My First Flight

Once, I was an impressionable five-year-old who just wanted to fly like Peter Pan. I didn’t know that one summer I would see something that would change my whole world forever. Every summer I would visit Grandma and Grandpa’s house. They were farmers and they were always outside.

One day, my grandpa is harvesting wheat while my Grandma is working in her garden. As it is a typical day, I spend the day running around the yard as fast as my little legs can take me. I honestly believe that if I could run fast enough, I could fly. In fact, I am determined to fly. As I run towards the barn with both arms raised in the air, I leap into the wind hoping to soar like the bubbles from the bubble blower that Grandma had given me. Sadly, I landed with a loud thud on my belly. It didn’t hurt too bad since I landed on soft grass but I feel myself tearing up none-the-less.

I’m about to cry for my grandma when suddenly I hear shuffling coming from inside the barn. It sounds strange like someone is digging in the hay. I rub my teary eyes with my arm and pick myself up. I walk towards the barn with the shuffling sound getting louder as I go. I reach for the door handle only to hear an unusual voice inside.

“God dammit!” It says. It’s not any kind of voice I’ve ever heard before. It sounds like a cross between a mouse and a kid my age. “I know it’s in here somewhere.”

I pull open the door latch to the barn and it creaks open so loud that my sensitive ears can barely take it. I rub my ears before I go inside. When I walk in the barn there is nothing there but big piles of hay which I will make great use of as soon as I find the source of this voice.

For many seconds, it continues to be quiet so I forget about what I heard and decide to jump into the highest haystack that I can find. I let out a series of giggles while the straw tickles my face. I wave my arms around as I crawl and slide through the straw. I laugh out loud as I pop my head out from the straw and fall on my back. I knew I was going to have a lot of fun jumping in the pile of hay. Little did I know that I would be face to face with an old man who must be half as short as I am.

Shock and silence pass between the both of us as we face nose to nose with each other. I didn’t dare breath as I see this little man before me. Suddenly he gets a sour look on his face and mutters something under his breath that I don’t understand. A wave of his hand shows these twinkle lights that are as bright as stars but so very close.

“Woah!” I shout out as I am slowly being lifted into the air. I am not afraid and loving every minute of it.

“Where did you hide it?” The old man’s scratchy voice questions. “Where is me wand?”

“Wand?” I ask in a near chuckle as I am being turned and flipped around in the air. “Like a magic wand?”

“Yes! Like a magic wand.” The old man answers sarcastically. “Now! Where is it?”

“I didn’t know we had one. This is my grandparent’s farm.” I tell him still turning around the air. “Am I flying?”

“You’re not flying.” The little man sighs out and waves his other arm, slapping his hip while keeping his magical hand steady. “You’re floating.”

“This is amazing!” I say with pure joy. “All I want to do is fly.”

“I’ll tell you what child.” The old man begins. “If you help me find my wand, I will let you fly around here until dinner time. What say you?”

“Okay!” I say without hesitation and just like that I come back down gently to the ground and walk up to the old man whose head comes right to my waste. “What does your magic wand look like?”

“It’s nothing that special to you.” He explains. “Once it is out of my hand it looks like nothing more than a thick stick.”

“Like a tree-stick?”

“That’s not word child but yes.”

So I help the little man get his wand back. I start by jumping into every pile of hay I can. I find lots of hay but no stick from a tree. It all seems like a lost cause until I put my hand on something long and jagged. Low and behold, I find an ordinary stick that once belonged on a tree. I get out of the haystack that I am in and run it over to the little old man.

“Is this it?” I ask eagerly. “Huh?”

I give it to him and he studies it carefully before he finally gives me a smile. “Yep, this is it.”

In seconds, this twisted bent stick straightens out and turns into a beautifully carved wooden wand with a green crystal at the end of it. I stare in awe of it. This is something I would only see in the movies. Then I remember the deal I made with him.

“Can you make me fly now?” I ask eagerly.

A flick of his wand creates these magical sparkles coming from it and passing around me. “Absolutely but when the dinner bell rings you will return to the ground and I must go.”

He twirls the wand and slowly I lift up like a did before but this time I get to control what happens. I fly up to the top of the ceiling and put my hands on it. With a great laugh, I fly down to the loft and then over to the big window to look outside. My grandpa is still in the field with his tractor. Although he can’t see me, I allow myself to wave at him from the window. I fly myself over to the center of the room and do a loop-de-loop. I have never felt anything like this and all I want to do is do this again and again.

It is too soon when the dinner bell rings. I float gently down to the ground and land on my feet. I look around to see that the small old man is gone like he said he would be. My heart breaks a little but with the bell and my grandma calling, I know that I have to go. So, I leave the barn and run all the way back to the house. My one dream came true but with that comes a new dream. That I would see this little old man again. I’m still waiting.