Flying
Jason walked down the dark grey street in the rain. His shoulders slumped as he passed by the dull white and brown houses with a hoodie pulled over his head like an executioner's hood. His feet dragged along the ground not bothering to avoid the puddles he stepped in that splashed up over his shoes and wet his pants. He thought back over his life as he walked, he thought about his family. Jason thought of his dad and sighed, sometimes he forgot about him. It had been three years and the memories were beginning to fade. He had pictures and old family videos and even an old sweat shirt but still he found himself forgetting. Some days he would go to bed happy and then feel guilty for being happy when his own father wasn't. His mom still wasn't acting like she used to, she never sang while she cooked anymore and the cooking itself had become terrible. He sighed again and stopped walking at a split in the road. He looked down his street and saw the familiar houses and trees; he saw the roof of his own house almost hidden from view. He looked down the other street and saw the dead end sign that he had come to associate with his own life.
Behind the sign trees grew tall and jagged, a small dirt path could be seen winding through them. Again he looked down his own street and then turned and began walking towards the dead end sign. As he drew closer to it his pace quickened, by the time he reached the sign he was running. He was running just like he had every Sunday with his dad. The sky grew darker and night drew closer as he ran into the woods. He sprinted along the path arms pumping as the hood flew off his head. The gloom was intensified under the trees and Jason's eyes darted back and forth trying to discern the path from the ground around it. He ran on occasionally stumbling over roots that sprang up along the path. As he drew closer to his destination his pace increased, his arms whipped back and forth and he flew through the forest. He came to a sudden turn in the path but ran straight going into the dense woods. He flew past trees and over bushes and holes in the ground. Finally he saw it up ahead, their clearing. The secret place where they talked for hours and hours. He heard the rushing crashing sound of the water. As he broke through the last of the trees he entered the clearing and dashed towards the fifty foot cliff known as Jasper's Gulch. With a cry he reached the edge of the cliff and launched himself into the air.
He spread his arms and closed his eyes and tried not to think about what was about to happen. As he fell his hoodie was ripped off of him and fluttered away, the wind giving it wings. He opened his eyes despite himself and looked at the dark, cold, rushing waters and sharp crushing rocks that were rushing up to meet him. He squeezed his eyes shut again and screamed as he drew closer to the bottom. The wind whipped past his face and he felt the cold wet spray of the water. He hit the water with a bone jarring smack and sank down into the freezing depths. The current was weak where he had landed so instead of being swept away he sank straight to the bottom of the river, his shoes and jeans weighing him down. He knew he must have somehow missed the rocks all around and fallen straight into a deep pocket in the river. As he slowly drifted down he realized he didn't want to die. His body was starting to shut down from the extreme cold but with his last bit of energy he kicked his way back to the surface. When his head finally broke free of the water he gasped for air but he was quickly pulled under the water as the current became strong again. He fought to keep his head above the water so that he could keep breathing. He struggled with all his might to keep the life he had been so willing to throw away only seconds before.
The river carried him along at a fast pace until it finally came out of the gully into the woods. Jason waited until there was a bend in the river and climbed out onto dry land. Once he was on shore he laid down and thought about what had just happened. Looking back he knew there was no way he should have survived the jump. The rocks had been too close together and the water too shallow for him to have conceivably survived. He looked up to the sky and smiled. "Thanks Dad" Jason whispered. Slowly he stood up and began the long walk home.
