Trails - Part 2 - In the air (Dreamtime)

She soared above the clearing. The grass below was a striking green. She watched as the individual blades merged together into a stunning green carpet.

The clearing was surrounded by plantations. On one side was bamboo and on the other, eucalyptus. The air rushing past was redolent with the fragrances of both, a heady mixture she couldn't quite describe. But it was extremely refreshing, nevertheless. She thrust forward and upward and watched in glee as her feet skimmed above the treetops. 

She tilted lightly to her left and circled back towards the edge of the clearing. The treetops rushed underneath her. But she wanted details. There, someone stood among the tall grass – she knew not who. She went low, just high enough not to scrape against an occasional tree. It wasn't easy. She was still going too fast. There were thin branches, not visible from afar, that kept getting in her way. But she zigzagged her way forward. The sharp turns were thrilling, but also tiresome. 

The clear blue sky tempted her with its clear uninterrupted expanse. She dipped her arms and thrust up to soar high above the clearing, the trees and everything else below. Picking up speed, she shot forward towards no particular point. Freedom – at last.

Or so she thought. Skeletal forms – clear white outlines of aircrafts – came into her vision, all moving perpendicular to her trajectory. She dodged one, and another, and another. Manoeuvring herself in and out of their flight path, she wondered what was going on. There were just so many of them, all going in the same direction, and she, caught bang in the middle of their path. It felt just like being caught up in wildebeest migration. 

She had two options. She could either shoot up vertically and eject herself from the channel. Or she could join them. An easy choice, she reflected, as she strained to identify a suitable spot among the gliding hoary lines to make her move.

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