The plane hovered in the barren sky. The Earth seemed so larger and weightier compared to what it felt like when he was on the ground. That nauseated him. Sweat trickled down his face. His hands shook violently as he wiped it away. He watched the beads fall off his head and plummet downwards towards the ground, becoming smaller and smaller until they became invisible.

A large man, very muscular and hairy, reached around him awkwardly to attach the harness onto his back. Although it didn’t last long, he found himself yearning for the attachment as soon as it left. He looked behind him into the small airplane he was gripping. The pilot gave him thumbs up. He looked down again.

“Ready?” Said the rusty, mechanical voice in his earpiece.

He tried to gulp, but there was no moisture in his mouth. “Yes,” He choked out.

Just as he was reconsidering, the same to hands that attached his harness for safety pushed him off the only support he had underneath him.

The wind that was once gentle now whistled in his ears, up his nose, into the caves of his mouth, and poked tiny needles into his eyes. He tried to scream, but no sound came out, or at least that he could hear. The earpiece was yelling now, painfully in his ear the same voice screamed, “Your parachute! Open it!”

Without a second thought, he fumbled with his pack until a strong gust of wind caught in the fabric billowing above him. His body was no longer tense, but a mere feather floating slowly to the ground. The adrenaline rush left him without breath It was at this moment that he truly felt free. Not even gravity could hold him down.

This was freedom at its fullest.