The Professor’s Proposal

The Professor steered the blimp towards the shimmering bit of multicolored light that marked the edge of the Bermuda Triangle.

“This is my absolute favorite part,” Penelope said walking up to the cockpit’s main viewing window. She pressed a hand on the glass and her delighted face came closer to the glass.

For a moment, the Professor watched the kaleidoscopic light play off her face, then sneaked a hand into his coat pocket and felt the solid realness of the ring box. Charlie, the Professor’s boy assistant saw this movement and gave him a wide grin. The Professor returned his smile with a wink—Charlie knew why they were here.

A slight vibration made its way through the blimp and its occupants before the craft broke through a barrier and into the sky of the Triangle. A sky always brighter and clearer, no matter the weather pattern leaking from the other side.

The Professor guided the blimp towards a small group of volcanic islands near the Triangle’s border and lowered it to the largest of them.

“Charlie, get the anchors ready,” said the Professor.

“On it, Professor,” said Charlie jogging to a small lever by the exit.

“Now,” shouted the Professor. With a hydraulic thump, six chained spikes shot out from the bottom of the gondola and into the volcanic rock beneath it.

Charlie pulled open the door and lowered the short ladder. The Professor stepped out first, then Penelope. Charlie followed, taking the length of the gap in one big leap—spilling half the contents of the picnic basket he held. He gave the Professor a half-apologetic smile and repacked the spilled contents.

After closing the gondola’s door, the Professor reached inside the basket, took out an apple and a candy bar and handed it to the boy. “Now, go to the top of that ridge and keep look out until I call for you.”

Penelope watched him walk towards the ridge, the candy bar now unwrapped and half-eaten. Turning to the Professor, she said, “So. When exactly are you going to tell me why we’re on this little adventure?”

“Soon,” said the Professor, then walked on before she could say a word. As she caught up, he led her by the hand to a cliff that gave them an overview of the other end of the island and the impossibly blue water beyond it.

They sat on a blanket the Professor pulled from the picnic basket. He poured her a drink and asked, “This is where we had our first adventure, don’t you remember?”

She leaned in and ran a hand along his lapel, dangerously close to the pocket that held the ring box. “As if I could ever forget. An unexpected professor rescuing my brother and his lost crew, along with a sister and her hired crew trying to find him.”

He moved away from her and turned his gaze out toward the end of the island. “I wish our other adventures in the Triangle were as fortunate.” He turned to notice her taking in the view below. “Such a wonderful, bewildering land,” he said, “it’s a wonder it still holds so many mysteries for me.”

“Professor, do you see that flower growing in the middle of the rock? It’s gorgeous.”

He leaned forward to find it and she was right—it was gorgeous. It sprouted right out of volcanic rock and had large, thick, scarlet petals and a golden pistil. “For such a flower to flourish there, it would have to have a large taproot and—.” He stopped himself, then tried covering it with a cough. He was about to go off into “professor/student” mode. Her knowing grin showed she knew and appreciated his control.

“Penelope,” he started, and felt his heart beat faster. “This beautiful flower, flourishing and finding life in the midst of such dangerous surrounding, reminds me of you. You have brought me so much joy and gave new life to my work, in a way I will never understand but never want to be without it.”

He took her hand and kissed it to hide the motion of his other hand slipping into his jacket pocket for the ring box. As he grabbed it and started pulling it out, a large shout startled them both.

“Professor. Professor. Come quick! Danger, Professor.” came Charlie’s cry.

They both stood and raced backed to the blimp, leaving the picnic basket and its contents behind.

When they reached it, Charlie was inside and had the engine started. “We’ve got to go, Professor.” Charlie said, holding open the door.

Unsure of the exact danger, but trusting the boy, the Professor helped Penelope in and told her to get to a crash sofa before heading for the cockpit. Charlie brought in the ladder, closed the door, and flipped a lever that collapsed and retracted the anchor spikes.

The Professor strapped in, reached for the controls, and lifted the blimp into the air. Charlie dashed into the cockpit and pointed past a ridge they could now see over as they rose. “Look over there Professor.”

The Professor spotted a large group of lava men, riding toward them on great lava beasts. As he watched, the lead riders reached the spot where the blimp had parked and threw fire spears at them. But, the blimp was now out of range and rising.

The Professor cheered, “Good show, boy. Those former newsboy lungs of yours saved us again.” He kept an eye on the lava men while the craft continued to rise into the air until they were only glowing shapes below them.

“Why did they attack us? Didn’t we save them last time we were here?” said the Professor.

“Yes, but your salvation also included collapsing the tunnel that allowed them to travel topside.” Came Penelope’s voice behind him.

Turning to her, he said, “I guess they somehow found a new exit. And aren’t you supposed to be strapped into a crash sofa?” Her crossed arms were all the answer she gave. He let out a beaten chuckle. “Well we’re safe now. Charlie, take over and keep us heading east.”

He switched out with Charlie, bowed toward Penelope and said, “Miss Penelope, care to join me in the galley?” He led her from of the cockpit, looking back to see Charlie holding the controls steady.

Charlie held their course, but kept looking back to watch the Professor and Penelope through the door to the galley. He couldn’t hear what was said, but Penelope seemed filled with anticipation. What he didn’t notice—as his attention stayed on the scene behind him—was a large shape flying towards the blimp.

Inside the galley, the Professor awkwardly tried reproducing the moment they had before saying, “So, that’s why I brought you back to the Triangle. To ask you this question: Penelope Peterson, will you—,“ The gondola shook from an impact. A cabinet door full of dishes popped open—spilling its contents to the floor and over the falling couple.

“Penelope,” cried the Professor, as he covered her with his body to protect her from any more falling dishes.

“Professor! Professor!” came the frightened shout from the cockpit.

The Professor helped Penelope to her feet and the floor tilted beneath them as the blimp made a sharp turn. Firm grips on railings saved them both from another fall. He made his way towards the cockpit as fast as the still moving floor allowed.

“Professor, I’m so sorry. I just looked away for a moment.” Charlie said, pulling hard on the controls.

“What is it, Charlie?” said the Professor.

“That,” he said pointing to a dangerous form circling back for another attack.

“A terrordactyl…” groaned the Professor. Dr. Braun’s terrordactyls: mutagenic, modified, monstrosities. Flying lizards, big enough to carry a pilot and a gunner that controlled a large rock-firing slingshot. Last time the Professor encountered them was when helping the Blue Duke and his Fearless Flyers chase them into a wormhole that had opened over Paris. “Keep an eye on that one and look out for others.”

The Professor went back to check on Penelope, who was strapping herself into the crash sofa without argument. He helped her and she pulled him in for a brief kiss before he went turned back towards the cockpit.

As he made his way, a projectile struck the wall near the exit door, triggering the anchor spikes—which snagged the terrrordactyl as he flew below the gondola after his firing his shot. The whole blimp tilted sharply as the beast’s weight pulled against the anchor spikes’ chains.

As for the people inside: Charlie’s small body strained against the restraints, Penelope’s head whipped to the side of her crash sofa, and the Professor’s feet left the ground as he slammed against a viewing window. The impact of his head cracked the glass.

The Professor cried out as he fell to the floor. He rolled onto his stomach and tried to rise but a growing blackness clouded his vision and consciousness.

“There’s more of them. We’re in real trouble!” he heard Charlie say distantly.

The Professor lie on the floor and floated in and out blackness. He experienced a tugging feeling. “—going to man the machine guns,” he heard Penelope say. Then the blackness overtook him.

Later, a sharp smell, then overpowering brightness as he regained consciousness.

“Professor? Peter, are you with us? Please…” Penelope was saying. The brightness was too much for his eyes and ignited a stinging pain in his brain. He sensed he was on one of the crash sofas and felt a bandage around his head and the warmth of the lap that supporting him.

“Safe?” whispered the Professor.

“Yes, of course. We’ve been in worse dangers than rock-throwing flying lizards, haven’t we?”

A tiny smile was all he could manage. She wiped a damp cloth across his forehead causing him to wince. Then put the mouth of a canteen to his lips and told him to drink. After a few sips, she had him swallow a tiny dry pill he hoped was for pain.

After he took a few minutes to adjust to his pain, he sat himself up. “Now, I may have concussed so…” He stopped, trying to focus his thoughts. “Maybe you could get my something to settle my stomach, possibly some tea.”

“Sure thing,” she said, walking back towards the galley.

He looked around the room, noticed broken glass from a patched viewing window and a large rock buried into a small storage cabinet on the opposite wall. And through the opening to the cockpit, he saw Charlie, eyes ahead and alert, hands firm on the controls.

“Charlie,” called out the Professor towards the cockpit. “You all right?”

“Yes, sir,” Charlie gave a quick glance back and said, “I’m just… so very, very, sorry, Professor. Please forgive me, please.”

“It’s okay. We’re safe now, I guess. Where are we?”

“Miss Penelope ordered me to fly of the Triangle after we took care of that lot.”

The mention of the Triangle made him remember the ring. He searched for it in his pocket, but it wasn’t there. He tried getting up and looking around for it, but his throbbing head caused him to sit back down.

Penelope returned with his cup of tea, sat next to him, and pulled out the ring box. “Now, why don’t you ask me this question of yours before we get interrupted again.”

The Professor’s eyes widened at the sight of it and his face reddened. Stammering, he quickly asked, “Penelope, will you marry me?” as he opened the ring box.

Her  watering eyes took in the ring and his beaming face before she exclaimed, “You bet I will,” then gave him a kiss and a joyful shout.

“Atta boy, Professor,” shouted Charlie from the cockpit.

Penelope laughed, took the ring from the box and says, “Is that the—“

“Yes, it is. I told you I would find it eventually,“ he says and kisses her again.

As they kissed, he thinks about the dangers they’ve lived through, the future adventures they’ll share, and how her lips ease the pain of his head—before he hears Charlie shout again.

“Professor… Wormhole!”