The Price We Pay For Flight

Growing up I had everything. The perfect parents who spoiled me with unconditional love and affection. I got everything I ever longed for, endless gifts no matter the price range. If I asked, it was mine, no questions asked. Never did I predict how much I was going to lose.

The world as I knew it crumbled beyond compare, with an unknown disease spreading, thousands had lost their lives. Left on the other side of the city with distant relatives, my parents decided to travel for their anniversary. At first, no one knew what was going on, just that people began getting extremely aggressive towards others. News broke out about violent attacks, followed by riots and extreme looting. Not once did I hear from my parents, and never would I.

The area my distant relatives lived in was gang territory. Safety was limited to the house we occupied. When it was time to leave for food and supplies, my job was to stay behind and watch their son Dominick. One day, they never came back. Dominick and I were left to fend for ourselves, and it was my responsibility to protect him. Taking care of a three-year-old boy was difficult, and we found ourselves fighting a lot. From my perspective, Dominick didn't seem to like me, and he caused many different problems. One time Dominick had gotten a hold of barbeque skewers that he used over the stove. When I tried to take them away, he slashed me across the cheekbone with them. Now I have a red slash that runs across my face. At first, I was angry, but I realized he was probably acting out because he didn't know where his parents were. Dominick was just a boy and couldn't understand what was happening. I grew to care for him, and I believe he grew to like me too.

It wasn't long before our neighborhood came under attack. At the time, I didn't understand what was happening. I didn't know what the disease was back then. But now I know it was the diseased ones. It wasn't people who were attacking us, not anymore.

Amid everything, I lost sight of Dominick. "Dom" "Dom, where are you?" I remember screaming, but I couldn't find him. Houses were on fire, people were screaming for help. All I could care about was Dominick. Why did I have to lose sight of him? He was just three, and I lost him. What else could I do? I couldn't stay there, so I ran. Of course, I cared for Dominick, but maybe someone else found him. Everywhere I looked was complete chaos, and I needed to find somewhere safe. I kept running until I couldn't anymore. Out of breath, I stumbled through a patch of trees and fell to the ground. It was getting dark, and I had to find somewhere safe. When I looked back, I could see smoke, and all I could do was continue forward.

As I walked around in the woods, I came across an old barn. I peeked in through an old slab of wood, it seemed abandoned. Stealthily, I opened the barn doors and locked them behind me. Once I realized there was nothing but hay, I slumped down to the ground and began to cry. From this point on, I was officially alone. I didn't know what to do, or where to go, I was scared. Some time had passed before I stopped crying. Laying down in a pile of hay, I looked up. At the very top of the ceiling, in the corner, an owl peeked down at me. Sniffling I said, "Are you alone too?" Of course, the owl said nothing, but it continued to look at me and me at it. As I studied the creature, it appeared smaller than the average owl. The owl must have just left its nest. That left me wondering, "It must've taken a lot of courage for you to leap out of your nest with the risk of falling." I huffed, "Don't you miss your family, I mean, I wouldn't want to be alone. Growing up is scary. You have to do everything by yourself." As I thought about it, I knew I wasn't ready to leave my own nest. The world threw me out of mine like a big gush of wind. As I looked up at the bird I thought to myself, 'everything we do has a price.' When you left your nest, you might have just fallen to the ground. And yet you didn't, you flew. You took a chance and you discovered what it was like to fly.

At some point, I must've dozed off because I could see a light shining through cracks in the barn. Dawn had just arisen, and I knew what I had to do. It was time for me to make a choice. What was I going to do? What I wanted to do was see my parents. There was a chance they arrived home and are just waiting for me. I stood up, took a look up at that owl one last time. The wl's eyes were closed, sleeping. For the first time in days, I smiled and said, "Goodbye, dear friend." As I walked up to the barn door, I peeked out and made sure it was safe. Unlocking the barn door, I took a step out into the morning sun. "Okay," I said, "Let's go home."