Gryphons
Fan Fiction by Nick Armbrister
Based upon the aircraft invented by author Elizabeth Hand
Copyright
2017 Nick Armbrister. All rights reserved. This version 2021.
Only a single
poem or paragraph maybe used for reviewing purposes. Credit Nick Armbrister as
author.
Cover photo
by Nick Armbrister.
Other photos
by Nick Armbrister unless stated.
With Thanks to:
A big thanks to author Elizabeth Hand who
wrote the stunning novel Aestival Tide in 1992. This inspired my own writing
and is my favourite book. I based my poems upon Liz’s Gryphon aircraft from her
novel and other flying machines. Her craft are her creation, I made them fly.
Without Liz’s writing my poems and writing would not exist. Thank you…
Poems
Future Craft
Once the Gryphons flew in a mighty air fleet.
Now there are only twelve left.
Each with a poetical name like Kesef.
Let us fly aboard such a craft.
A 9th generation biotic craft.
Sentient and aware looking like a big dragonfly.
They subdued
entire continents
Armed with
unbelievable weapons.
Flown by
reborn pilots.
Each totally
committed to his task.
Connected to
his machine.
Pilot and
war plane as one.
Unbeatable
in battle.
God and
Goddess like in power.
With their
names and legacy.
Utterly
beautiful in flight.
One family
of advanced flying machines.
All created
by a young pretty woman.
Her mind was
a gift…
Girl Lady
Oh see how
she flies
A real bird
of the sky
Lovely as a
queen
Twice as
nice as your wife
Sensual as a
sprite
And as pretty
your lost love
A lady of
the sky
Who is both
delicate
And strong
like fire
Her power
being her aptitude
More able than any man
Her femininity untouched
Except by her pilots
Who bond with her
More intimately than with God
Or even their lovers
Each thought stolen
By this Gryphon girl plane
Just wait till you fly her
Climb inside her belly
Womb like escapade
Or bomb in the bay?
Looping the loop
Rolling inverted
Stalling down the sky
Arcing over a cliff
Hugging the trees
Following the coastline
Darting up valleys
Pirouetting off a peak
This is how you fly…
What She
Created
Just a simple girl
Pretty yes like your cousin
One to look past
No second glance...
...till you talk to her
Then you love her
Like I love her aircraft
She made them all
Each in her head
Then made real
Brought into reality
By this girl
From solex winged shuttles
Man powered gliders
Deep space starships
And the most beautiful of all
Her pretty little Gryphons
Skittish dragon fly aircraft
Half alive half machine
Such wondrous creations
If only you could see one
Fly inside and be free
A rising cloud
Ascending all issues
In an aeroplane
Made by a girl...
...pretty as can be
Delicate beyond reason
Gryphon craft belonging to her
Alive and beautiful
Chasing Ghost
Aeroplane Girl designed
And made her aeroplane
Her pretty Gryphon plane
She flew high and fast
Low and slow
Something went wrong
She crashed up on the hill
There was a second crash site
It wasn’t hers…
Mayflies
Aeroplane Girl joyously flew
her new creation
A (wo)man carrying glider up
high
Soaring over mountain peaks
Touching the clouds
And arcing about like a
sprite
Half rolling then diving
earthwards
Taking calculated risks
Because being free has its risks
I may have misdesigned my aeroplane
What if the wing snaps off?
Will I stall and spin to my death?
What if lightning hits me?
I have so many fears…
I must be strong and trust my own skills
Aeroplane Girl flew to her
limit
Never passing it but hovering
at it
Spinning four times to the
left
Then four times to the right
Flying at the maximum speed
Climbing then diving just as
fast
All this and more in her
glider
Corkscrewing like a demon
escaping Hell
Turning like an irate spirit
Product of her thoughts
Passionately built by hand
Flown from the heart
Enjoyed from the soul
This was her little
aeroplane
Whose only engine was a girl
Sky blue in colour…
Destinations
Aeroplane Girl flew flew
flew
Dreaming of the love that
she'd yet to meet
Imagined him sat next to her
Seeing him smile as they
aerobatted
Their little aeroplane so
much to behold
Flying was more joyous than
love
A million infinite times
more
Especially when up in the
clouds
Or flying low chasing your
shadow
But it was all fake illusion
A big lie that was more
lethal than a mountain
Aeroplane Girl had only her
planes and designs
She didn't need a man or a
lover
Then she was vulnerable to
pain
Flying was enough and her only
love
Nothing was like flying,
nothing
Yet why did she feel alone?
Rising Up
I see but nothing shadows in
the sand.
One moved as fast as a thought.
It was a Gryphon flying like a bird.
More than a bird, so much more.
Solex wings flexed and up it went.
9th generation biotic aircraft.
The inventor was inside, flying it.
But it wasn't an 'it', no, it was a ''she'.
Called Astraea after the warrior Goddess.
She wasn't fighting now.
Just flying in the viridian blue sky.
That was enough, stunningly so.
Aeroplane Girl flew her craft like it was her.
It was her for both plane and girl were joined.
Connected by thought and sensation and more.
It was a union of serene symbolic importance.
This was a new beginning.
Our transcendence and evolution.
It was real flying and life...
Blissful Sight
Aeroplane Girl was beautiful
Her black hair flowed wildly
Around her pretty face
Her eyes were shut
She was so serene
Timeless in her grace
Oh so precious in her life
Lady alive on a natural
world
Smartly dressed in black
Stylish flight suit NO
Black cotton trousers and
t-shirt
This was her uniform
As Aeroplane Girl flew
Up high in her digital
aeroplane
The open cockpit causing
havoc
To her long black hair
But it was fine fine fine
She loved this blissful
thing
The joy of flight
By a simple girl...
Astral Love
It was a dream
All a bad dream awake
He loved the Chinese girl
Or he wouldn't have reacted just so
When her space rocket exploded after launch
He screamed and cried wordlessly
Before her rocket detonated he tried
With only words to stop it
He should have used violence
To abort the launch
Smashing up the launch officer
Who pushed the red button
That sent both rockets forth
Seen by thousands in Texas
Chinese rocket ships
launched in America
Two different cutting edge designs
His girl flew the fastest one
As the detonation rebounded he raged
A flash signified failure
Or success for some
Was his lady assassinated?
Did they think he did it?
To create a fuss
At her funeral there were
cowboys
Real American ones in big hats and boots
And so many signed the memorial book
Brought flowers and cried
Why? She was his girl
Now the world knew
It was in all the papers
He went to China
To see her home
Explore her village
Meet her peasant parents
Whose only daughter was an astronaut
Killed by her dream of being in space
Incinerated by the nuclear engine
That was so damn safe
Later he would find out why
Study the blue prints
So it wouldn't happen again
For it wasn't a bomb my love
I love and miss you dearly
I'm glad you found the reason why
It was a fuel pump installed backwards
Now my rocket will be safe
Like the rival design
Why did you have to die?
I miss you so my love
Why did you die?
Committing suicide in my old room
My mother found your body
Soon I'll follow you
I ejected my love
The Russian K36 seat saved me
I landed miles away
They never found me or the seat
I hid and went underground
Tonight I will join you Aeroplane Girl
Our dream is complete then...
Mother Craft
On the wings of a dream
At the edge of my consciousness
Hovering above my night vision
Something somewhat there but what?
In the air above me
I feel its presence
But do not see it
A 'thing' from the canyons
of time
Not necessarily my own time
Flitting thru the valleys of eternity
As real as ether and twice
as rare
Like my sister's ghost once here
Visitation rights gone mad
Why chose me!
Because I simply believe
So am thus eligible
For what came next:
A vision so clear it shocked me
Of her aeroplane landing nearby
In the forest clearing
I will fly in a Gryphon...
Impreg
Aeroplanes were once made of
aluminium.
Aeroplane Girl made such a
new alloy plane.
It was silver and shiny in
the sun.
What would it fly like?
As good as it looked?
She would soon find out.
And remember back eons ago.
When such machines criss-crossed
the sky.
The flier's way, one of
risks.
Each pilot alone high up a
dot above.
A new silver cross kissing
the blue...
Getting lost in clouds or
blinded by light.
Unusually loud butterflies.
Stronger than paper yet
frail as ice.
Soon now girl soon to fly.
Virgin flight purporting
unconditional love.
Pioneering touch beyond
belief.
Sky supporting plane
supporting girl.
Rewriting joy rebuilding
faith.
Endless illusion fuelled by
Sol.
Age old ways becoming one.
With a touch of magic and
here she goes.
Airframe and pilot joint
union.
Up aloft...
Concrete Bird
Her new aircraft was fast.
With straight wings that
looked slow.
State of the art one time each
not old.
A flying gem beyond useless
money.
Diamond wing aerofoil cross
section.
Wings made from razor sharp
ceramics.
Each shaped just like a
knife.
Three of these extraordinary
planes.
One with a stainless steel
body.
Another of titanium.
And a third of Inconel X.
Witchcraft of the sky.
Sky Diamond fabulous crystal
More than mere spells
Rediscovered beauty of
hypersonic flight.
Ready to take flight.
Created and flown by a girl.
Artwork by Claudia.
Brothers
Aeroplane Girl drank the
rice wine.
It was strong and sweet.
In time it lulled her.
Soothed her body.
It had been a long day
making aeroplanes.
She flew in her mind to high
places.
Saw all manner of things
lost and found.
Saw the warplanes fly low
over the sea.
Marveled how they steeply
climbed.
Flying between mountains
covered with trees.
Follow my leader turning and
weaving.
Was shocked when once
crashed.
Physically shook when she
saw the bombs explode.
Became confused when the
others flew on.
Her vision faded to
something anew.
Leaves formed a canopy
against the sky.
A sky so blue it made her heart
ache.
It was her sky where she
flew her aeroplanes.
A faint breeze rustled the
leaves.
There was a man, he was out
of breath.
He seemed to be going
somewhere.
But something happened to
stop him.
His large knife cut away
branches and leaves.
It hit something hard and
made a loud sound.
It wasn’t a rock or fallen
tree.
Something else made the
noise.
The man swung his machete
again.
Again it hit something else.
He stopped and looked
confused.
There should be nothing
here.
It wasn’t a rock outcrop.
Was it Yamashita’s gold?
No. It wouldn’t be up here.
Over a thousand metres up.
Everyone knew the gold was
by the sea in a cave.
This was something else.
He looked down at what his
blade had hit.
His eyes saw but his mind
did not believe.
There in the undergrowth was
a bent propeller blade.
Close by was an unexploded
bomb!
Confused, he shook his head.
He became alert and slowly
advanced.
And then he saw it…
…an aircraft.
It was smashed and broken
and in pieces.
Except the back part.
This was surprisingly large.
Twin fins still stood proud
against the sky.
Putting his knife down, he
entered.
For the rear section had
broken away.
And when inside the mountain
man saw.
Saw something worse than
terror acts.
Worse than shootings and
bombings.
There two skeletons next to
one another.
Both died as one after the
crash.
The shock of almost being
blown up left him.
And the amazement of finding
the plane vanished.
Sadness came from nowhere.
Filling his entire being.
For no words were needed.
What lay before him said it
all.
Two injured men had died
together.
Both from the plane’s tail
section.
He was aware others had
died.
The mountain man knew he was
the first here.
That nobody else knew of
this.
He left the plane and his
journey to the summit.
People must know of this.
He wondered who the men
were.
What were their names?
On the island of war was
something from another war.
Found by a simple mountain
man.
Sadness filled Aeroplane
Girl.
She snapped out of trance
and drank more wine.
Her visions left her
stunned.
They were from centuries
ago.
She resolutely promised
herself:
I will only ever fly my aeroplanes.
Never use them for war myself.
Not even a Gryphon.
Only for flight…
Fly Bike
Aeroplane Girl had a friend
He challenged her to a competition
He made a pickup truck with square wheels
She made a motorcycle fly
Both were madness
This is how she did it...
First she took the wings from an aviette
Then she got an old bike from a museum
Next she created magic in her engineering shop
Finally she spliced it all together
And faster than a barrel off Niagara Falls
It was done like Niagara man was gone!
How would Aeroplane Girl’s sky plane bike fly?
Like a brick off a cliff till the rocket was ignited
Powering it a mile up until the prop kicked in
Driven by 125cc of antique engine
Seventy five miles per hour airborne
It worked like a dream…
Aerofoil
Aeroplane Girl went to the hill
It was near Rooley Moor
Here she paraglided a new design
Her multi coloured aerofoil was cool
Just like her and her achievements
She glided off the mountain edge
The black rock sides were vertical
Soot blackened from the old mills
She flew down with wind buffeting her
The wing was tight in the airflow
Under her boots was hundreds of feet of nothing
Alertly she looked an updraft
She wanted max flight time
Her wing described circles in the sky
Slowly she descended
Leaving the stunning mountain behind
A glance over her shoulder made her smile
The mountain was lovely
Grass covered with straight edges
Flying edges made for her
Except the gentle grassy side
Aeroplane Girl now flew to the water
A big reservoir filled her vision
With surprising speed she zipped over it
She put her feet together
In a splash she landed in a metre of water
She collapsed her wing chute
The shore was ten yards away
Ordinary words couldn't describe her flight
Power Hell
Aeroplane Girl flew her
fission powered aircraft
Low over the water like a
Devil from Hell
Orange fire spewed out of
the exhaust
The water glowed ruddy red
like rotten blood
It was an awful sight seen
be none but the girl
And a sound of a thousand
horses was heard
Total madness that was
beyond comprehension
Of everyone but the girl who
created this machine
It was a real fucking
monster and violent
Beyond belief and thought
and existence
With an unseen danger of a
thousand suns
Microscopic death falling
forth in waves
It would kill billions if
there was anyone left alive
But this was now what came
after events before
A time before a time before
the time
When similar less lethal
machines were used
Designed by the same lady
Aeroplane Girl
Roundness
Aeroplane Girl flew her
flying disc like only she could
It was a lovely creation in
all regards
Reflecting both the sky and
natural landscape
Being shiny silver in colour
a chrome bomb thing
Straight out of a Raygun
Gothic comic fake believe
Popping out of her mind
drawing board style pen and paper
Flown by thought but with
manual controls
For it was cooler to fly by sense
old skool style
Feeling each eddy and bump
jolt you alive
Do not crash nor ever get complacent
But her disc was safe and a
stable machine
Being a lifting body
creating lift like a breeze
With a speed beyond sound
and even light
But too fast was just that
so why not go slow
Enjoy the views that
belonged to her
Fusion Drive
Aeroplane Girl flew her
starship around the moon
A circular course that
allowed her to use gravity
Adding to the power and
speed provided by the rockets
Which were powered by a
fusion drive reactor
Whose power was of a star
and as hot and life giving
For aboard this spaceship
were the survivors of Planet Earth
Fleeing their doomed planet ripped
apart by wars and disasters
Now the final threat came, a
cobalt chondrite meteor
It headed in from behind the
sun and was little known
Except by centuries old
NANSA space scans
Did they ignore it and suppress
is on purpose?
For no side could defeat the
other and win the war
Thus controlling the earth
and those left alive
So the meteor would be the
end game
Wiping out all life and
destroying the planet
Those leaving were a mixed
bunch and desperate
Humans and robots,
geneslaves and mutants
The nearest earth like
planet was six light years away
A new life would be
attempted on a new home
And this is where Aeroplane
Girl flew their ship
Guided by autopilot while
the humans slept
An alien looking craft of
all shapes and colours
Hoping against hope that a
new start could be made
A fresh attempt at living and
a final end to war…
The End
