Michelle stood atop the large hill overlooking her friend's ranch, gripping the handlebars of her flying contraption and feeling the wind on her face. She knew her creation was a tad impractical - she had used bamboo to make the frame because it was the lightest solid she could think of to do so with, and had covered the frame in thin sheets of paper carefully sewn and glued together. She had decided against adding wheels, as she figured that the less weight she had, the more likely she was to take off - that also meant she had to wait for a particularly windy day in order to have the wind and the speed to fly. But that wind also had to be blowing the right way, so as to pick her up, and it couldn't be blowing too hard or it would simply tear through the delicate membrane. It was a very frail procedure.
She had finished construction well over a month prior, and had been waiting on pins and needles ever since for the right day to come around. This day was the best one to arrive yet, and if she was ever going to be time for her to take it for a joyride, this was it. "Remember not to fly too close to the sun," Sabrina said. Michelle smiled at her best friend and nodded, knowing full well the lesson of Icarus - the two had joked about it many times while she had been working. Sabrina was there to make sure that she didn't hurt herself trying to fly, and to be a witness to the success or failure, whichever it may be.
"Wish me luck," Michelle replied before taking a deep breath, and pumping her legs as hard as she could down the hill. She felt the weight of the contraption mostly on her hips, through the two bars that were built into a belt around her waist to help support the weight and keep it above her and off the ground while she was taking off. It was more uncomfortable than she had anticipated, and it was somewhat debilitating for her running, but she refused to let that stop her. She kicked as hard as she could off of the ground, and when she felt her foot missed, she closed her eyes tight, afraid of slamming face first into the ground.
But a second passed. And then another. And her other foot swung again without hitting ground. And that was when she realized she wasn't falling.
Her eyes flew open, and she could see the ground falling away from her, and feel the wind blowing hard in her face, whipping her hair around her shoulders and back. It was an incredible feeling - one she could hardly describe. Like being picked up by the wind itself and carried down a long hallway, where the artwork on the walls extended endlessly in every direction. The colors seemed more vivid from in the air. She glanced around, and saw bright blue of the sky, the green of the hills, marked by a multitude of colors that were the flowers and wildlife. And she saw whites in the sky, of clouds and birds and...
She whipped her head back to look at her wings. Her hair was too long. As it whipped and snapped in the wind, it was hitting her wings, and slowly chipping at the paper that formed the membrane keeping her airborne. She had not accounted for that possibility. She twisted her hands hard around the handlebar, trying to aim herself down while she was still somewhat in control, but it took much more strength to steer herself than she thought it would. When she started to drop, it was because a small hole had formed.
The landing was rough, but luckily it was in the open field just outside of the ranch's fence. Sabrina had been running under her, and was there in less than a minute. "Oh my god, Michelle, are you ok?" she called out, a mix of fear and wonder in her voice.
Michelle sat up slowly, her legs having buckled under her only a few steps after her shaky landing, and looked at her friend with a weary smile. "I need a hair cut."
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