Air Born | Generation Icarus #1

TUI ~ Icarus Origins Short Story

In May 2018, I was invited to feature as one of the authors at the annual Auckland Writers Festival. Alongside incredible headline names like A. S. King and Jeff Kinney, I presented twice as part of the Schools Programme and spoke to over 1500 high school students over two sessions. I was also one of four NZ authors asked to contribute a short piece of fiction for a published anthology that was given to every student who attended the festival.

Of course, I had to write something about my NZ Icarus character, Tui.

Now that the festival is over, and the 6000 copies of the anthology have gone home with the students, I'm able to share that short story here and now with you, as an online exclusive. If you didn't get a copy of Read the World Vol. 3, then this is the only place you can read it.

I hope you enjoy!

~ TUI ~

It could've been the pain between my shoulder blades that jerked me awake before dawn, but it was probably the yelling.

"TUI!"

"What?" A pile of biology books fell off my bed as I sat up quick and yanked on a jumper.

"She's coming!"

I couldn't complain about a bit of back pain. My friend Tallulah was having a much worse time, curled up on the mattress against one wall of my bedroom, her bare puku a tight ball. She was camped at my house coz her mum was a bit unreliable. Tallulah's baby girl wasn't due for a week and a half but apparently she was on her way in the middle of a rainy night, when my mum was on night shift.

"Āe, okay sis, just breathe. We need to call Sue."

Tallie looked terrified. She groaned through another contraction. "I think the baby's coming."

"Nope, be ages yet," I said. Judging by the frequency of her contractions, I knew I might be lying.

"I'm not doing this for ages! Oh, for freaksake. Not another one."

"Okay, sis, you're doing great."

Sighing, I rubbed Tallie's back with one hand while unlocking her phone and calling the midwife with the other. I wished someone was rubbing my aching back, but as I was not currently trying to squeeze a baby out of my body, self-care would have to wait.

When the midwife answered, I could hear a woman moaning in the background.

"Darn, I can't get there for a while, Tui. And Kathy's been called to delivery suite." She sounded far too cheerful for four o'clock in the bloody morning. "Is Tallulah's mum there?"

"I wish. Tallie's at my place. Before Sue could ask, I said, "My mum's at work."

"Rightio. Call the ambulance. Actually, if you think you can drive in this weather, probably be quicker than waiting for the ambo. I'll get Kathy to meet you at the hospital."

"No car."

"TUI!" Tallie screamed. And then she grunted.

"Uh-oh, I heard that," Sue said. "Ask her if she feels like pushing."

"She is pushing."

"Oh jeepers. Looks like you're catching again, Tui. At least you've done it before, eh? And you aren't fifteen this time."

Because being seventeen makes such a difference, I thought.

"I'll stay on the phone. But you got this, Tui. Put that First Aid medal around your neck if you need to remind yourself."