It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Violet

Submitted into Contest #240 in response to: Begin your story with the sensation of a breeze brushing against a character's skin.... view prompt

21 comments

Fiction Kids

There were two things Violet wanted most in life. The first was for her parents to let her play in the backyard alone, away from their hovering nerves. The second was to fly.

She longed to have wings that would take her anywhere she wanted to go.

One day when Violet was six years old, her mom was away on a business trip. Her dad finally let her step outside alone. She was caught in the sun’s warm embrace the moment she leaped out the back door. A few moments later, a strong breeze tickled her skin, and she shivered. It wasn’t from a chill, though. Violet was so excited, she couldn’t contain it.

She skipped around the yard, humming to herself. After a few laps, her skipping turned to sprinting.  She passed a bluejay perched in a pine tree. Violet began to flap her arms, willing them to become wings. The bird yelled at her before swooping over to her neighbor’s yard. Violet watched its bright blue feathers until they were out of sight.

An idea was brewing in her brain. The bird had started out on a tree branch. If she wanted to fly, maybe she needed to find a higher starting place. Violet ran to a stump in the back corner of the yard. 

She climbed up and stepped down. That felt pretty comfortable. She climbed up onto the stump again, but this time, she jumped down while flapping her arms. She landed on the ground, just the same. Violet climbed onto the stump a third time. She tried jumping UP instead of just out, while she flapped her arms. Again, she found herself back on the ground. 

Flying was going to be harder than she imagined. Violet sat down on the stump. She needed to think of another plan.

Every once in a while, from all around her, Violet could hear the buzz of a bumble bee.  She ran to grab a magnifying glass from the shed and squatted down next to a dandelion flower. Violet studied the bumble bee through the lens. She gasped when she saw the translucent wings beating back and forth. The bee seemed to float from one part of the flower to the next. Violet wished she could pet its fuzzy hair, but she knew better. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her swing rocking with the breeze. Violet jumped up and ran to her play set. She hopped on the swing, and started pumping. She’d only recently learned how to pump on her own. Violet pumped her legs harder, and the swing moved faster, and higher. She giggled. Her tummy lurched as the swing dipped back and forth. 

Violet dragged her feet on the ground to slow herself down. Then she had a great idea! She pumped her legs as hard as she could, and when her belly got that butterfly feeling, she flung herself off the swing. Violet flapped her arms as hard and fast as she could, but still fell to the ground.

The wind blew again, and the laundry that was hanging on the line started to dance. Violet raced to the waving towels and bedsheets. She wove in and out and all around underneath them. At the end of the clothesline, she found a purple tablecloth. Purple, her favorite color! Violet pulled at the cloth until it broke free from the clothespins. She draped it over her head, relieved to find that it was dry. Violet scrunched the purple fabric into a ball, and had her most brilliant idea yet.

Superheroes wore capes to help them fly. The purple tablecloth would make a perfect cape! Violet tied one end around her neck. The cloth was so long, it dragged on the ground behind her. She felt more like royalty than a superhero, but decided to test her plan anyway.

Violet ran back to the play set, with the cape trailing behind her. To ensure that she wouldn’t sit on her cape, she climbed onto  the swing from behind. Violet pushed off and pumped her legs. She pumped harder, and harder, and the swing moved higher and higher. Suddenly Violet wasn’t so sure about her idea. The butterflies in her tummy felt like they might come out of her mouth.

She took a deep breath, and when another big gust of wind hit her back, she went for it. With the swing in its highest position, Violet threw herself off of it. Her cape caught the breeze, and opened like a parachute. She went soaring through the air.

Violet flew past her neighbor’s house, and waved to the bluejay that had scolded her. She glided over her empty school building, and the park across the street. Violet sailed above the highway. The cars below looked like tiny ants marching in a line. She couldn’t believe it. She was flying! 

Without warning, Violet hit the ground. 

There was a sharp pain in both of her knees, but she didn’t even care. Her dad came running out of the house.

“Violet, are you okay?” he cried.

Violet popped up. 

“Dad, I was flying. Can you believe it? I flew!” she exclaimed.

“Sweetie, you know that Mom and I don’t want you doing such dangerous things. You know better than to jump off a swing,” Dad said.

He untied her cape and grumbled about the fresh grass stains she had gotten on it. He checked her over from head to toe.

“Oh, Violet, your knees are bleeding. Let’s get you inside and clean up those scrapes,” Dad gasped.

He took Violet by the hand and guided her to the door.

“I’m fine,” she insisted.

Violet followed her dad inside anyway. She knew it was no use arguing with him. She also knew that flying was only the beginning. It was just the start of all the amazing things she would do, if only the adults in her life would get out of her way.

She had flown. It didn’t matter if no one else believed her. It didn’t matter if it would be a long time before she’d have a chance to do it again. Violet had flown, and there would be more to come.

March 09, 2024 02:27

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21 comments

Graham Kinross
23:16 Mar 25, 2024

I teach a lot of kids like this. I know the fear when they’re doing something that’s going to end up in tears but they’re having the time of their lives.

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Amanda Stogsdill
20:24 Mar 15, 2024

Very cute! My nieces and nephew play "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a helicopter!" Your story was still original, from the little girl wanting to be independent, to her father's worries. Just glad Violet didn't seriously hurt herself. Trying and failing is something most kids learn, and a backyard is a good place to learn it. It's also where imagination games are played, like flying.

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Jenny McKay
04:35 Mar 15, 2024

Enchanting and original. What fun using ordinary clothes on the line!

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10:20 Mar 14, 2024

So cute... it made me feel the nervous excitement: will she make it? Will this be some magical story where she discovers she can REALLY fly? And then, she falls... and it is still beautiful to see the little girl's determination to pursue a dream, despite others' protection. Liked it. A lot.

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Ingrid Barclay
09:31 Mar 12, 2024

This took me back to being a child myself. I loved this!

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LeeAnn Hively
03:25 Mar 11, 2024

These are the best children to raise and also the worst children to raise lol. I brought mine up to want to fly, but you know there's going to be more than a few skinned knees as they start to try. But, of course, believing in oneself absolutely keeps us trying to succeed, so those skinned knees fail to stop us. Adorable story :)

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Wally Schmidt
01:22 Mar 11, 2024

The story of the child who soars through the air fulfilling her dream of flying. Of course the adults don't believe her. But in her heart she knows. She did. Wonderfully sweet. Should be a kid's book. But then again, you'd probably get sued by all the parents out their whose kids want to try to fly.

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Karen Hope
04:36 Mar 10, 2024

I love Violet's determination to fly. You take us along with her on a journey of discovery. Such a fun and creative story!

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Kristi Gott
00:35 Mar 10, 2024

An amazing story! Love it! Reading it made me feel I was there with Violet. Excellent vivid details showing Violet's thoughts and feelings. Very creative. Wonderful!

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Linda Kenah
13:56 Mar 09, 2024

Very optimistic story. I loved Violet's journey to the realization that she can do remarkable things in her life. I believe her!

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Tom Skye
13:35 Mar 09, 2024

Very sweet story. I love how much this little story paints a picture of how she is going to tackle her whole life. Very subtle coming of age themes. Inspiring stuff. Great work

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Chelsey B
13:42 Mar 09, 2024

Thank you.

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Ty Warmbrodt
11:03 Mar 09, 2024

Cute story, Chelsey. I liked that she never gave up and that those skinned knees didn't deter her.

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Chelsey B
13:42 Mar 09, 2024

Thank you.

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Rebecca Detti
10:10 Mar 09, 2024

Gorgeous read! You can do anything Violet!

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Chelsey B
13:45 Mar 09, 2024

Thank you.

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Mary Bendickson
04:27 Mar 09, 2024

Oh, so childlike! Thanks for liking my flood story.

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04:18 Mar 09, 2024

Reminds me of a child's video of a little boy flying his plane - in his imagination he really is the pilot flying his plane over the city. Until his mother calls and calls to him and he circles down, down, down, and you see a toy plane landing on the grass beside him. He picks it up and rushes inside with it. There are children like Violet. My little girl used to be like that. Her mind and legs moved faster than sense and reason could keep up. A disaster prone child and I would be a nervous wreck trying to keep up with her. Delightful story...

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Chelsey B
13:44 Mar 09, 2024

Between the grass stains on the tablecloth and the scrapes on Violet’s knees, Dad better watch out! 😂 Thanks for reading.

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Alexis Araneta
03:59 Mar 09, 2024

Adorable story ! Lovely job !

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Chelsey B
13:42 Mar 09, 2024

Thank you.

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