It’s Christmas time, which means it’s time for the Very First Flying Cloud Christmas Special. I must confess that this was not part of the Original Plan. Indeed, at this late date, I would be hard put to say just what that plan might have been. But as the year drew to a close, readers here asked, “You are going to have a Christmas Special, right?”
My response quick, succinct, and precise — a superb example of forethought and clarity. “Um… err… yes…” It was only after this witty reply that I realized a Christmas Special set in Australia in July might be a bit of a trick. (Yes, I could have set the story seven months earlier, when Captain Everett and his crew were aboard the R-212, but that would have been cheating.)
This was not the only challenge. There were questions related to the timing of events in 1926. (How could Everett get that copy of Hemmingway in Australia if it had only just been published in the US?) There were questions related to the timing of events in Everett’s story, for this had to be consistent with his career, which I’d worked out in considerable detail. And I never did very well in those big international reindeer drawing competitions they used to have when I was in high school — one of the many reasons I abandoned my childhood dream of becoming a rich, famous, and successful reindeer artist with estates in Malibu, Bahama, and the Riviera. Though I would have settled for Malibu. If it was a particularly nice estate.
How well did the story work? I leave this to you to decide. But I hope you enjoyed it as much as Sarah did. I’ll be taking the next week off to entertain friends, celebrate the season, and perhaps even do some flying, but Season Two is ready to go, so unless I get kidnapped by Elder Gods – always a problem here on the shores of the Pacific – Episode 52 of The Flying Cloud will the first Monday in January. See you then, and I hope you all have a great holiday!
All fiction (and some non-) requires a certain suspension of disbelief to be enjoyed; especially in the case of fantasy/sci-fi. While part of the fun for some people includes pointing out holes in the fabric of space/time left by the necessary revisions of history and physics, I personally am able to ignore such inconsistencies and find geeky interruptions unhelpful and tedious. (See “God kills a catgirl”, 4chan et al.)
On the other hand, in the case of really BAD sci-fi, there may be no other way to enjoy it, LOL. (See MST3K)
Anyway, even though most of us realize that Jesus was probably not born in December, and that the festival of His birth was arbitrarily assigned there to compete with the pagan winter solstice, I am perfectly willing to go along with the rest of Western culture and enjoy a nice season of reunion with family and friends, feasting and giftgiving.
In whatever way you celebrate it, may it be a merry Christmas to all!