The Bird and the Map
Get Used to Falling
Little eyes flew open and filthy palms flailed about, grasping for something that wasn’t there. Pupils wide in the pitch black, for a moment Peter thought that he must look very similar to the little owlets that he’d seen so many times while having epic adventures in the woods at night. He thought suddenly that he’d better find a safe place once he landed because he knew what happened to those owlets if they were unable to - he’d seen it first hand - and it wasn’t pretty. But then, he was still falling. His next thought was a question. Will I ever stop falling?
After what felt like a lifetime, Peter got used to the feeling of falling. It made him tired, and so he went to sleep. (I actually spoke to Peter about this line and he didn’t think it would be appropriate to say “falling asleep”. I suppose he’s not much one for irony.)
That night, Peter dreamt not of wild chases and epic adventures, but of a vast emptiness: he was an astronaut, floating in the coldness of space, alone yes, but not frightened. Peter was rarely ever frightened. When he awoke, he almost expected the blackness to still surround him, but what he saw was completely different.
Although it was still apparently night, there was a brightness to this place. As he turned his eyes upward, searching for the sun, what he saw instead was a giant moon. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. It was so large and so close, he felt like he could reach out and grab it, and for a moment, he tried.
As he fully outstretched his arm, he was a little shocked at how good it felt. He must have been asleep for a very long time because it felt very stiff. Just as his arms and fingers became fully extended and the static at the tip of his fingers felt ready to connect to that for which he was grabbing, a shadow - a figure - moved between him and the moon.
After what felt like a lifetime, Peter got used to the feeling of falling. It made him tired, and so he went to sleep. (I actually spoke to Peter about this line and he didn’t think it would be appropriate to say “falling asleep”. I suppose he’s not much one for irony.)
That night, Peter dreamt not of wild chases and epic adventures, but of a vast emptiness: he was an astronaut, floating in the coldness of space, alone yes, but not frightened. Peter was rarely ever frightened. When he awoke, he almost expected the blackness to still surround him, but what he saw was completely different.
Although it was still apparently night, there was a brightness to this place. As he turned his eyes upward, searching for the sun, what he saw instead was a giant moon. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. It was so large and so close, he felt like he could reach out and grab it, and for a moment, he tried.
As he fully outstretched his arm, he was a little shocked at how good it felt. He must have been asleep for a very long time because it felt very stiff. Just as his arms and fingers became fully extended and the static at the tip of his fingers felt ready to connect to that for which he was grabbing, a shadow - a figure - moved between him and the moon.