Monday, May 29, 2006

Flying

I always like to imagine that I'm flying. It's very simple. I just rise up, slowly floating upwards. How high, how fast, those don't matter to me. What I know is that I'm floating up.

Looking down, I could see my house. I see the roads and the cars. The vast expanse of the paddy fields lay below me, like soft green carpet, swaying in the wind. As I lay suspended in mid-air, A single question floats by me. And I already have the answer.

"Where to?"

"East."

In the wind, my body slowly turns, facing east. It was still early in the morning. The sunrise is beautiful from up here. I thought to myself that it would be nice to take things slowly.

I flew up even higher, and moved eastward slowly. I want to soak up the view from here. I see the mountain ranges that stretch to the south. How majestic they looked from up here. The thick jungle covered the land below. Then the jungle cleared out and I see towns again. After that, I see the coastline. I have finally reached the ocean.

I decided to fly low, near the water's surface. The sea breeze blew in my face. I dip my hand into the water. The ocean is wide open in front of me. And I'm determined to go east.

The blanket of night-time begins to cover the sky. The faint lights of the stars begin to blink. I flew upside down, looking up to the black canvas, admiring the stars. The cloudless night makes the stars brighter. I just smile. I take my time flying. I count the stars. Heh, I know it's a waste of time counting the endless entities up there, but I want to spend the time.

I reach the coastline by dawn. The sunrise is beautiful in this land. Parts of this land are covered by mist, which makes the land more beautiful than mysterious. The coastline welcomes me with white sand. In the interior of the land, I see the majestic mountain, rising up from the clouds, like a ruler of this land. I have reached the land that I wanted to go, but not the exact destination.

I flew inland, trying to remember from the stories, trying to find her village, her house. Thankfully I remembered, and flew there.

My journey had come to an end. I landed softly in front of her house. I called out her name. Her head popped out, and she smiled. She ran towards me, hugging me.

Even after all the view, even after the majestic mountains and green carpets and the sea breeze and the bright stars, nothing could match her smile. I hug her. I kiss her cheeks. I had come home. She is my home. She smiles. I smile.

She would ask me, "How’d you get here?"

I would smile and say, "I flew."

She smiles.

RLC