Thomas Simard

Terminal velocity

The rickety panels of this outdated small-cabin Cessna reminded Sam of the loose panes of glass on his old school bus's sliding windows. How some days they would vibrate incessantly as it traversed his bumpy neighborhood roads, making it impossible to get some before-school shuteye, or to even think. Simpler times, he reckoned. His mind drifted to the next coach he would board, which would arrive courtesy of the United States military, the Air Force to be exact, and would see him off to Fort Benning, GA. Before he knew it, most of his time was spent off-roading, approximately five miles above it; moving four times the speed of sound.