Finally Flying Solo

This flying lark isn’t easy, she decided. Then giggled – that’s silly because larks can fly. It’s me that’s struggling!

She’d been trying to learn to fly for quite a while and, sometimes, even managed to do it for a short, sharp burst, but then she always had someone with her. Going solo was going to be the hard bit – with no one to grab on to at scary moments!

She preferred night flying as there were not so many distractions. But, night or day, her main problem was lack of co-ordination, but that might improve as she got older, hopefully.

So she decided she would just have to put in more practice, and a few more “flying hours” until she mastered it. Simples!

So there she was, standing balanced on the window ledge. I can do this on my own, she told herself, albeit rather tentatively. Of course, she had always had someone to guide her with take offs and landings. Help! She begged to no one in particular, before taking the plunge and finally launching off into blackness. Suddenly, awkwardness overcame her and, losing her concentration and the ability to co-ordinate her body with her arms and legs, she started to plummet downwards into the darkness, before flapping her arms in an instinctive, desperate gesture. It worked, thank goodness, as she levelled out and her heart’s thumping palpitations eased.

As her confidence grew she started to become aware of her surroundings, soaring above the tall trees and lamp posts, keeping herself out of sight of anyone below. Mind you, at half past two in the morning there weren’t a lot of folk around craning their necks upwards into the dark abyss above. Can an abyss be above? She shrugged. Below, the streets glistened under the neon lights after an earlier, light rainfall. Most of the houses were in darkness with the odd lighted window showing that there might be a few insomniacs suffering. The air was cool on her face and her hair streamed out behind her. However, she knew she wouldn’t freeze because it was summer time and the nights never got that cold.

She flew on – yes actually flew unaided - following the main road, using her arms for direction, and her legs? Well they were a bit dangly still. As she grew more adept she found she was able to lower her arms and guide herself naturally. She didn’t even really need the legs – good, one (or two) less things to think about! She even tried the Superman pose and found that it gave her a turbo boost. Very useful, she smiled to herself, if I need to get out of a difficult situation in a hurry. Not that she was planning on having anything other than a peaceful, mind soothing trip, just circling round the fields on the edge of town before “calling” in on her friends – and, no, she wouldn’t be ringing any doorbells!

The solid rain clouds were beginning to part into fluffier night clouds sprinkled across the dark heavens. Their edges were now bright silver as the moon behind them gradually appeared to take over from the darkness.

She spiralled round the small turret on Emily’s house knowing it was only a store room nowadays and she wouldn’t be seen. In the process she bumped into a couple of bats, who were also drawn to the building, and she couldn’t help wondering why their radars weren’t working! Onwards, but not upwards, she carried on to Victoria’s lovely modern home. So much glass to clean can’t be easy for her mum, she thought, catching sight of her reflection in the big picture windows. Oops that might be a bit too close for comfort, she admitted to herself, in case anyone was up and about at that unearthly hour. Just as well she’d worn her navy dressing gown as it would act as camouflage.

She was really beginning to get the hang of this now as she swooped upwards to become less visible, finally making her way via Sarah’s modest bungalow towards home. This one was the favourite house (well bungalow) of all her friends. It had a small tinkling stream at the bottom of the garden which nestled in the clearing of a pretty, small wood, or should that be copse, she wondered. Anyway, whatever it was called it was a beautiful, peaceful place where they had played so many games when they were younger. Now they just ambled through the trees, enjoying the differences brought about by the year’s changing seasons. She hovered above the stream delighting in the bubbling ripples that the moon was catching in its sparkling, silvery light, turning them into millions of diamonds. It nearly took her breath away. 

She was on her way home when she glanced at her watch – just as well she always wore it at night as she was sure she would have forgotten to put it on otherwise. Oh, the little flying trip hadn’t taken as long as she thought, so she’d carry on a bit longer. She concentrated hard to get a bit of turbo power – oops, too much, as she as she felt her face showing signs of G Force. Of course, she wasn’t that fast, but fast enough to make the skin on her face feel peculiar! 

Suddenly she heard honk-honk-honk and looked below to see what idiot was thumping his car horn at that time of the night/morning! No cars about but, suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she saw a large V formation of geese flying through the air looking determined to get where they were going as quickly as possible. She had learnt about Geese at school but couldn’t remember which migrated when and to where. Pity, she thought, I could have been part of a real live biology lesson! She could remember that they flew at nigh because the daytime thermals made flying more difficult and their eyesight was good enough for them to see in the dark. Perhaps they eat carrots, she grinned at the thought.

She passed by Jack’s house and saw his little brother standing looking out of the window. He had also heard the geese and was busy staring into the darkness to see them – just like he did at Christmas when he kept a look out for Santa. She just swerved in time so that he didn’t see her shadow pass between him and the moon – that would have given him the jitters if he’d seen me, she thought. He might have thought Christmas had come early. And for the second time she had a little giggle.

By now she was at the coast where friend Peter lived. She hadn’t been able to let him know she was coming, but she knew he didn’t sleep well and would probably be doing some night fishing on the beach.

Ah beach – that would be fun (not). She hadn’t landed solo on the ground before, always going straight to her window, grabbing at the latch as she came to a halt. She peered through the darkness at the beach below. The whole area was now bathed in white moonlight. White sand and silver sea – so pretty. And there he was. She could see Peter near the water’s edge where the small waves were making white foamy bubbles. He had a hurricane lamp with him – not that he needed it in all that moonlight, but it was always with his fishing gear so he naturally got it out. He suddenly realised he wasn’t alone as he was quite perceptive to such things. He recognised her straight away and stood up waving his arms frantically.

She took a deep breath, thought, here goes, and went for it. She came in a bit like an inexperienced swan. Her feet went vertical with her toes pointing up and her heels taking the brunt of the landing as she drove them into the soft sand, completely filling her shoes with the fine, gritty stuff.

Peter laughed and went forward to help her up as she’d fallen back on to her bottom on impact. “Well that was certainly an entrance,” he said, helping to dust her down. “And what brings you out here on such a lovely night?”

“I really just wanted to get out and fly,” she answered smiling sweetly at him. I know you helped me before, but I really wanted to do it on my own. The trouble was that when I took off I’d forgotten I didn’t know how to land solo!” she giggled, “but I did ok didn’t I?”

He nodded in agreement. They continued to have a pleasant catch up for half an hour when he said, “think you’d better be getting back now, or it will soon be getting light and you don’t want to risk being seen.”

“Ok,” she answered, “I’ve done what I wanted to do. It was nice to see you. Perhaps I can get mum to ask you and your family over for tea soon.”

“That would be great, I’ll look forward to it”. And with that they hugged each other and she took off looking very practised, waving down at him standing there watching her go. He decided she’d finally cracked it – the flying lark as she called it!

She went into turbo mode again and reached home long before the dawn’s early rays started to awaken the sky.

Next she was standing in her bedroom, just inside the window feeling the awful sand in her shoes. Without thinking she kicked off one shoe with such force that it sailed across the room, over the bed and hit the wall. She dropped the second shoe quickly on the floor and hopped into bed, knowing that she’d just caused a thump on her mother’s bedroom wall.

Sure enough, within seconds it seemed, her door slowly and quietly opened, allowing the glow from the landing night-light to gradually enter her room in an ever-widening shaft. Her mother’s head came next followed closely by her body. She tiptoed towards the bed and said softly to her daughter, “are you awake, Wendy. Are you all right?”

The girl slowly sat up rubbing her eyes. “Hi mum, what’s the matter, is everything ok?”

Her mother gently smoothed the very dishevelled hair from her daughter’s face saying, “yes, I’m fine but I thought I heard a thud or something and wondered if you’d had a bad dream or even fallen out of bed!”

“No mum I’ve been fast asleep, but I was having a lovely dream. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning, if I can remember.” came the reply from someone who had her fingers crossed as she didn’t like telling lies!

“Right, well I’ll get back to bed then. You got back to sleep, and I’ll just push your window to before I go. It’s letting in quite a cool draught.”

Her daughter already appeared to be fast asleep again, so Mrs Darling crept round the bed carefully, as the night-light was not a lot of help, towards the window.

 That was when she tripped over a shoe, then trod on something that almost felt like - sand? That’s strange, she thought tiptoeing back out of the room and closing the door quietly behind her.