I heard stories about the Eternal Windstream. It will test you; it might break you, but if you’re strong enough, it will take you wherever you wish.
My search for it is finally over. I feel the flow of air and its pulsating energy before me. Excited, I step off the cliff.
The fall doesn’t last long. I spread my wings and enjoy the sensation of the wind in my feathers. And up the sky I go, gaining speed. Effortless.
I look back. The land gets further away. How far can I go now? How far should I go?
The wind gets stronger – now I have to fight with it to stay in the flow.
I stare into the bluest blue of the sky in front of me. Where does my journey end? When should it? Why would it?
Questions dawn on me, and I lose focus. The flight becomes the fall, and the wind firmly lands me into the ground.
I cough. And get up. I’m not done yet.
Forests are burning. Now, again, as they always do. And I’m trapped – not in the fire but in the circle. That’s why I’m doing it. The world is too tight. The world is not enough.
So, I set off again. My feathers are dirty. My wings are tired. My heart is beating too fast, but my brain is struggling to stay awake.
I heard stories about the world above the sky. There will be space, and silence, and freedom. Moreover, there will be no fires, even if it means no forests.
The wind holds me gently this time, but I don’t rely on it. I keep my wings wide, letting the flow lead me. It feels different this time. The speed grows higher, but the flight is steady. I lose control, but I trust the flow. The Windstream already chose me.
Soon, I fly so fast that I can’t keep up with myself anymore. My forest is so far away, yet I feel I’m still there while my body shoots into the sky.
And suddenly, everything goes silent. No more wind. No more blue sky. I’m floating amid the darkness. Little points of light are smiling at me. I know my forest is below me, but unreachable.
The Cosmos is welcoming me with calm majesty.
Slowly, I fly around, discovering that the Windstream gave me the ability to navigate this form of life. There are different laws, but it’s manageable.
There’s a lot of space and no one to judge me. There’s freedom. There’s a future.
Still, I can’t help but look back. I don’t belong here, and I miss my old life or whatever is left of it. There’s another future there.
The Windstream is flowing beside me. I know it will accept me again if I get there. I don’t know if I should. I don’t know if I want to.
It’s a good thing that there is no wrong answer. The journey can take any form.
