It Began With a Story…

Sebastian had a vivid imagination. He loved to listen to stories, especially at bedtime. He always imagined himself a character in every story. 

The end of the day was his favorite time. Tonight, he patiently waited. His Dad would tuck him snuggly into bed and then read him a bedtime story. Sebastian was ready. He had snacked on his favorite chocolate chip cookie with a cold glass of milk. His teeth were brushed and sparkled with the lamplight when he smiled extra big. He had taken a nice warm bath and had his new PJs on. His PJs were his favorite with jets and airplanes. So, he scooted deep under the covers, wiggled his ten toes, and waited for his dad. As he waited, he took a deep breath and exhaled very slowly. He relaxed.

Finally, Dad arrived and just in time too because Sebastian was sleepy. His eyelids felt very heavy and he struggled to keep them open.  He focused all his energy to stay awake and with one finger lifted each of his eyelids, one at a time. There! Sebastian got both eyes open at the same time. They took turns closing and opening again and again.  Dad sat down next to the bed and began reading a story aloud.  Oops, one eyelid shut but Sebastian caught it and opened it up wide. He propped his eyes open with his fingers just to make sure they stayed open. His head felt heavy and his whole body relaxed. He was comfy and warm. He wanted to hear every part of the story. He listened to his Dad’s voice as he read aloud.

And the story began. There once lived a boy who loved everything about flying. He loved to watch planes fly high in the sky.  He loved to watch birds fly from tree to tree. He loved to watch fish jump in the air and fly before splashing back into the water.  He would even watch bees as they buzzed around the garden. Sometimes he would fly his kite just so he could see it fly up and down with the wind. He would spend hours and watch anything, and everything flies. He wished he could fly.

Sometimes Sebastian would stand on top of a big rock in his backyard and flap his arms up and down. But he didn’t float and didn’t fly.

Sometimes on a windy day, he would sit high in a tree, close his eyes, listen to the breeze and pretend he was flying, but he really wasn’t.

Sometimes he would close his eyes and imagine he was flying all by himself.  He was as light as a feather.

Sebastian listened to the story and then he remembered a bird feather he had collected on one of his hikes and he gently took it out of his bed stand. He held it in his hand as he listened to his Dad. Suddenly a gust of wind blew in from outside. Sebastian held tightly unto his feather. The wind picked him up. The window was open and out he flew holding on to his feather.

He flew up into the sky and was carried by the wind. At first, Sebastian was startled but quickly figured out he could control where he was flying. He used his feather to steer and so he moved up, down, right, and left.  

He was so happy he was giddy. He was flying! He felt weightless.  He felt invincible.

He flew over his house, his backyard, his school, and the neighborhood park. Sebastian could see everything as he flew. As the wind blew, Sebastian and the feather would fly.

The wind carried Sebastian over the city. He saw people walking and talking. Just as he imagined. He flew near his bedroom window and saw his Dad sitting in a chair reading.

He dipped down and then sped straight up. He flew around in a big circle with his arms stretched out at his sides, like an airplane and almost crashed into a butterfly who was obviously surprised to see a little boy flying up in the sky.

Then he flew straight up into the clouds and for a second couldn’t see in front of his nose, but he kept calm and flew back into the clear sky.

A hawk flew next to Sebastian. And in a snap, they were racing neck to neck, Sebastian was flying so fast he began to feel a bit dizzy, so he slowed down, and the hawk won. That was okay because Sebastian had a lot of fun racing.

After flying for a while Sebastian realized he was a bit tired and decided to fly back home. The wind was beginning to die down and he didn’t want to take a chance of not having any wind energy to continue flying.

He flew back in thru the window. Dad was sitting on a chair next to the bed reading aloud and hadn’t noticed anything unusual. Sebastian quietly snuggled under the blankets and went fast to sleep listening to his Dad read a story. His Dad had been so engrossed in the story he never noticed Sebastian had taken off on a flying adventure. Then his Dad glanced at Sebastian who all during the story had been happily dreaming snug in bed and fast asleep.

The End.