Sitting on a large boulder, on top of a ridge, overlooking a deep blue lake, almost the shape of a perfect circle, surrounded by evergreens, a boy watches the world around and beneath him. He listens to the sounds swirling through the branches of the trees. The chipmunks and squirrels are chittering amongst themselves, gathering food for the coming winter. Off in the distance a wolf howls and is shortly joined by three or four of his companions. Down on the lake, a flock of geese, floating on the water, prepare to take off. The first begins to flap its wings and run along the top of the water. The others quickly follow suit. None want to be left behind. They take off circling the lake, gaining height. They form a �V� and start their journey southward.
�If only I could fly.� The boy whispers to the geese flying away from him.
The wind blows through the leaves and the pines. A leaf breaks free from its tree and floats toward the boy�s back. He puts his hand up and grabs it as it tries to get by.
�If only�� He releases the leaf and the wind picks it up. It soars toward the edge of the ridge, then off. It flips and spins through the air and out of sight.
�If only�� The boy stands up and the air blows past his ears, pushing his, dark, thin, hair into his eyes. He stands with his hands at his sides. Two eagles cal out from behind him. He raises his arms up to the sky.
�If only�� The two eagles soar past him under his out stretched arms. They fly to the end of the ridge, over it and down toward the forest floor. They, then, loop back up, but still away from the boy, and fly far off in the distance.
�If only�� The boy begins taking small step toward the edge. Now looking over the ridge, arms still stretched out, the forest goes silent. No wind, no animals, nothing making any sound. They are all focused on the boy. Everyone is watching, even those who are to far to see him, face him, listening intently. He bends his knees and pushes off. He soars off the edge in a perfect swan dive towards the forest floor. The wolves howl their tearful song. His arms extended, he smiles as the air rushes part his face, as the ground get closer and closer. His dark, thin, hair is flowing straight back. He wipes a tear from his cheek. The shoe on his right foot was untied when he pushed off the ridge and is now coming loose. The wind catches it and it comes off and sails away from the boy. He watches the rock face speeding by just inches away from his face. He reaches out to touch it as it goes by, careful not to get caught on the rocks. With the ground mere meters away, he tilts his body and arches his back so he is facing head first, almost perpendicular with the forest floor.
His face slams into the rocks at the bottom. His neck and back snap much like the twigs and branches surrounding him would if a bear plowed though them trying to protect its young against a predator.
The boy, then, loops back up, away from the ridge and soars over the evergreens. His arms stretched out as he flies over the lake, circling the almost perfect circle. A leaf tries to float by his face. He catches it. He sees the two eagles and he flies up to them. The three of them watch the forest floor beneath their wings below. He releases the leaf. It flips and spins toward the lake. It lands on the water�s shiny, clear surface. The leaf watches the boy and the two eagles soar far out of sight.
�If only�� The leaf sinks down to the bottom of the lake as it watches the fishes swim by.
By: Travis Whalen