Dreams of flight

 When asked what I wanted to be as a kid, my answer was quick to come out of my mouth: a bird. I practiced flying by jumping off the doghouse, but only hit the ground time and again. I'd try running as fast as I could wearing a sheet off the clothesline, which got me in trouble and still no air. So I went into my dad's workshop to look for anything I could use to soar in the sky. I came across a box labeled "school play" and opened it. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the angel wings my sister wore in a class play. I quickly got to work making alterations to fit me properly, then I devised a system of ropes attached to the wings so I could control them. I climbed onto the garage roof, which gave me a longer takeoff area, as it was a two-car garage. I decided not to jump off the roof of the house, as it could end up being a nasty fall to the ground below.

As I was just about ready to go, my folks and my sisters came outside and saw me standing on the garage roof, wings spread and all controls working properly. My mom grabbed her chest as Dad made a marathon run to the garage. I knew if he reached me, I'd never get another chance to fly. So I took in a deep breath and began running as fast as I could, and then it happened. My feet left the ground, and with a tug of the ropes, I began to fly. I was as high as the apple tree; I barely missed hitting it, then I soared around the yard watching as my family below grew smaller. Using some very off-color commands, my dad ordered me to come down at once.  I knew I was probably in for a good whooping, but it would be worth it, as my dream of flight had really happened.
I wanted to take my wings to school for show-and-tell, but my mom put her foot down, saying she didn't want to get a call from the principal telling her I was jumping off the school's roof. The wings went back into the box labeled Mike's wings and were put up in the attic for good. I never lost my dreams of flying, and when I learned the local college was offering flying lessons, I signed up, and within a short time I was behind the controls of a Cessna plane. I can't really describe the feelings I had while soaring with the birds and looking down at our garage roof, where it all began. All I know is I'm at my best, high above the ground, laughing like a kid whose dream came true. 

Mike  2026