AN: This isn't literal, so don't take it as such.
"Sink or Swim"
When I was young and wandering about the ARK, I one day came across a door marked with black and yellow tape. "Do not enter", it read, "Danger ahead". Being young and naturally curious, I pushed it open.
Not long after doing so, I regretted it.
Many years later, now alone and stranded in an alien world, I find myself in a similar scenario. I'm standing in front of a thick steel door clearly marked "DANGER". This time, however, having learned from my previous experience, I know what waits on the other side.
Death.
But for some reason, I still want to open that damned door.
Should I follow my instincts and turn around, or should I push aside my will to live and leap into the mysterious unknown?
I bat the thought around in my mind for several minutes. In all honesty, I want to go through the pain again. I want to worry about hitting the ground hard. I want to curse myself for not being like the others. I want to punish myself.
It doesn't take long for me to reach my decision.
Let go of what you've always feared. Forget it all.
In an instant, I'm falling with my arms outstretched, mentally cursing my needy brain. Although I will inevitably come to regret this in the end, all I can focus on is how good it feels to fall right now. Oh, how I've missed this feeling: the wind in my quills, the crisp, cold bite. Yes, I will die, but it will all be worth it.
To me, simply being able to feel something is good enough.
~End~