Anna watched the workers welding the massive skeleton of the Hindenburg together. She had been with her father enough times to know this was going to be a massive airship with many improvements from the famous Graf Zeppelin. The cabins were going to be heated this time, and the balloon was going to hold helium instead of the troublesome hydrogen. The interior wasn’t going to be as elegant, but no one seemed to mind much.
“I want to ride,” Anna said to her father. She had a day off from school to join him on the airship’s construction site.
“When you’re older,” he said with a smile.
Anna continued watching, but her mind drifted. Slowly, the workers disappeared; the sound was that of the air and birds, and the airship was ready to take flight.
Before she knew it, Anna was three feet taller and covered in a sheer dress the color of midnight. Her long, brown hair was pinned up into a bun and on her wrists, fingers, and neck hung silver jewelry with bright diamonds, glinting in the sun.
She stepped up the stairs into the airship’s passenger decks. Inside she was awestruck. The walls of the dining and writing rooms were a creme color with charming little scenes painted on them: an airship flying over the earth; flamingos standing in water; a horse and its rider approaching the gates to a castle. There were walk areas alongside the windows where she could look down and see the chaotic yet beautiful world below.
In the lounge stood a baby grand piano where lively but soft tunes were played. People dressed as finely as Anna talked amid the music, creating an atmosphere of novel friendliness. One couple stood to dance, and Anna watched on in sweet bliss.
She considered exploring the smoking deck, but even in her dreams, she felt too young to be allowed. The cabins, however, seemed to call her. The idea of sleeping on air among the clouds was enchanting, but a young man in a black bow tie and tuxedo approached her. He extended his hand to her. She took it and stepped onto the impromptu dance floor with him.
They swayed and twirled and stepped lightly. Anna kept her shoulders straight, turning her head with each new direction they took. Her heart leaped within her. She had always wanted to move as gracefully as the grown-ups around her did. Now, she was. And the idea that she was dancing in the sky was enchanting. When the music ended, Anna curtsied and the man bowed.
Anna took the time to use the writing room where she composed a letter to her mother about all the excitement she experienced on the delightful airship her father helped create. She wished they could join her, but she knew her mother was busy with her siblings, and her father was busy building other airships, perhaps as wonderful as this one.
When she sealed the letter, she heard her name called. She stood to look for the owner of the voice. She followed it to the bar, but no one was there. It called again, and she went to the dining room. Still, no one recognized her. Once more and she returned to the lounge. Again, when no one approached her, she walked to the promenade and looked out the window. Her father was standing on a cloud, waving at her.
Anna shut her eyes and shook her head. She opened them again. She was standing with her father at the construction site again. The workers still worked on the airship, and she was still a child. The corners of her mouth fell.
“What’s wrong, Anna?” her father asked. “Where did you go this time?”
Her smile returned as she said, “The clouds.”
Author’s note: I originally wrote this story as a little girl daydreaming about any random airship. It was far more fanciful than was realistic. However, I found the real airship even more fascinating. All the rooms described were real. The Hindenburg was basically the German Titanic of the skies.
If you would like to learn more about the controversial and ominous history of the Hindenburg or even the history of the Graf Zeppelin, visit Airships.net where you can see pictures of the passenger and crew decks. This is the website I gathered the information for the story above, which I hope you enjoyed!
~Beth
Beth Freemont 