"Lost Flight"

Slap, slap, slap.

My feet pounded painfully on the packed dirt, but I was too engrossed in the beauty of the evening to care. After running for only a mile my breath was already ragged and my side ached from a cramp. As the path took a sudden downhill, I slipped and went skidding for a few feet before I regained my balance and started the steep descent.

WOOF!

I blinked my eyes and focused on a little brown dog that was barking at me as I went hurtling toward it. The slant of the hill made it impossible for me to slow down and the path was too narrow for me to dodge the furry animal. I had to think fast.

Maybe I could jump over it...no, there was no way I could judge my jump correctly. But as I came closer and closer to the dog, I decided it was worth a try.

I tensed my legs, swung my arms faster, and jumped...

* * *

My whole body was still braced to hit the dog, but the expected impact never came. Instead, my legs tingled and my body felt...well...weightless. I cautiously opened one eye and glanced down. In shock, I realized that the ground was a good ten feet below me. I was flying!

I took a few test flaps of my arms and then soared up into the clear blue sky. Twirling and diving, I reveled in the grace of my movements-a luxury I had never experienced on land. I floated motionlessly for a couple of seconds, illuminated by the last rays of sunset, before I flew home elatedly.

* * *

"Come on! I'll show you! It really happened I promise!" I eagerly prodded my two friends, Eric and Jan, up the hill where I had flown yesterday.

"Yeah, so, you think we could fly?" Eric asked sarcastically.

"Sorry for the insult, but you've definitely lost it," Jan added. "People don't fly."

"Ah ha!" I shouted with triumph as we reached the top of the hill. "Now I'll show you what I did!" I gave a whoop and darted down the path. Bracing my legs, I jumped...

Only to fall flat on the ground. Eric and Jan burst out laughing as I hung my head, brushed watery dirt out of my eyes, and wondered what had gone wrong. Jan came over to give me an awkward pat on the back before heading back up the hill with Eric. In the distance I heard more laughter.

I looked after them, fresh tears streaming down my face. I knew I had flown before! It was so fresh in my mind...it couldn't have been a dream! Just...what had gone wrong?

Oh, why, why hadn't it worked? My legs and arms ached, missing the freedom of the sky, disappointed by the gracelessness of the ground.

Forcing my unsteady body to stand, I picked a small flower as blue as the sky and dropped it by the place where I had first leapt and flown. Then I turned and left the hill, banishing all thoughts of my flight from my mind.

In me, something had died.

Written July 2000, Nicole La Fetra

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