By: Michal Reiben

Anna climbs her dear friend, the Wellingtonia tree quickly and easily for she knows its every branch; it’s a giant of a tree, an evergreen with down swept branches, a rough, noduled bark, dense foliage, and little egg-shaped cones. At the treetop, the wind blows through the branches with a powerful force swirling her back and forth but she loves it, it’s exciting. She feels a coolness over her skin, her plaits whip around and she can hear the branches sing a rustling chorus. 

An old rag, which someone had tied at the top of the tree flutters in the wind like a flag.  She looks out at the scenery, witnessing the woods spread out beneath her; notes the grey, slate roof of the boarding school where she is a pupil. It is built from red bricks and has tendrils of luscious, purple wisteria scrambling up its walls. She is thrilled that the Wellingtonia tree is the tallest in the whole region.

To-day Anna has carried a homemade parachute up with her. She fixes its straps into place around her body and then slowly worms her way along the most out-standing branch. Upon reaching its end, dread creeps over her like an icy chill, however, she is determined to jump. She counts to three and then bravely leaps into the air. Upon pulling the parachute’s cord it doesn’t open and she begins to fall! She trembles from head to toe from fear and expects to plummet to her death. Miraculously, a miracle occurs and suddenly she’s flying like a bird. She can’t believe it. She calls out to some children down on the ground,

“HI, you kids down there, look up at me. I’m flying.”

They look up at her and wave.

Abruptly she’s descending, swooping down towards the ground. With a big bump, she lands in a daisy-filled pasture at the back of the boarding school… Anna wakes up to discover she’s fallen out of the top bunk in her dormitory onto the floor. Her dream ends abruptly. She sits up and rubs her knuckles into her eyes.  She notices the rug underneath her is decorated with a pattern of daisies. Anna laughs at herself, for she’d believed she could fly!