Flight to the Horizon by Julie Tizard

Author:Julie Tizard [Tizard, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635553321
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2019-12-20T16:00:00+00:00

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Thursday, May 8

Kerri’s eyelids were crusted closed with salt. Her right arm and hand were numb. She was nauseous and disoriented. She forced her eyes open and carefully raised the edge of the canopy to look outside. Kerri thought she was seeing an illusion. As she blinked, the vision became real. It was a thin band of dark blue against the black sky. Recognition from years of all-night flights brought a tiny smile to her cracked lips. It was the first light of dawn. By some miracle, they were still alive.

They had survived the worst night of her life. She hoped no one was seriously injured, since all they had was a first-aid kit. The howling wind had died down, and she could hear people moaning. The raft appeared to be mainly intact, and she didn’t want to wake any passengers. She took a moment to enjoy the sight of the horizon and relish the dawn light creeping into the sky. She hadn’t been sure she’d ever see this sight again. It was a new day, and it certainly couldn’t be any worse than yesterday.

Kerri’s shoulder hurt, and she was aware of her arm still wrapped around the rope. She also felt Janine stir next to her. She had her left arm around Janine’s shoulder, and both her legs were wrapped around Janine’s waist. Kerri’s shoulder throbbed, but she didn’t want to disturb Janine. Her nearness was comforting. After enduring the Seventh Circle of Hell last night, she just wanted to enjoy the sensation of Janine next to her for a moment.

“Are we dead?” Janine’s voice was raspy.

“Not yet, but we came real close. Are you all right?”

“You held on to to me with your legs. I guess I couldn’t grip the rope anymore. Thanks.”

Kerri disentangled herself from Janine. “We need to assess the condition of the raft and the passengers.”

“Can we just take a minute to breathe and leave the raft and the passengers alone for the moment?”

“Sure.”

Kerri put her logical, analytical, task-oriented brain on hold, took a deep breath, and just sat next to Janine. They were cramped and uncomfortable, but Kerri enjoyed the sensation of having Janine next to her. Her clothes were damp, her blond hair disheveled, but she was still beautiful, except for the dark circles under her eyes. They didn’t speak. Instead, they just watched the eastern sky as the first light of day chased away the frightening darkness.

Watching the sun rise, after flying all night long, was one of the most beautiful sights Kerri enjoyed from her pilot’s seat. The pale colors slowly emerged from the black sky—first as dark blue, then lighter blue, then soft gold and pink as the day became alive. It would be several minutes before the actual sun came up, but seeing the amazing colors of dawn gave Kerri a small glimmer of hope that they might be rescued.

“It’s so beautiful,” Janine whispered, like she didn’t want to break the magic spell.

“Yes, it is.”

They sat next to each other in silence, looking at the sky, just breathing fresh air.

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