Read 52 - How I Learned to Fly for Free Online

couldn’t flip around. My feet were still
straight up. All the blood was rushing down to my head!
    I floated higher. Up through a cloud.
    I gasped for air. I struggled to turn. Suddenly, I felt faint.
    Superheroes don’t fly feet first! I scolded myself. Do something!
    I brought my knees to my chest—and my body spun around.
    It worked. I was right-side up.
    But now Morty was behind me.
    I twisted in the air—struggling to turn, struggling to catch sight of him.
    Yes! I could see Morty—floating even higher.
    I floated up, up—toward him.
    Closer… closer.
    “Hold on, Morty,” I called. “I’m almost there!”
    I felt a rush of wind in my face.
    Two robins soared past, swooping out of my path.
    I peered down. My house and garage looked like toys—so tiny. Wilson’s house
looked even smaller than mine. Ha!
    I was flying! I couldn’t believe it! I was really, really flying.
    I floated up. Close to Morty. He stared at me, whimpering, his whole body
trembling as he floated.
    “Hold on, boy.” I stretched out my hands. But I couldn’t reach him.
    I floated closer. I tried to pick up speed, but I didn’t know how. All I
could do was float on the air currents. Float in the direction they carried me.
    I grabbed for the dog again. Missed.
    He floated two or three feet from my grasp.
    I’m going to lose Morty forever! I thought.
    A stiff breeze picked me up.
    I shot ahead on it. But so did Morty.
    I could hear his terrified whimpers as he floated up toward the blazing sun.
    I floated closer… closer. I stretched out my hands again. I could almost
touch him now. Almost.
    It was so hot up here. I felt as if I were burning up. And poor Morty. His
little body heaved in the heat.
    His head drooped limply. His tongue sagged out.
    He wasn’t going to make it!
    I floated closer. I reached out again… and… GOT HIM!
    I pulled Morty into my arms. His entire body shook. I held him snugly against
my chest—and gazed down as I floated higher… higher.
    HIGHER.
    Oh, no!
    A terrifying thought suddenly gripped me.
    I’m just going to keep floating higher. And higher. I don’t know how to get
down!

 
 
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    I drifted higher.
    My temples pounded.
    The world beneath me began to shrink—smaller and smaller.
    I could barely make out my house now—it looked as if it could fit in the
palm of my hand. In the distance, the ocean stretched like a blue carpet. The
beach was a slender yellow ribbon.
    I felt dizzy. Sick.
    Morty gazed down and whimpered.
    “It’s okay, boy,” I told him. “We’re going home now.”
    But how? HOW?
    I shifted Morty into one arm. I stretched out my other arm. Pointed it to my
right.
    I swerved to the right!
    Hey—not bad!
    I pointed to my left—and flew to the left!
    This was great!
    I pointed my arm down.
    Whoaaa! I started to dive.
    I brought my arm up quickly—and soared straight ahead.
    If I held my feet tightly together, I picked up speed. When I separated them
slightly—I slowed down.
    Awesome!
    I sailed through the sky. I floated. Glided. Drifted. Soared. I even flew on
my back!
    I let the breeze gently lift me up. Then I lowered my arm and swooped down,
then up again.
    I gazed at the hills below. At the houses that nested in them.
    The houses seemed to dot the hills in a perfect pattern—right down to the
beach front.
    I could see Mrs. Green’s pool—the size of a postage stamp from up here. A
sparkling blue postage stamp.
    And the ocean—the ocean! I flew low over the waves, holding Morty tightly,
feeling the cold, refreshing spray on my face.
    Then I soared back up to the hills. Funny, I thought. Gazing at the world
from way up here should seem scary. But it isn’t scary at all.
    In fact, it feels safer. Calmer. Not as confusing as when you’re in it, down
below.
    I held my feet tightly together and soared over my school.
    “Hey! Morty! Look who’s on the playground! There’s Ray and Ethan! Shooting
baskets.”
    I swooped low behind some treetops, then flew