One Hour

“Sandra, thank you for joining me today. I daresay, we had a breakthrough last week. I’d like to explore that path a bit more.”

As usual, I set my purse down on the small table next to the door and sat on the couch, leaning against its arm. Tea was already placed in front of me. I grabbed it, embracing the warmth in my cold hands, and smelled the silky aroma emanating from the mug. Jasmine.

“Are you sure you don’t want to lie down?”

No, I never lie down. I shook my head.

“Now Sandra, I want you to describe floating in space.”

My response must have looked skeptical.

A slight chuckle, and, “Yes, it’s not one of my typical questions. But take it however you like.” Leaning back in their chair, no paper and pen, but folded hands over their crossed legs.

“So tell me, what is it like to float in space?”

I took a sip of my tea and began:

“I first experienced it in my living room when I was about 13 years old. I wanted to fly, but knew I wasn’t ready for that yet. I needed to practice. The trick was to relax completely - like feeling the tingles all throughout your body. I’d start at my toes and imagine a warmth flowing through my veins. When it got all the way to my neck, I’d lean forward. The second trick was harder than the first because you had to have complete faith it was possible. I wanted it so bad, so it had to be. As I leaned forward, I imagined I was as light as a feather - even lighter - and I’d suddenly feel my feet lift off the floor. The first time it happened, I smiled so big and lost all concentration. I crashed to the floor, but got right back up again.

In not too long, I was floating all through the house and even doing somersaults in the air. There was a blue aura everywhere and no one was ever home. I felt like I entered another dimension for the sole purpose of learning to fly.

As I got older, I ventured outside. I’d jump on the trampoline for an extra boost of air, but one time I jumped too high and I kept going up and up and up. I was terrified I was going to fly out into space and suffocate. I swam over to the roof of my house and tried to bring feeling back to my body so I could start going down. It was surprisingly harder than getting off the ground and I was so scared. When I finally landed on the roof, I laid there sobbing my heart out. I didn’t use the trampoline ever again.

Years went by, and I learned to professionally float - but not fly. Then one day, although I wasn’t in school anymore, I found myself wearing a backpack and walking down the path I used to take to get home from school. It was a foggy day, so foggy you could barely see down the block. There wasn’t a breeze and I heard nothing other than my footsteps. I guess it was calming in a way, but I still felt a looming presence.

I wanted to get home quickly, so I cut through my neighbor’s yard. The fog continued to surround me, almost touching the ground at this point. So it wasn’t until I was about a foot away before I realized I had almost run into a pear tree. I approached it and one of the pears detached and fell. The suddenness startled me and I tensed, waiting for it to hit the ground. But it didn't.

It halted about a foot off the ground to just start floating away. But it dawned on me that I could fly now. I threw down my backpack, kicked off the ground with my heels, and soared into the sky.

I felt everything. From the chilled wind hitting my face, to the damp fog clinging to my clothes. Adrenaline flowed through every inch of me, and I wasn’t scared. I felt pure joy. I smiled from ear to ear as I flew in circles and loops. I couldn't believe it was finally happening.

I wanted to go higher so I escaped the confines of the yard- flew above the electric lines and the telephone poles. The fog up there was so thick that it covered my outstretched arms up to my elbows and I couldn’t even see my hands. At one point, I slowed down to take in the moment. The looming presence from earlier was a forgotten memory.”

I shifted uncomfortably and leaned forward planting both feet on the ground. I took another sip of tea before I continued,

“As I was flying with my arms out in front of me, someone in the fog grabbed both my arms. They held on as though they would never let go. I was in shock - I didn’t know what to do. And before I could do anything, I heard a voice in my head.

"Isn't this great?!" It didn’t sound threatening at all, but I was still so scared because I recognized the voice as my own. It was more than telepathy though - I also felt this “other” me’s happiness. I felt her excitement, her comfort and safety. It was everything I was feeling when I first started flying. I wasn’t supposed to be terrified, but I couldn’t shake it off and decided to wake myself up.

Ever since then I’ve been too scared to fly - fearing I’ll run into “other” me again.”

I looked up to see a huge smile sitting across from me.

“You’re a smart woman. I assume you already know what this means.”

I sighed, set my tea down and smiled back.

“Yeah, I think I do actually.”

The timer chimed. One hour gone already.

“You’ll make a formidable team.”