Megan flies faster than me.

Timmy was tired. It had been a good summer’s day for the eight-year old. The firecracker stand was finally open. He had caught a lizard and had it in a Mason jar with a couple of holes punched in the lid so it could breath. It had been a good day. He fell asleep quickly.

He slept several hours and then rose out of his body and through the ceiling without even looking back at himself sleeping.  He was flying again, like Superman, as he had every night since school got out.

He flew towards Pikes Peak. He often enjoyed flying right over the top of it. Skimming right by the alpine train on the way up. But he was in a hurry and it was quickest to swerve North. He followed the highway through the pass and then headed due north. 

The clearing was there. Surrounded by red wood and aspen and nothing else for miles. 

He slowed and drifted into the field. Megan was floating above some mushrooms and flowers watching the kids gather.

“Excuse me?” Timmy said.

“Hi,” Megan said. She looked up and smiled as he drifted closer.

“What Cha Doin?” Timmy asked getting next to her. These were the first words they had said to each other when they first met. They used these same words every time they met.

They drifted looking at each other. Neither quite knowing what to say. Megan plucked a flower and stuck it behind Timmy ear before he could protest. 

“Now you look pretty,” Megan said with a laugh and bolted into the sky.

Timmy charged after her.

“Tag,” Timmy shouted and slapped her arm. He took off like a rocket, shooting high into the sky. He looked down and she was almost catching him. He banked a sharp curve and headed downward toward the trees. He gained some and chanced a glance back. She was closing in again. 

Suddenly, the trees were right in front of him and he pulled up. He felt her slap the top of his head.

“Tag,” Megan screamed and looped back and high into the sky. He charged after her, as some other kids flew up and joined in the game. Timmy got a blonde kid on the back.

“Tag, No tag backs.” Timmy shouted. He swooped down into a group of three other kids. Timmy caught Megan and they flew together chasing and being chased. About a dozen kids, all strangers from different parts of the state, flying together, playing together, being kids.

Timmy rested and looked around for Megan. She had avoided him while he was it. She was drifting high in the sky. Timmy flew up to join her. The game continued below them.

The two of them drifted together. The entire milky way was blazing across the sky. They could see the snow on the higher mountains to the North. Below them was forests.

“You want to see something really cool?” Megan asked.

“Sure,” Timmy said.

She grabbed his hand and said, “Up. Full speed.”

The two shot up like rockets.

"Megan flies faster than me." Timmy thought. It was good thing they were holding hands as she was pulling him along. He would have probably lost her as fast as they were going. She began to slow.

“Close your eyes.” Megan said as they drifted to a stop.

‘Look down and open them.”

They were miles above the atmosphere. The world was a huge ball below them. The east edge blazing with the coming dawn. Timmy could see the clouds and the mountains edge. He could make out the lights of Denver trickling all the way to Colorado Springs.  The wrapping of clouds around this fragile sphere.

Suddenly, the earth was looking very small and fragile, like a Christmas ball that would shatter if it dropped from the tree. It was a drop of water and dirt floating in nothing. He was feeling like a giant, floating high above the earth. But then he felt his body. Just a small speck of dust below him. Not even a speck.

“Whoaa.” Was all he could say. 

“When I come up here, I don’t know if I am all powerful or an ant.” Megan said.

“It’s beautiful.” Timmy said. “But how, It’s so huge. But it feels small.”

Megan said. “It’s like I should do something, help it somehow, you know. But then I get to realizing how small I am.”

Timmy reached for Megan hand and they floated together. The sun began to break the horizon and they headed back to the field. As they dropped back to the earth, they entered the night once more.

Most of the kids had left the field and were on their way home. 

“You live out west, huh?” Timmy asked.

“Grand Junction.”   She said. “It’s all mountains between here and there.”

“I’m in Colorado Springs,” Timmy said, “Right after the mountains end.”

“I need to get back,” Megan said as she began to drift to the West.

“Yeah, me too.” Timmy said. He was beginning to feel his body pulling him back.

He waived at Megan, who was still watching him even after she drifted further away. She waived back and turn and dove back to her home.

Timmy was pulled to the south east. He was speeding back, skimming over the tree and mountain top.

He saw the lights of the city and the comfort of his own house.

He drifted over the bed and allowed his body to pull him back in. 

He had to pee. He got up and padded his way to the restroom.

”Oh man,” that was close," Timmy thought. His Dad would kill him if wet the bed. He did it too often when he was smaller. 

He looked in the mirror. He still had the yellow flower stuck behind his ear.

“It does make me look pretty,” he though with a laugh an pulled it out. He left it by the sink and went back to bed. He thought about Megan as he fell asleep.

He woke and the dream slipped away. He had some Cheerios and watched the Scoody-Doo cartoons. He would head back to the pipes. He was going to catch the lizard some bugs. He would take him back and let him go. He found a flower by the sink and tossed it in the jar with the lizard.

"Maybe lizards eat flowers," he thought. 

Epilogue

Twelve years later, Timmy was late for class. He had the one Calculus class that was ten miles away from any other class. In Biology, the teacher was a talker with no concern when the bell rang. He was always late to Calculus.

Timmy was jogging and slowed to a walk. 

“There is something.” Timmy thought.

He stopped and looked back at the parking-lot a hundred yards behind him. Some girl getting out of a car.

Megan felt her breathe leave her body. She paused and leaned on the door for a second.

"You okay?" her roommate asked.

"Fine, just stood up too quick." She shut the door quickly then and got to the curb.

She looked directly at Timmy. He was looking back at her. He started walking towards her.

Megan needed to get to class and headed to class. Fully aware that this guy is running towards her.

Timmy started jogging. He caught up to her at the steps. 

“Excuse me,” Timmy said.

Megan shuddered. She looked at Timmy.

“Hi,” Megan said.

“What Cha Doin?” Timmy answered.

They both just stood there for a minute looking at each other. 

“Do you want to sit down?” Timmy asked, “We can grab a cup of coffee.”

“Coffee or something stronger,” Megan said. “This is weird.”

“I know” Timmy asked. “We can talk about it right?”

“Right” Megan said, shaking her head.

“It’s you, right?” Megan asked. "Timmy?"

“Yeah, I think so.” Timmy said. “Good to see you, Megan.”

Later that afternoon, they would be found, laughing next to each other on the lawn of the campus. They were taking turns shaping the clouds to make the other laugh.