Grandpa Dean's Wishing Well Stories

"The Wish-Granting Gremlin"

He’s the one with the Howler Monkey.

Four days after Robby Warner turned thirteen, his grandmother died. He, his sister and parents attended the funeral and were heading back to Columbia. Dad’s brother had been a pilot in the Air Force. Now a pilot for private hire, Uncle Dale was flying them all back home.

Robby stared out the window of the twin-engine airplane. He thought about his birthday party and all the presents he got at the beginning of the week. Robby loved flying with Uncle Dale and usually sat in the cockpit beside him. For each birthday since his eighth, he got flying lessons.

Not today.

Dad was in the cockpit with Uncle Dale today.

Uncle Dale guided the plane for takeoff. The sky was clear with few clouds as they left the Bluffton airport. The plane climbed and leveled off as it flew above a small patch of low clouds. Robby glanced at his mother and sister, who were both asleep in the row behind him.

Robby was in a seat above the left wing of the aircraft. He peered out the window and squinted in disbelief. He saw something that looked like a wingless buzzard perched on the tip wing of the plane. It had hands and a face and a beak.

Robby rubbed his eyes and looked again.

Is this real? Is that what I think it is?

Robby looked at his mother and sister, but they were still sleeping. Was he hallucinating? Going crazy from the lack of oxygen? The creature outside didn’t seem to be struggling to keep his hold on the wing. It knew that someone was staring, so he slowly turned his head and smiled. The thing wasn’t menacing until it scurried over to the window and knocked.

“Can I come in?” it said with a muffled voice.

Robby couldn’t move fast enough from the window.

After a few moments passed, he looked again. The thing was still there. It waved and then motioned for Robby to go to the back of the plane. It disappeared before Robby heard a noise coming from the rear toilet closet. He opened the door. Inside was the creature, dripping wet and clad in a World War II leather helmet and goggles.

“How ya doing, mate?” he asked.

Unable to speak, Robby watched as whatever it was wiped off blue water with a roll of paper towels. It must have entered through the toilet bowl.

“My name’s Georgie Patton—what’s yours?”

Robby told him, but still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Maybe they had gone through some kind time warp.

Georgie pulled out a cigar and lit it.

Robby said, “Hey, should you be doing that?”

Georgie shrugged. “Sure, Robby McRobbersons. I’m a gremlin, and this is my plane, so I can do what I please. I also have a Howler Monkey hiding somewhere in here. Have you seen my Howler Monkey, Robby?”

“No, Georgie.”

“Well, there’s nothing in my rulebook that says I can’t have a cigar or a monkey with a prehensile tail on a plane that’s mine,” said Georgie. “What is it, Robbly Wobbly?”

“Do all gremlins have Howler Monkeys?”

“This one does,” said Georgie, pointing to himself. “And today is your lucky day, Robby-me-boy, for I am a Wish Gremlin and will grant you a wish.”

Looking puzzled, Robby said, “Really?”

At that moment, the plane hit some turbulence.

Georgie swallowed his stogie, but the lit end was put out by the grapefruit juice still in his stomach from breakfast. A loud thud came from the front. His sister screamed, which sent Georgie into the ether with a pop. Robby turned to see Dad lying on the floor of the aircraft with a gash on his head.

Sitting beside Mom, Robby asked, “What happened?”

“He told us about the turbulence and fell into the seat when it hit,” said Mom, nodding that his sister should stay buckled in her seat. “Go check Uncle Dale.”

Robby headed for the cockpit to tell Uncle Dale about Dad. He opened the door and saw Uncle Dale slumped over the steering column in the pilot’s chair. Robby believed he was having a heart attack and managed to stuff a couple of aspirins down his throat.

Georgie appeared in the co-pilot’s seat. “Wish, Robby,” he said as he pulled goggles over his weird bald head.

Robby took a breath and made his wish.

Georgie clapped and blew a marching melody on a sudden kazoo. “Hit autopilot and take him to your mom,” said the gremlin. “It’ll be fine, Robby-boy.” 

After he put the aircraft on auto pilot, Robby dragged Uncle Dale from the cockpit and promised Mom that he would land them safely. Robby contacted the regional airport tower and gave them the situation. He requested a procedure for an emergency landing and ambulances for one man with a head injury and another having a heart attack. As Mom tended to the wounded, Robby tended to the aircraft. Over the radio, a voice asked about Flight 223 and who was flying the aircraft.

Robby keyed the mike and said, “I’m Robby Warner, sir—the real pilot, Dale Warner, has had a heart attack.”

The voice lost formality. “Okay, Robby, my name is Paul, and I’m going to get you through this.”

Robby felt a little relief, but not much. He thought of his flying lessons and remembered some of what Uncle Dale had taught him. One of those things was not to panic. As Robby was making his decent, he cut his air speed and put the landing gear down. And Georgie was right there to help.

Each time Paul gave the instructions, Georgie pointed to the correct mechanism to manipulate. Robby overshot the runway, but the landing was safe enough. The plane was in tact and they were all alive. Slumped over the steering column, the new pilot listened to the sirens of ambulances and fire trucks. Fortunately, there was no fuel leak for the fire trucks. Robby looked over to the co-pilot’s seat to thank Georgie, but the gremlin had disappeared again.

As the ambulance took Dad and Uncle Dale, Robby waited with Mom and his sister for their ride. A deputy sheriff came for them. Robby climbed into the back of the car. He watched as Georgie grinned at him through one of the plane’s windows. Jumping up and down in the seat behind the gremlin was the Howler Monkey wearing a beanie.

Waving goodbye, Robby thought about his wish, how it had saved lives. But for the rest of his life, he knew he would always wonder about that Howler Monkey.

Copyright © 2010 Lambpants Media.