Sequel: Promise ›
Freedom
Release
Shhhck. Shhhck. Shhhh–-–Kahhhh!
My eyebrow quirked at the sight of another skater gaining enough speed to leap into the air to rotate three and a half times, landing the triple axel perfectly with one leg sweeping behind as the other carved a smooth curve into the ice.
Lacing up my boot, I stood and stared at the rink for a few seconds before stepping out onto the frozen surface. I took a lap around to awaken the slightly forgotten feel for the ice, my skates, my body, and the flow of energy connecting all of them. I moved in a few sequences, shifting my weight and turning around now and then to go backwards.
And God was it amazing. The absence of friction, the sound of ice being shaved away, and the air rushing past me, all made the euphoria that is skating.
I decided to warm up with a few of the looser spins. I stabbed my toe pick into the ice to change my momentum and was soon spinning with one leg on the ice and the other outstretched to align perfecting with my body. It wasn’t as flawless as first thought. I hadn’t centered myself well and the revolutions were choppy and moved across the ice. But I didn’t fall, a fact I took as a sign to continue.
Within an hour, I felt comfortable enough to do what I had come to do. I was ready to jump. I was ready to release.
Gaining speed and breathing deeply, I closed my eyes and launched myself into the air.
…And time slowed. And finally, thankfully, mercifully…she was gone. The thought of her removed from every crevasse of my mind. Only the motions of flight remained. The ever-present memories that replayed themselves to the point of nonsense were wiped away. The grief was gone. I was gone.
Of course, jumping with closed eyes is foolish. I had only done two rotations so the ground launched itself at me faster than remembered. Inevitably, I landed on my ass. Hard.
I charged back up, refusing to let myself go just yet, and began another step sequence. And another jump. And another moment of bliss. Another moment consisting of air and sound and, this time, sight, but no thought. Murmurings, flowers, smiles, screams, tears, fights, and the gruesome image of her broken body. Finally.
I spent six hours, six painful, grinding and amazingly serene hours, repeating the same sounds, over and over.
Shhhck. Shhhck. Shhhh–-–Kahhhh!
My eyebrow quirked at the sight of another skater gaining enough speed to leap into the air to rotate three and a half times, landing the triple axel perfectly with one leg sweeping behind as the other carved a smooth curve into the ice.
Lacing up my boot, I stood and stared at the rink for a few seconds before stepping out onto the frozen surface. I took a lap around to awaken the slightly forgotten feel for the ice, my skates, my body, and the flow of energy connecting all of them. I moved in a few sequences, shifting my weight and turning around now and then to go backwards.
And God was it amazing. The absence of friction, the sound of ice being shaved away, and the air rushing past me, all made the euphoria that is skating.
I decided to warm up with a few of the looser spins. I stabbed my toe pick into the ice to change my momentum and was soon spinning with one leg on the ice and the other outstretched to align perfecting with my body. It wasn’t as flawless as first thought. I hadn’t centered myself well and the revolutions were choppy and moved across the ice. But I didn’t fall, a fact I took as a sign to continue.
Within an hour, I felt comfortable enough to do what I had come to do. I was ready to jump. I was ready to release.
Gaining speed and breathing deeply, I closed my eyes and launched myself into the air.
…And time slowed. And finally, thankfully, mercifully…she was gone. The thought of her removed from every crevasse of my mind. Only the motions of flight remained. The ever-present memories that replayed themselves to the point of nonsense were wiped away. The grief was gone. I was gone.
Of course, jumping with closed eyes is foolish. I had only done two rotations so the ground launched itself at me faster than remembered. Inevitably, I landed on my ass. Hard.
I charged back up, refusing to let myself go just yet, and began another step sequence. And another jump. And another moment of bliss. Another moment consisting of air and sound and, this time, sight, but no thought. Murmurings, flowers, smiles, screams, tears, fights, and the gruesome image of her broken body. Finally.
I spent six hours, six painful, grinding and amazingly serene hours, repeating the same sounds, over and over.
Shhhck. Shhhck. Shhhh–-–Kahhhh!