Flight of the Phoenix Read Online Free Page B

he passed Aunt Phil in her cockpit, she gave him a cheerful thumbs-up sign.
    All too soon, he ran out of wing. He shifted his grip to the struts that held the wing to the plane.
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    Searching for a foothold among the wires and fastenings, he pushed himself atop the nose of the plane.
    He sat there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. He tried to peer down into the propeller but had to jerk his nose back to keep it from being whacked off by the blades. They were moving so fast, he couldn't see a thing.
    Clinging to the searchlight mount, he put his hand down to where the propeller met the nose of the plane. He groped cautiously, feeling for something that might be causing the problem.
    There was a sharp pinch as his glove got caught in the propeller gear. Alarmed, he yanked his hand back. As he did, something flew out from behind the propeller into midair. It happened so fast, Nate wasn't able to get a good look at it before it disappeared far below.
    But the propeller stopped lagging. Nate realized he had somehow managed to fix the problem. Before he could congratulate himself, there was a flurry of movement. With a howl, a small shape launched itself from the propeller toward Nate's face.
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    ***
    Chapter Six
    The creature--a bat?--latched on to Nate and began pounding and scratching at his head. Nate tucked his chin under and tried to protect his face. Gripping the nose of the plane hard with both knees, he let go with one hand and plucked the thing from his head. It dangled in front of his face, swiping and kicking. What was it?
    It was about the size of a kitten but sort of human shaped. It was covered with engine oil and gear grease. Large pointed ears stuck out from black hair. It was hard to
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    tell, but Nate thought it might be a girl thing ... whatever it was. After a second, Nate realized the squeaking sounds it was making were actually words.
    "That was me brother, you big oaf! What'd you go and do that for?"
    The plane dipped, and Nate flattened himself to keep from losing his balance. He had to get back to the cockpit. Fast. But what to do with the creature? Should he just toss it overboard? That might not be such a good idea. Aunt Phil was a beastologist, after all. What if he'd just caught his first beast?
    Heartened by this thought--and the fact that it wasn't a bat--Nate began scooting backwards, inch by terrifying inch. In one hand, he kept the small creature out in front of him, well clear of its flying feet and fists. The other hand clutched desperately to the struts as his feet poked around, looking for the firm surface of the wing. When his feet finally connected, he let out a long, shaky breath, then began the slow, terrifying process of making his way back.
    He was drenched in sweat by the time he got back to the cockpit and tumbled clumsily into his seat.
    "Hey! Watch what yer doing there, you big dolt."
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    [I mage: Aunt Phil, Nate and the gremlin.]
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    "Oops. Sorry." Nate pulled the creature out from under him.
    "Good job, Nate!" Aunt Phil's voice came through the wind noise. "You fixed it."
    Nate leaned forward and held the creature aloft. "Look what I found up there. There were two of them, but one fell before I could catch it."
    Aunt Phil wrinkled her face in distaste. "Gremlins. Nasty things. Always trying to muck up my plane. You can just toss it over the side. They're pests, really."
    Nate looked down into the scrunched-up, ugly little face. Throw it overboard?
    The gremlin put her hands together. "Please don't toss me over. Please. I'll be good. I promise. I won't drink any fuel or play with the prop again. Just don't throw me over. Without me brother, I'm all alone in the world." Her eyes grew big and wide as she glanced over the side of the plane.
    Nate felt a sharp pang of guilt. He knew all about being alone in the world. He had no idea what would happen to him if Aunt Phil hadn't taken him in. "I'm sorry about your brother," he said. "I didn't mean to kill him."
    "Oh, he