Ebony Wings

I take a deep breathe as I look down at the ground, thousands of feet below me.
I involuntarily shiver and look to my guide, feigning a terrified expression.
"And you're sure this is safe? I don't want to die today, man. Not on my first try."
Another sentence filled with lies.
He smiles and gives me a thumbs up, then nods toward the open doors. That's my cue to jump.
I close my eyes, inhale sharply, and fall forward, letting the wind catch me with a familiar caress.
No, this isn't my first time, and yes, this is safe. For me anyway.
I open my eyes as the ground starts getting closer and closer.
A voice crackles in my ear that it's time to deploy my parachute. It becomes more and more frantic as my guide sees my ignoring his warnings.
The ground is so close now, and I let out a cry of pain as I remember being ripped from His presence.
I slam into the ground and lay there with my eyes tightly closed.
I'm alive. Just like I knew I would be.
My first fall was from so much higher.