Vulture kite

The Vulture kite is a large, black plastic kite shaped like a vulture, purchased by Louis Creed on a whim in mid-February 1984. It becomes the centerpiece of the last truly happy day of his life—March 24, 1984—when he flies it with his son Gage in Mrs. Vinton's field, a moment of pure, uncomplicated joy that stands in stark contrast to the tragedy that follows.

Purchase and Appearance

Louis bought the Vulture kite during the depths of mid-February, when his soul cried out for some hope. It remained in its store bag with the sales slip stapled to it until he remembered it on that Saturday afternoon. When unfurled, the kite spread its wings over approximately five feet of tough plastic. Its design featured a small head atop a scrawny, pinkly naked neck, with bulgy, bloodshot eyes that stared out with a grotesque, almost predatory intensity.

The Kite-Flying Day

On March 24, 1984, Louis took the kite and Gage into Mrs. Vinton's field. He got the Vulture into the blowy late-March sky on his first attempt, despite not having flown a kite since he was twelve. The kite soared higher and higher, its plastic wings spread taut against the steady current of air. Louis let Gage hold the string, winding it twice around the boy's hand, and Gage flew the kite himself, laughing with joy. The two stood together in the middle of the field, looking up at the Vulture, and Louis felt himself going into Gage, seeing the world through his son's eyes—a world where the field was as big as the Bonneville Salt Flats and the kite soared miles above. Louis put his arm around Gage's shoulders and kissed his cheek, telling him, "I love you, Gage." They flew the kite until they nearly ran out the string, and the face of the Vulture was lost, becoming only a small black silhouette in the sky.

Aftermath and Significance

When Rachel and Ellie returned home, Ellie momentarily dropped the string and chased it through the grass, catching it just before the tumbling core tube gave up the last of its twine. Louis then pulled the kite back in, fighting for the sky at every turn, and imprisoned it in the storage closet again. That night, Gage ate an enormous supper and, when Louis put him to bed, the boy said, "Kite flyne, Daddy," and "Up to the kye." Louis later reflected that this day was the last really happy day of his life, a day of pure, uncomplicated joy that stood in stark contrast to the tragedy that followed. The Vulture kite, with its soaring flight and its shadow tracking across the field, became a symbol of that fleeting happiness and the love between father and son.