Flying was all she ever wanted to do- not in a plane, that was no different than riding in a car. She wanted to fly freely like the birds. Her dream was something of a cliché. Everyone in the world had the dream of flying like a bird. But few took the actions that she took in order to achieve her final dream.
When she was six years old, she ran from home for the first time. More or less she ran from him. Her father abused her dreams daily. “You’re crazy,” He’d say, “Just like your mother was before she committed suicide.” He told her that it was her fault. She drove her mother crazy- she never believed it, but it was enough to make her want to fly to heaven and ask her mom.
When she ran, she didn’t make it further than the mailbox before he found her. She ran as he drove the truck slowly beside her. “If you don’t get your butt in this truck right now, you’ll never walk again!” He repeated his threat annually, every year when she ran away on her birthday. One day when her nanny asked her where she kept trying to go, she’d answered, “I am going to live with the birds. They will teach me how to fly. Then I can see my mom and ask her if it really was my fault.”
When she was ten, he let her leave. He didn’t chase her. He didn’t threaten her. He didn’t even search for her. She just kept going. After three days of walking on the side of the old dirt roads, a man offered her a ride. In the back of his rusty truck, he had a dozen white cages. In each cage, there was ten white doves. The second she heard the feathers flutter, she leapt into the back of the truck and never looked back.
After a short while, she arrived in heaven. The man’s house was big and white, but the back yard held treasures beyond her wildest imagination. Mountains of dove filled bird cages surrounded a small shed. She turned to the man and made her first request. “May I sleep there?” she asked while pointing to the shed. With a puzzled look, he nodded. Her first wish was granted, she lived with the birds.
The first night in the shed was warm. There was no window to let the air in, or out. it took her almost an hour to finally fall into a deep sleep. She heard a flapping sound, then felt as though she was thousands of feet off the ground. She rubbed her eyes and saw that the doves had broken free of their cages and lifted her into the air. It didn’t take long before she was flapping her arms and lifting herself even higher. The birds had taught her to fly. Her second wish.
She slowly lowered herself back to the dull earth. White feathers floated around her in a whirlwind powered by the flapping wings of the thousands of doves. In her cloud of white happiness, a figure formed and stepped into the clear. The keeper of the birds stood and silently looked at her as she was saturated with her hearts desires. When the keeper raised their arms, the birds vanished and the feather began to fall. In the storm of feathers, the keeper was blinded from her sight. Then the feathers settled. There, in a bright light stood her mother. In a voice that soothed her soul, she said, “It was not your fault. I love you more than there are feathers in the world.” With those words, she disappeared with a gust. And that was her third wish.
When she awoke the next morning at her mail box, she doubted that it had ever happened. Then suddenly a white feather fell from the sky and landed in her hand. More than there are feathers in the world. She just knew that everything in her life was finally at peace. She lived as a bird with her father the rest of her days and all was well.
When she was six years old, she ran from home for the first time. More or less she ran from him. Her father abused her dreams daily. “You’re crazy,” He’d say, “Just like your mother was before she committed suicide.” He told her that it was her fault. She drove her mother crazy- she never believed it, but it was enough to make her want to fly to heaven and ask her mom.
When she ran, she didn’t make it further than the mailbox before he found her. She ran as he drove the truck slowly beside her. “If you don’t get your butt in this truck right now, you’ll never walk again!” He repeated his threat annually, every year when she ran away on her birthday. One day when her nanny asked her where she kept trying to go, she’d answered, “I am going to live with the birds. They will teach me how to fly. Then I can see my mom and ask her if it really was my fault.”
When she was ten, he let her leave. He didn’t chase her. He didn’t threaten her. He didn’t even search for her. She just kept going. After three days of walking on the side of the old dirt roads, a man offered her a ride. In the back of his rusty truck, he had a dozen white cages. In each cage, there was ten white doves. The second she heard the feathers flutter, she leapt into the back of the truck and never looked back.
After a short while, she arrived in heaven. The man’s house was big and white, but the back yard held treasures beyond her wildest imagination. Mountains of dove filled bird cages surrounded a small shed. She turned to the man and made her first request. “May I sleep there?” she asked while pointing to the shed. With a puzzled look, he nodded. Her first wish was granted, she lived with the birds.
The first night in the shed was warm. There was no window to let the air in, or out. it took her almost an hour to finally fall into a deep sleep. She heard a flapping sound, then felt as though she was thousands of feet off the ground. She rubbed her eyes and saw that the doves had broken free of their cages and lifted her into the air. It didn’t take long before she was flapping her arms and lifting herself even higher. The birds had taught her to fly. Her second wish.
She slowly lowered herself back to the dull earth. White feathers floated around her in a whirlwind powered by the flapping wings of the thousands of doves. In her cloud of white happiness, a figure formed and stepped into the clear. The keeper of the birds stood and silently looked at her as she was saturated with her hearts desires. When the keeper raised their arms, the birds vanished and the feather began to fall. In the storm of feathers, the keeper was blinded from her sight. Then the feathers settled. There, in a bright light stood her mother. In a voice that soothed her soul, she said, “It was not your fault. I love you more than there are feathers in the world.” With those words, she disappeared with a gust. And that was her third wish.
When she awoke the next morning at her mail box, she doubted that it had ever happened. Then suddenly a white feather fell from the sky and landed in her hand. More than there are feathers in the world. She just knew that everything in her life was finally at peace. She lived as a bird with her father the rest of her days and all was well.
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