Chapter 7: Flight of Fancy (3184)

'When I think about other people and their childhood fantasies, I feel the luckiest person on earth to do what many only dreamt or wish they could do.'

- Alyssa

I wasn't able to meet again with JR for another three days. He was busy with his work and I was tied up with studies, family and my boyfriend. We finally found a mutually agreeable time and met at a busy pub in Bulbridge. With me being a devout vegetarian, the pub's offerings proved a challenge and I finally had to settle on the Ploughman's lunch. The food would never win stars in the Michelin Guide. After a quick bite washed down with the local ale we headed back to the downland valley that we'd used earlier.

"So what is today's lesson, Oh Guide?"

"I was thinking about your powers and it's possible that you've overlooking one. Just how strong is your TK?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've only seen you lift small objects so this is hypothetical. Exactly how much weight can you deadlift? Have you determined that?"

"Oh? Ah, I was able to lift and then crush an automobile wreck in Spain so I can lift at least a ton without too much strain, but I don't know what my upper limit is."

"That should suffice for this. Do you recall how I was able to hover in the air with my TK?. My own telekinesis is limited but yours is much stronger."

„So?"

"Your telekinesis. You may be limiting yourself by focusing on moving objects," he was being cryptic.

"What is it? Tell me, because I'm curious to know?" I was intrigued to know.

"Well I kind of want it to be a surprise."

"Now you're the one who's playing games. What do I have to do?" I asked

"I'd like you to try to jump and think of your telekinesis at the same time," he instructed.

James stepped back and scanned the area. All alone. "Come on, lets give it a try."

I shrugged and tried to repeat the same focus that I used when moving objects with my TK. Got it. I then bent my knees and jumped straight up. Usually when one jumps they then fall to the ground, thanks to Sir Isaac Newton. Instead, my feet were no longer touching the ground. I was now staying up in the air, looking down at JR who was looking up at me. I almost felt like I was on stilts; but there were no stilts. I was levitating in the air, and doing so at my own command.

"JR, I can't believe this! Did you know I could do this?" I was enraptured and tried to keep my voice calm.

"It's obvious to a comic book reader. And critics say that they're not educational. Looks like the comics were correct. If you can levitate things off the ground, it means that you can also levitate yourself off the ground," JR sounded smug but he was staring at me with an odd look. I was probably looking amazed and bewildered.

"So how do I...?" I asked, pointing down.

"Oh, well I don't have all the answers. Some things you'll need to figure out for yourself. If worse comes to worse you can just shut off your TK then gravity should do the rest."

I didn't want to just fall down in a heap so I visualized putting myself back on the ground smoothly. I had to focus but I sank down landing softly on my feet.

"Nice landing, but you'll need to practice before you attempt anything more ambitious than that. Did you say you have other plans for later today?" asked James, grinning.

I didn't answer him. I was still buzzing, really psyched up by my new ability. If I could levitate like that I could potentially learn to fly, couldn't I? I had made other plans for later today but this had precedence over those plans. After quick consideration, I changed my plans on the spot. "Let me make some calls and cancel those other plans. I've got a better idea." I smiled, looking up at the sky.

We spent the next couple of hours practicing lifting myself up smoothly and then landing again. JR was insistent that I not rise any higher than 4 meters in the air. "If you're TK shuts off suddenly while you're in the air, you could get hurt or killed. You need to learn to crawl before you can walk." I was getting impatient but he was the mentor so I continued my impression of an invisible lift.

Finally he mentored me over. "All right, let's move on. Now I want you to rise about 5 meter, pause, and then shut down your TK.

„What?!"

"I want you to start falling and then try to turn on your TK back on to stop your fall. If you start panicking when you begin to fall then it's better that you practice this close to the ground. It's a skill that might save your life some day. A pilot spends hundreds of hours practicing on the ground before he's allowed to even sit in a real plane's cockpit. This is a similar situation, dry runs for practice."

We spent the next hour with practicing my falling. The first couple of times I screamed as I dropped like a rock but then I got used to the feeling. This must what skydiving felt like? I failed stopping myself at first but then I got the hang of it. The trick was not to 'slam on the breaks' as I fell...that was the same as hitting an invisible floor. Painful. I had to learn to grab my body and then slow my fall, decelerating quickly. As I got more comfortable with doing the trick I rose higher but JR still insisted no higher than 30 feet for my safety. Since I couldn't go higher I began to see how close to the ground I could fall before I needed to stop myself. It was an interesting challenge and I had fun.

At first I was trying to judge the distance by sight but then JR suggested that I try to use my TK to sense the ground as I fell. He was right. If I extended my TK I could get an exact sense of the remaining distance rushing towards me. With enough practice I'd be able to come to a smooth landing like they show in the movies. The trick would be making it look effortless. Easy with CGI but the reality would be a lot harder to master.

While I'd been practicing, JR had amused himself watching me and sometimes joining me by shrinking down to fly next to me. It was a fun time, but after a few of hours I needed the loo, so we decided to call it a day. As we drove back to town, it occurred to me that I was lucky that I'd been wearing trousers, or JR would have been getting a great upskirt view of me when I was levitating. Another valuable lesson. I'd need to make sure that my wardrobe was practical for any future coaching sessions.

We spent the following practice session repeating the falling exercises, but we also began moving horizontally back and forth. It was good practice for dodging, but it had the same problem with sudden TK stops. They could hurt! The first attempt made me start vomiting and JR theorized that my inner organs were shifting due to inertia, making me sick. I had to TK clamp my whole body, organs and all, so they all stopped together. Once I got used to that all the queasiness stopped. Maneuvering in the air was much harder than it looked.

Finally the big day arrived.

"So, Miss X, what are your expectations for your first real flying lesson?" bantered JR. He was pointing the video camera at me. I was trying to look chirpy to hide my nervousness.

"Hmm… excited obviously, but also a little nervous," I admitted. I think I was wearing a rigid smile and I could feel my heart pumping. I tried to convince myself that it was just stage fright, like the time I had to speak in the front of the school auditorium. Mrs. Humphry had suggested that I just try to imagine my audience in their underwear. I tried to picture James in his skivvies...it wasn't helping.

"Well that's understandable, it is your first time," said James, as he continued filming me. We were planning to send the recording to Annie Mack as a progress report.

We went back to our usual practice site in the vale, far from any inquisitive neighbors. Also far from any commercial flightpaths. There was a strong breeze and I was planning to go high altitude today. I didn't know how high I'd end up, and I feared catching hypothermia or frost bite from the wind chill, so I'd dressed warmly. I was now wearing thermal clothing, my winter-coat, which was waterproof and warmed up my body. On the other-hand I was starting to feel hot because it was a warm day.

"Ready Miss X?" asked JR, still recording me as I checked my mobile phone.

I looked up at James, and then down at my phone setting the timer. I put the phone away and smiled. "Ready. All aboard!"

James miniaturized himself and flew himself onto my shoulder with the camera still in his hand. We still weren't sure how effective the filming would be but one needs start somewhere.

"Is the camera still rolling?" I asked nervously, looking up at the sky.

"Sure is. I'm sure that "M' would appreciate any sort of video documentation to help analyze your powers and their capabilities. It would help if we had another camera and another person to film it," he groused.

"Can't be helped at present. We'll just have to make do," I responded. I focused on the clouds and the little gap in them. "That gap will be my target."

"All right but that's your ceiling max. If you find yourself emerging above the clouds you'll need to drop back down to cloud level. You'd be too visible up there to any commercial aircraft, but you're small enough that you shouldn't trip off any alarms. We need to literally 'keep off the radar'."

"Hide in the clouds, got it."

"I hope you're not afraid of heights, because that fear might effect your TK focus."

"If I can travel in a plane, I can handle this," I asserted confidently. In truth I was feeling the nerves, and trying to project the confidence to take that one big leap into the sky.

"Well, when you're ready 'X', it's time to do what so many only dream of doing," encouraged JR.

"I know. I can't waste more time dawdling. I need to reunite with my parents soon… might as well have fun before then." I smiled and clamped my body with my TK. All set. I crouched my knees and looked up at the pretty blue hole in the clouds. "Lets fly!"

JR held tight onto my shoulder as I used all the power in my legs to jump as high as I could, using my TK to continue yanking me upward. I shot up into the sky accelerating. I screamed in joy as I climbed. I could see the clouds approaching and I shifted direction, aiming at the cloud gap.

I tried to use my TK to feel the cloud layer, but it wasn't solid enough to register. I shot through the hole in the clouds popping out above them. I halted my rising and observed the horizon. It was a sea of white fluffy clouds and more clouds that loomed over the blue horizon.

"Oh my god, this is so beautiful! I can only see this when I'm in a plane!" I scanned my surroundings, admiring the scenery.

I whooped with joy, realizing that I could fly and repeat the experience when I wanted.

"You're too high!" a small voice yelled. JR had burrowed inside my coat's collar to protect himself. Oops!

I descended into the clouds below, out of sight of any potential observers. Ugh! My TK didn't help my navigating and I had to rely on sight to get my bearings. It was like being lost in the old thick smog of Victorian London. I could feel the cold on my face but it wasn't bothering me as much as I had expected it to. Due to adrenalin or was it something else? But I could feel the difference in trying to breath, the air was too thin and I was starting to get lightheaded, my heart hammering. Still too high?

I dropped altitude to emerge below the clouds cover, much easier to see and a little easier to breathe. I hovered there, admiring the landscape spread below. Then I felt a tickling on my neck, JR was moving around.

"Is everything okay?" My voice sounded odd in the thin air.

I heard a strange buzzing.

"I can't hear you! Get closer to my ear!"

A few seconds later the tiny voice yelled. "I'm fine but I lost the camera! I couldn't hold on with your acceleration. I'm not sure if I dropped it or if it fell inside your clothing? Can you feel it?"

I couldn't feel anything different and I certainly didn't want him doing a body search on me, and then I realized that I had another option. I carefully patted myself down with my TK. Nothing.

"No, it's not on me. It must have fallen."

"Damn. Oh well. At least it's a nice view."

I hoped that he meant the landscape. JR was a friend and I didn't need any more complications in my life. But if he was referring to the scenery, it was an understatement. The lowlands stretched out below us to the west and south, chalk hills separated with vales and valleys like earthen waves rolling across the countryside. The green and brown surfaces were accented by flashes of white where erosion had exposed the chalk deposits underneath. Far to the east was a flat surface...the plain of Salisbury. From this distance I couldn't make out the details, but the famous Stonehenge monoliths were there somewhere. it was awesome!

"It's hard to breathe. We can't stay up here too long." JR yelled.

"Yes! Let me circle once and then we'll set down! I wonder how fast I can go?" I answered my own question by shooting off to circle the area, staying close to the cloud cover. Wow, if any serious birdwatchers were in the area they'd be getting a surprise. Oh, oh. but if anyone has a telephoto lens on their camera I'd be exposed!

"Hang on!" Shoot, now where did he park his car? There it is! I dove quickly and braked just in time, landing neat as a pin. Heh, those practice sessions were paying off after all.

Pausing to enjoy the moment, I startled when my phone rang. It was my mum.

"Alyssa, your father and I just got home. Where are you, dear?"

"Hi, I'm with a friend right now but I should be home shortly."

"All right. I'll start making dinner now. It's one of your favorites so come straight home before you father eats it all. Love you.""

"Love you too mum." I responded, putting my phone back in my pocket. "I'll need to get home soon."

JR had been sitting on my shoulder, amused. He hopped off and returned to normal size, grinning at my face. I was still really hyped and in a state of euphoria.

"And did you have fun?"

I smiled, embarrassed. "That was so amazing, JR, thank you. I can't believe it. I can fly!"

"Eh, you're a bird and almost any bird can fly."

"Yes, while this one certainly can." I spoke softly, trying not to boast.

"Don't feel an average girl anymore, do you? I'd say you must feel like some sort of hero," bantered JR.

I laughed. "I'm not a superhero, just a young girl with powers having fun."

"Well you do have the powers, maybe you should consider using them for good or for some cause," He suggested.

I didn't want to go there yet so I avoided the discussion. "As much as I would love to talk more about it, I think it's time I went home." I was still buzzing from the experience.

"Yeah, I think you are right. So, how about a hug?" JR offered, throwing out his arms.

"Sure why not." I was as happy as a lark, and now I could fly like one!

We embraced tightly. It felt good. And then he drove me home, dropping me off down the street from my house. I left my winter coat in his car for the next practice session to avoid having to explain to my parents why I was wearing it this time of the year.

I think I was strutting and skipping a little on my way home. In retrospect, I was oblivious that my cheery behavior might lead my parents to having suspicions of what I was up to.

The thought and speculation of becoming a superhero entered my mind, but it wasn't an idea that I was particularly keen on. Even I realized the many risks that profession would pose. I could fly! That ability gave me prospects to travel around the world and explore the vast wonders. Not many would get that opportunity to explore. Naively, I ignored the problems of entering those countries by flying in illegally, but the thought of traveling for free overshadowed any concern for the concept of illegal entry.

Daydreaming, I arrived at my parents house too soon and let myself in. As I entered the house I was greeted by my mum entering the hallway with a smile on her face. We embraced but then mum noticed something odd when touching my skin.

"Alyssa, you're skin's so cool yet it's warm outside. Do you feel all right?" Before I could answer with an alibi my father entered the hallway, distracting us.

After eating dinner and chatting I noticed the time. Oh oh, I still had a rendezvous scheduled with Charles, my boyfriend. I started to leave to get ready, looking chirpy and jaunty, but my parents stopped me. They were looking at me with suspicion.

I was puzzled. "What's wrong?"

My mum eyed me carefully. "You know, Alysssa, you seem like you're in an unusually good mood. What happened to you today?"

"I just flew today." I answered truthfully, which caused my folks to frown in an odd way.

"But your flight was last week?" Mum said.

"I mean metaphorically. I just had a busy and productive day. Got to enjoy it while it lasts. I need to get ready now." I smiled and then skipped up the stairs, leaving my parents wondering about my behavior.

To be continued...