The Wall Around The World by Theodore R. Cogswell

Author:Theodore R. Cogswell [Cogswell, Theodore R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci Fi Short Story
Publisher: Beyond Fantasy Fiction
Published: 1953-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

Not daring even to move his head, he slanted his eyes down and to the left. The earth was slipping rapidly by a dozen feet below him. Slowly and cautiously, he swung his feet back. As the weight shifted, the nose of the glider rose. Up, up he went, until he felt a Sudden slowing down and a clumsiness of motion. Almost instinctively, he leaned forward again, pointing the nose down in a swift dip to regain flying speed.

By the time he reached the bottom of the hill, he was 150 feet up. Experimentally, he swung his feet a little to the left. The glider dipped slightly and turned. Soaring over a clump of trees, he felt a sudden lifting as an updraught caught him.

Up he went - 10, 20, 30 feet - and then slowly began to settle again.

The landing wasn’t easy. More by luck than by skill, he came down in the long grass of the meadow with no more damage than a few bruises. He sat for a moment and rested, his head spinning with excitement. He had flown like a bird, without his stick, without uttering a word. There were other ways than magic!

His elation suddenly faded with the realization that, while gliding down was fun, the way over the wall was up. Also, and of more immediate importance, he was half a mile from the cave with a contraption so heavy and unwieldy that he could never hope to haul it all the way back up the hill by himself. If he didn’t get it out of sight by morning, there was going to be trouble, serious trouble. People took an unpleasant view of machines and those who built them.

Broomsticks, he decided, had certain advantages, after all. They might not fly very high, but at least you didn’t have to walk home from a ride.

If I just had a great big broomstick, he thought, I could lift the Eagle up with it and fly her home.

He jumped to his feet. It might work!

He ran back up the hill as fast as he could and finally, very much out of breath, reached the entrance of the cave. Without waiting to get back his wind, he jumped on his stick and flew down to the stranded glider.

Five minutes later, he stepped back and said:

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