Flying
"Xtreme SkyflyerXtreme Skyflyer™ is Canada's largest free-fall swing. On Xtreme Skyflyer™ riders control their own ride experience by pulling the rip cord and initiating a 170-foot power flight that takes riders through a breathtaking pendulum swing, soaring a mere six feet above the ground! Drawing its inspiration from skydiving, riders will experience weightlessness and speeds of more than 100km/hr."
They strapped us in neon oranage vests, not unlike the garb donned by prisoners in Cuba, complete with chains bolted around our ankles. We climbed a platform, our home base from where we would embark into the unknown, there two ride operators bound us in ropes. Sirin,the tallest in the middle, Sumaiya on her right, appointed to task of pulling the cord, and me on her left. Wordlessly we looked at eachother and back at the tip of the imposing tower which seemed to disappear into the clear blue sky overhead. "Ready?" we nodded in the affirmative,the three of us caught too up in visions of horrific scenarios to form any words. In an instant the chains were yanked out from under our feet. Caught unaware we all screamed, "Whoaaaaa" . The adventure had begun.
We were suspended in the air,face to face with the substance we were created from," From dust you were created, and to dust you shall return." Slowly we began our ascent. The first few moments were surprisingly pleasent,the light wind soothing our jittery nerves. As we rose higher towards the glaring light of the fiery sun,the scenery below shurnk into a toyland before our eyes. The people mere blobs dotting a childs colourful scribbles. A minature legoland. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, no longer possessing the will to look down, I squeezed my eyes shut and silently cursed my earlier enthusiasm. Suddenly we came to a standstill. "OH MY GOD are we stuck?" I asked with rising panic. "No silly, we've reached the top. Open your eyes" for a minute the knowledge that we weren't stranded halfway flooded me with relief.Untill I opened my eyes. The sky appeared a million miles away, the ground appeared far enough to cause serious injuries to an individual falling from above. I snapped my eyes shut again. A few seconds later I took another tentative glimspe from behind hooded eyelids,my eyelashes providing a barrier from a clear sight of the plunge I was about to take. With a sinking heart, I repented for all my sins. Surely this was the end.
A voice crackled through the speakers located at the peak of the tower. "Flyers,pull the cord" hesitantly Summi swung her body to face me and Sirin.."Should I?" "Nooooooooo,it's ok we'll hang here till fajar,but DON'T rip the cord." Wry humor masking trembling emotions. I looked down, mentally preparing myself for my inevitable doom. My body involuntarily descended a few cm. The ground shot out from under me,Sumi had pulled the cord! Adrenaline pumped through my system. I was plummeting towards hard concrete at a speed of over 100/km per hour. Any minute my skull would crash into the asphalt and splatter into smithreens. The world around me transformed into a savage tornado, blinding me with its ferocity. . 5..4...I wasn't going to make it.Blood roared in my ears 3...2.. just a few centimeters off the ground, we defyed the laws of gravity and the force of our descent swung us into the air. A soaring sensation coursed through my veins. The crowd below erupted in cheers and exuberant shouts of "you go girls !" Exhilleration intensified my racing pulse. I had survived. As we swung back and forth, in a voice audible only to my ears, I softly sang " I believe i can fly."
They strapped us in neon oranage vests, not unlike the garb donned by prisoners in Cuba, complete with chains bolted around our ankles. We climbed a platform, our home base from where we would embark into the unknown, there two ride operators bound us in ropes. Sirin,the tallest in the middle, Sumaiya on her right, appointed to task of pulling the cord, and me on her left. Wordlessly we looked at eachother and back at the tip of the imposing tower which seemed to disappear into the clear blue sky overhead. "Ready?" we nodded in the affirmative,the three of us caught too up in visions of horrific scenarios to form any words. In an instant the chains were yanked out from under our feet. Caught unaware we all screamed, "Whoaaaaa" . The adventure had begun.
We were suspended in the air,face to face with the substance we were created from," From dust you were created, and to dust you shall return." Slowly we began our ascent. The first few moments were surprisingly pleasent,the light wind soothing our jittery nerves. As we rose higher towards the glaring light of the fiery sun,the scenery below shurnk into a toyland before our eyes. The people mere blobs dotting a childs colourful scribbles. A minature legoland. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, no longer possessing the will to look down, I squeezed my eyes shut and silently cursed my earlier enthusiasm. Suddenly we came to a standstill. "OH MY GOD are we stuck?" I asked with rising panic. "No silly, we've reached the top. Open your eyes" for a minute the knowledge that we weren't stranded halfway flooded me with relief.Untill I opened my eyes. The sky appeared a million miles away, the ground appeared far enough to cause serious injuries to an individual falling from above. I snapped my eyes shut again. A few seconds later I took another tentative glimspe from behind hooded eyelids,my eyelashes providing a barrier from a clear sight of the plunge I was about to take. With a sinking heart, I repented for all my sins. Surely this was the end.
A voice crackled through the speakers located at the peak of the tower. "Flyers,pull the cord" hesitantly Summi swung her body to face me and Sirin.."Should I?" "Nooooooooo,it's ok we'll hang here till fajar,but DON'T rip the cord." Wry humor masking trembling emotions. I looked down, mentally preparing myself for my inevitable doom. My body involuntarily descended a few cm. The ground shot out from under me,Sumi had pulled the cord! Adrenaline pumped through my system. I was plummeting towards hard concrete at a speed of over 100/km per hour. Any minute my skull would crash into the asphalt and splatter into smithreens. The world around me transformed into a savage tornado, blinding me with its ferocity. . 5..4...I wasn't going to make it.Blood roared in my ears 3...2.. just a few centimeters off the ground, we defyed the laws of gravity and the force of our descent swung us into the air. A soaring sensation coursed through my veins. The crowd below erupted in cheers and exuberant shouts of "you go girls !" Exhilleration intensified my racing pulse. I had survived. As we swung back and forth, in a voice audible only to my ears, I softly sang " I believe i can fly."
posted by Aishah @ 7:08 pm
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