He rose above it. Parking remained unresolved.
Neither Left nor Right
Leon landed in the marked area beside the community hall and waited for his jetpack to settle. The hum faded as Mae came out carrying a clipboard.
“Welcome,” she said. “Are you here for the neighbourhood meeting?”
“I am. Where should I leave this?”
He pointed to the pack on his back. Beside the entrance stood a sign: Bicycles to the left. Cars to the right.
Mae looked at the sign, then at Leon. “That’s a good question.”
Leon read it again. “I’ve managed to rise above the parking problem.”
“Excellent,” Mae said. “Now let’s see what happens after you come down.”
The Empty Space
Leon removed his helmet and followed her towards the hall. A clear space beside the door looked large enough for his pack and its stand.
“Could it go there?” he asked.
“Could you keep that space clear for a moment?” Mae said. She glanced inside, where a volunteer was arranging folding chairs.
Leon stopped. “Of course. Is something going there?”
“A trolley. I need to bring the tea things through before everyone arrives.”
She pointed to a line on the floor leading from a cupboard to the door. A wide trolley waited at the other end, loaded with cups and a covered tray.
“I didn’t see the line from outside,” Leon said.
“And I haven’t asked how much room your pack needs.” Mae examined it. “Does it stand up on its own?”
“It has a stand. I can show you.”
A Place for the Pack
In the marked area, Leon set down the stand and, once the pack had been made safe, placed it on top. Mae walked around it, clipboard in hand.
“It’s narrower than I expected,” she said.
“I hear that quite often. Usually from people looking for somewhere to put me.”
Mae smiled. “Our storage room might work. Let’s ask Tomas.”
Tomas, who looked after the hall, came to see the stand. He checked the storage room and found that a stack of folding chairs occupied the space he had in mind.
“I can move those to the rack,” he said. “We’ll still be able to reach them when the meeting starts.”
While Tomas moved the chairs, Mae wheeled the tea trolley through the doorway. Leon held the door, then helped her set cups on a table inside. When Tomas called them over, they checked that the pack and stand fit in the approved space without blocking the room’s entrance.
“That will do,” Tomas said. He showed Leon where to leave the stand and took him back through the hall.
One More Sign
By the time they returned, Mae had placed a small card beneath the parking sign. Leon bent to read it.
Jetpack? Please ask inside.
“That answers one question,” he said.
“Which one?”
“Whether I should ask.” He pointed to the card. “Now I have to ask where.”
“I’ll be at the door,” Mae said. “And I’ll tell Tomas if I need to step away.”
The first neighbours arrived. One brought a bicycle; another carried a tin of biscuits. Mae welcomed them while Leon moved the last cup into place.
A visitor paused beneath the sign and looked up at the landing area.
“Are we expecting another jetpack?” she asked.
“We might be,” Leon said. “We’re ready with a question.”
Livora Gracely ♥
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