of Adrienne who turned to look toward where Lily was looking with wide eyes.

  “What?” Adrienne asked.

  “Stark’s back and Helen's not in the plane,” Lily yelled over her shoulder her feet already propelling her towards the instructor. “Where's Helen?” she grabbed the man's shoulders looking wildly between him and the plane in the vain hope that Helen was still in it.

  “She…” the small man looked as though he was in shock, he shrugged. “Her harness, the clasp broke, she bailed out!” he said looking up wide-eyed at a distraught Lily. They had been joined by the others and shouts of disbelief surrounded the instructor. “She just fell out,” he added numbly.

  “Where?” Lily asked trying to get him to focus on her. “Where did she fall?”

  Stark pointed up towards the sky and Lily rolled her eyes.

  “I know she fell out up there, but where might she have landed!”

  He shook himself out of his reverie, his thoughts filled with the surprised look on Helen's face as she dropped out beneath the plane, “About eight miles east.”

  Lily released him and grabbed Marjorie pulling her along behind her.

  “Aaahhhh, my legs. Lily, What?.. Wait. Where are we going?” Marjorie yelled as Lily dragged her along by the collar of her overalls.

  “To get Helen!”

  ***

  Helen heaved the heavy parachute up, gathering the lose material that had slipped to her knees threatening to catapult her forwards again for the sixth time. She grumbled to herself as she made her way back towards the base along the deserted road.

  She was on her second verse of the WASP song to keep her occupied when in the distance amongst the heat haze rising from the road she could make out something coming towards her.

  “Oh thank God,” she breathed, continuing to walk.

  Lily sat forward on the seat, pointing in the distance.

  “Is that her?” she asked Marjorie, as the car got closer and Lily could make out the figure of Helen clutching her parachute she started to bounce on the seat. “It is her…she's alive!” she thumped Marjorie's arm excitedly. “Slow down,” she yelled as they got near. Lily pulled her feet up onto the car seat ignoring Marjorie's shouts of protests and before the car slowed to a stop, she jumped from it and ran the final distance to Helen, engulfing her in a tight hug.

  “I thought I'd lost you,” she said breathlessly, holding a grinning Helen tightly.

  ***

  Lily sat on her bed, her mind working through the event of the day when the sounds of squabbling from Marjorie and Lucy invaded her thoughts. She looked over to where Marjorie had been pinned to her bed by her younger sister who was desperately trying to grab a photograph that Marjorie was holding at arm’s length.

  “Lily help,” Marjorie squawked. “Lucy has taken a photograph of herself in her long johns that she's going to send to Peter.”

  Lucy's eyes widened. “Are you just going to tell everyone?” she gasped.

  “Nope I'm going to show everyone,” Marjorie giggled, twisting so that her hand and its contents were still out of Lucy's reach. “Lily, you wanna see?”

  Lily laughed and stood up and plucked the photo from Marjorie's grasp she looked appraisingly at the photo.

  “Nice, Lucy,” she grinned.

  Lucy looked from her sister to Lily. Her eyes narrowing, she tensed her muscles and Lily's face registered that she had realized that the younger woman was about to pounce. Before she could grab Lily, the taller woman had taken to her heels and was standing on one of the cots. Lucy gave chase as they bounded across the cots, Lily finally landing on the floor and throwing the bathroom door open.

  Helen lay in the bath trying to block out the fact that Adrienne was sitting on the john, her trousers puddled around her ankles and her nose deep in one of their text books, while in the shower Adele was singing 'I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas', still wearing her overalls.

  The warm water was soothing her sore muscles from her day's exertions and she had just closed her eyes when the bathroom door flew open. Opening her eyes she sighed as Lily entered the room with Lucy and Marjorie on her tail. Lily held one hand aloft dodging back and forth as Lucy tried to jump and grab whatever Lily had in her hand. The smaller woman was determined and backed Lily towards the bath; the sides of the tub hit the back of Lily's legs causing her to stumble. Lucy's eyes glowed as she realized that she had an advantage. She lunged at Lily tumbling her into the bath on top of Helen. Lucy snatched the photograph, sniffed haughtily at Lily, and turned to exit pushing at her sister on her way past.

  “Hello,” Helen said dryly to Lily, who was now lying on top of her facing the ceiling.

  They heard a toilet flush as Lily turned her head slightly.

  “Hi,” she replied sheepishly. “What is Adele doing?” she asked confused as she watched the tiny woman in the shower in her overalls.

  “Laundry,” Adrienne replied, washing her hands and leaving the bathroom.

  Lily nodded as if that was the most obvious thing in the world, “Ah, makes sense.”

  Helen bit her lip, “Liliana?”

  Lily turned again, “Hmm?”

  Pulling a wet hand out from the water Helen swiveled her hand back and forth between them, “You're on top of me, in my bath.”

  “Oh God yes, sorry,” Lily apologized. She put her hands on the side of the tub, but was unable to get the momentum to push herself out. “Sorry,” she repeated, shifting and putting one hand into the water to get more downward force.r />
  Helen squeaked as Lily’s hand landed in the gap between her thighs, she placed her hands onto the other woman's soaked back and gave her a shove to help her get back out.

  “Really sorry,” Lily blushed as she stood up and looked back down at Helen, a very naked and wet Helen. “I should let you,” she nodded her eyes focused on Helen's breasts.

  A small smirk played on Helen's lips as she leaned forward to put her face in the line of where Lily's eyes had been staring. “Yup, you should,” she grinned.

  Snapped out of her staring Lily flustered another apology and bundled herself out of the room. The sound of shower water shut off and Adele stepped out her soaked overalls clinging to her tiny frame, “Quite a day, Hollywood. Quite a day!”

  ***

  Lily woke up suddenly as the sound of yelling pervaded her dreams, she sat up blinking looking around the bay in confusion. Adrienne and Marjorie were awake and rubbing their eyes trying to locate where the shouts were coming from. Lucy and Adele were still sound asleep.

  Another burst of noise came and Lily turned toward the source; in the bed next her Helen was flailing her arms and legs wildly against her blankets mumbling and shouting incoherently.

  Lily waved towards her bay mates, “I've got this, go back to sleep.” With that she pulled the blankets on her bed back and put her feet onto the floor. Her toes twitching at the coldness, she stepped across and sat on Helen's bunk.

  “Don't wake her, you're not meant to wake them,” Marjorie mumbled, snuggling back into her bed.

  “That's sleepwalkers,” Adrienne whispered, thumping her pillow before flopping back down.

  Lily tore her gaze from the chatter and back to the twisting woman beside her she ran a soothing hand across Helen's brow, “Sshhh, you're okay, you're safe.”

  “Mmmm, sky, ground,” Helen mumbled.

  “Shh, you made it, you're safe,” Lily repeated. Remembering what she used to do for her younger sister, Maria, when she had nightmares, she shifted Helen gently over in the cot and stood up to change her position. Lifting the blankets that were caught around Helen's body she climbed underneath, slipped an arm between the space under Helen's neck and snuggled herself against Helen's back pulling the smaller woman into her arms, “I've got you, you're okay.”

  The movement and noise from Helen abated and soon her breathing had returned to normal. Lily smiled and gently tried to extricate herself. However, as soon as she moved her arm Helen clamped a hand down on it, holding her in place. Frowning slightly Lily sighed. “Guess I'm staying,” she muttered and settled down to sleep. The peacefulness of sleep found her quickly as she held Helen tightly against her body; their bodies fitting together perfectly like pieces of a jigsaw.

  ***

  Chapter Seven

  October 1943 – Avenger Field, Sweetwater Texas

  Helen woke up slowly. Disappointed that she was alone in her bed, she turned her head and smiled at Lily sleeping in her usual, arms and legs out of the bed, position. It had been six weeks since her inadvertent parachute jump; the day when she joined the small but illustrious 'Caterpillar' group, the name given to servicemen and women who had bailed and deployed their parachutes. Her medal of honor from the jump; her ripcord, sat proudly in her locker.

  During the six weeks, their relationship had settled back into an easy equilibrium. Helen had experienced a few nightmares during the period and had gotten used to waking up in the morning snuggled safely in Lily's arms, there was always a sense of let down when she woke up and found Lily in her own bed. The only positive was that it meant that her sleep had been uninterrupted by the recurring dreams of falling through the air minus her parachute. Lily had apologized for being 'snippy' with Helen but neither seemed willing to tip the balance of the relationship to discuss the reasons behind it. They settled for just enjoying being around each other again.

  The bugle sounded and Helen slipped from her bed lifting her pillow as she rose, thumping Lily gently on the shoulder with it to rouse her.

  “Mmmm…morning Helen,” Lily muttered her eyes still closed.

  Helen smiled it had become Lily's habit to say the name of the person that she thought had hit her, before opening her eyes to confirm it was correct and so far, she'd a hundred percent record.

  “Morning Sleeping Beauty,” Helen responded, tossing her pillow back onto her bed and collecting her wash things from her locker.

  The Bay Four morning two-step started, the women seemed now to anticipate each other’s movements. The Addies would stand sleepily at the sink Adrienne squeezing toothpaste onto both their brushes. Marjorie would make hers and Lucy's bed, while her sister showered and as if by telepathy would know when to go into the bathroom to switch places with her younger sister. They tidied the bay finishing with the habitual mop of the floor to rid the bay of the incessant Texan dust that appeared to get everywhere, especially as winter was approaching and the winds had picked up.

  They marched with the rest of the cadets to the mess hall and lined up with their mess trays to collect breakfast. Mealtimes were an invaluable source of information as it was one of the times that all classes were together and Adele was the local Bay Four gazette, amassing an amazing amount of the latest gossip before she hit the drinks section of the line. The tiny woman sat bouncing on her seat waiting for her bay mates to join her before telling them all that she'd found out. When, finally, their entire bay was sitting Adele started to dish the dirt with wide shining eyes.

  “Someone two classes below had a man in their bay!” she leaned forward to whisper. “Hid ‘em in their locker!”

  “How the hell did they manage that? I can barely get my stuff in mine,” Lily laughed, prompting laughs and murmurs of agreement from her friends.

  “I know!” Adele replied, nodding her head, her short brunette curls bobbing. “Aaaand Helen broke Stark's collar bone,” saving the best piece of information as her pièce de résistance.

  Helen's head shot up.

  “Whaaaat? I did not. The stupid little man broke his own damn collar bone.”

  “Oh whatev'r you say Hollywood,” Adele laughed. “Indirectly, or not, you broke the little man.” Adele held her tin mug aloft, “An’ I for one, along with my thighs am grateful to ya!”

  “I fly like a dream Stotty,” Helen motioned with her hand the smoothness of her flying.

  During the six weeks Helen had again been placed with Stark, his 'Don't kill me' pep talk before each flight had been replaced with 'Try to stay in the plane'. During their last outing on the longest cross-country flight that Helen had completed to that point. She had become aware that at some point during the return flight, the small man had fallen asleep. He remained asleep during Helen's landing and the short taxi to the hangar. Helen opened the canopy and taking his unconsciousness as an indication of her flying expertise had simply left the man sleeping in the plane as she closed the canopy and completed her post flight papers. Around ten minutes after they landed Stark opened his eyes. His still half-asleep brain registered that there was no pilot up front and the engines weren't humming beneath him, thinking that something had gone wrong he flipped the canopy open and bailed from the cockpit deploying his parachute, which unfortunately wasn't sufficient to break his ten foot fall from the plane onto the concrete floor of the hangar.

  “Like a dream,” she reiterated.

  ***

  The usual routine of Ground School in the morning included navigation, Morse Code and more time in the dreaded Link trainer. After lunch, they changed into their dark blue PT kit and lined up outside watching the muscular Lt Latham's actions as he had them performing star jumps, pushups and other exercises designed to increase their strength. Their PT class ended with a quick circuit of the assault course.

  Helen and Lily stood with Adele waiting on their friends completing their pull-ups on the bar. They grinned watching as Adrienne pulled herself effortlessly up to complete her required number.

  “You okay?” Lily asked an unusually qui
et Helen.

  “Hmm…Yeah I'm fine,” Helen replied, giving Lily an absent-minded smile over her shoulder as she replaced Marjorie on the bar.

  Lily narrowed her eyes watching her friend pull herself up and tuck her chin over the bar. Regardless of what Helen said, Lily was worried about her. She was happy that their relationship was back to where it had been before she had started to project other feelings onto it, but in the past week Lily had noticed a change in Helen. She was distant and dark circles were starting to appear under her eyes, which couldn't all be down to the nightmares that plagued the blonde woman regularly.

  “Rivera, snap out of it!” Lt Latham shouted, halting Lily's musing as she ran to the now vacated bar and started her chin ups.

  ***

  On the flight line the women had been plunged into ever more varied experiences during the six weeks, night flying was added to their curriculum and they had been 'flying under the hood' where they sat in the instructor’s seat in the Vultee and used only the instruments to fly.

  Blind-flying was disconcerting enough when in the Link. However, if they got that wrong all that was likely to happen would be a ticking off from their instructor, but flying blind in an actual aircraft was a whole new ball of wax. Their airtime had been building steadily as they were now in the midst of the cross-country flying that could potentially form part of their duties post-graduation, delivering new, or fixed aircraft, to bases across the country.

  As darkness fell across the base the women returned to their bays, chatting happily about their day's experiences, the close calls, and the gentle ribbing about kangaroo landings.

  Throwing herself down onto her cot Adele sighed deeply, “God-damned stomach pains. Be gone curse, leave my body!”

  Adrienne pulled the top of her zoot suit down tying the arms around her waist, “Isn't that the problem Adele, the curse is leaving your body, which is why you're all moody!”