PianoManGibb
Tickler of the Ivories
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 85
- Reaction score
- 1
Hello! This is my first time posting here, so I really hope I'm doing this right... 
If anyone would like to comment on this, I am going to be creating separate threads for each chapter on the URPG section of Bulbagarden. I'd prefer not to clutter this thread here with reviews or discussions. Also, there's a URPG-related reason... I'll link to the chapter's discussion and review thread at the end of each chapter. Bear in mind that this is a work in progress throughout: Every chapter can, and will, get edited if it needs to be. I will make sure to put in some indication of when and how many edits were made. Well, without further ado, let's begin!
Chapter 1: Youth
Version 1: July 21, 2014
For as long as I can remember,
I had dreamed of flight.
I would look up into the sky,
And imagine frolicking in its
Deep, blue oceans
And frothy, white waves.
***
I remember the first time I flew.
There was a sharp sensation in my back.
Above me, I could hear the flaps of wings
Not my own.
A red feather floated past,
Coming so close to my face I could almost touch it,
Only to whip away in the breeze.
I could not look up,
Only down.
And so I looked.
I watched the world rush away from me.
I was terrified.
And yet, I was happy.
It is an empowering thing, feeling the breeze beneath you.
Most of the time, you feel a victim to the winds,
Buffeted whichever way they go.
You are helpless in the face of their unstoppable purpose.
And yet, when you are above the winds,
You are their master.
Even then,
On that flight which I expected to be my first and my last,
I felt powerful over the wind
For the first time in my life.
***
I do not know how I survived to fly a second time.
I am told that, for some reason, I was dropped.
I am told I fell 2 trees’ height.
I should have died.
But I didn’t.
***
For a long time after, I felt vulnerable.
I would hide in the green grass,
Self-conscious of my every mark,
Yellow targets and a red handle.
However I could not shake the memory of flight.
And so, after the long time had passed,
I began to climb trees.
I would stand on sturdy branches
For hours on end,
Feeling the air pass over my body.
It was exhilarating.
***
The second time I flew was much shorter than the first.
I was perched upon a branch,
Basking in the fresh breeze,
When a rock hit me.
I lost my balance
And flew straight down.
As I flew, I felt a red glow surround me.
I knew what this was.
Others had warned me of the red and white rocks
That make you disappear.
Panicking, I summoned all my willpower and strength,
And struggled against the glow’s pull.
But it was pointless.
I was just as powerless against the glow
As I was powerless against the wind.
I had only been given seconds of flight,
And it had been nothing like the first time.
There was no rush of air under me,
No satisfaction of watching the land rush away.
There was only a sense of
Helplessness.
***
I do not know how I survived to fly a third time.
I am told that, for some reason, the glow let me go.
I am told that I fell half a tree’s height.
I should have disappeared.
But I didn’t.
***
These two experiences of flight
Left a lasting mark on me.
I became distrustful of others,
And quickly secluded myself from all those
I had once called friends.
Even the ones who had been so good to tell me
What had happened when I had flown,
I pushed away.
I stopped climbing branches.
I stopped even looking up into the sky.
The wind no longer gave me dreams,
Only nightmares.
Nightmares of oblivion
And plummets that last forever
And red feathers
Attached to red and white rocks.
But after a time,
I ran out of nightmares.
One day,
I looked into the sky
And again saw the deep, blue oceans
And frothy, white waves.
I imagined having wings,
Darting between the waves and the oceans,
Mastering the winds and bending them to my bidding.
Again, I began to dream.
***
And eventually,
My dreams took form.
Indeed, an unorthodox form,
Green, crescent-shaped and bulky,
But I was happy to finally see the results of my dreaming.
In my new shell,
I hung myself from a tall branch
And felt the wind surround me day after day.
And in time, I felt something growing on my back.
That something became two somethings,
Then three,
Then four.
Eventually, these things could no longer be contained in my shell,
So I broke out.
Immediately, I started flying straight down again.
But I was ready.
For on my back, I had grown
Wings.
***
The third time I flew was much longer than I had ever flown before.
With a thrust of my gossamer wings,
My downward flight became upward.
I entered the oceans and waves I had marvelled at for so long,
Becoming a small purple blur within the unending blue.
I mastered the winds,
And watched the ground rush away from me.
And indeed, it was a dream come true.
***
I do not know what I did to deserve this gift.
I should come down some day.
But I won’t.
Here is the discussion and review thread
If anyone would like to comment on this, I am going to be creating separate threads for each chapter on the URPG section of Bulbagarden. I'd prefer not to clutter this thread here with reviews or discussions. Also, there's a URPG-related reason... I'll link to the chapter's discussion and review thread at the end of each chapter. Bear in mind that this is a work in progress throughout: Every chapter can, and will, get edited if it needs to be. I will make sure to put in some indication of when and how many edits were made. Well, without further ado, let's begin!
Chapter 1: Youth
Version 1: July 21, 2014
For as long as I can remember,
I had dreamed of flight.
I would look up into the sky,
And imagine frolicking in its
Deep, blue oceans
And frothy, white waves.
***
I remember the first time I flew.
There was a sharp sensation in my back.
Above me, I could hear the flaps of wings
Not my own.
A red feather floated past,
Coming so close to my face I could almost touch it,
Only to whip away in the breeze.
I could not look up,
Only down.
And so I looked.
I watched the world rush away from me.
I was terrified.
And yet, I was happy.
It is an empowering thing, feeling the breeze beneath you.
Most of the time, you feel a victim to the winds,
Buffeted whichever way they go.
You are helpless in the face of their unstoppable purpose.
And yet, when you are above the winds,
You are their master.
Even then,
On that flight which I expected to be my first and my last,
I felt powerful over the wind
For the first time in my life.
***
I do not know how I survived to fly a second time.
I am told that, for some reason, I was dropped.
I am told I fell 2 trees’ height.
I should have died.
But I didn’t.
***
For a long time after, I felt vulnerable.
I would hide in the green grass,
Self-conscious of my every mark,
Yellow targets and a red handle.
However I could not shake the memory of flight.
And so, after the long time had passed,
I began to climb trees.
I would stand on sturdy branches
For hours on end,
Feeling the air pass over my body.
It was exhilarating.
***
The second time I flew was much shorter than the first.
I was perched upon a branch,
Basking in the fresh breeze,
When a rock hit me.
I lost my balance
And flew straight down.
As I flew, I felt a red glow surround me.
I knew what this was.
Others had warned me of the red and white rocks
That make you disappear.
Panicking, I summoned all my willpower and strength,
And struggled against the glow’s pull.
But it was pointless.
I was just as powerless against the glow
As I was powerless against the wind.
I had only been given seconds of flight,
And it had been nothing like the first time.
There was no rush of air under me,
No satisfaction of watching the land rush away.
There was only a sense of
Helplessness.
***
I do not know how I survived to fly a third time.
I am told that, for some reason, the glow let me go.
I am told that I fell half a tree’s height.
I should have disappeared.
But I didn’t.
***
These two experiences of flight
Left a lasting mark on me.
I became distrustful of others,
And quickly secluded myself from all those
I had once called friends.
Even the ones who had been so good to tell me
What had happened when I had flown,
I pushed away.
I stopped climbing branches.
I stopped even looking up into the sky.
The wind no longer gave me dreams,
Only nightmares.
Nightmares of oblivion
And plummets that last forever
And red feathers
Attached to red and white rocks.
But after a time,
I ran out of nightmares.
One day,
I looked into the sky
And again saw the deep, blue oceans
And frothy, white waves.
I imagined having wings,
Darting between the waves and the oceans,
Mastering the winds and bending them to my bidding.
Again, I began to dream.
***
And eventually,
My dreams took form.
Indeed, an unorthodox form,
Green, crescent-shaped and bulky,
But I was happy to finally see the results of my dreaming.
In my new shell,
I hung myself from a tall branch
And felt the wind surround me day after day.
And in time, I felt something growing on my back.
That something became two somethings,
Then three,
Then four.
Eventually, these things could no longer be contained in my shell,
So I broke out.
Immediately, I started flying straight down again.
But I was ready.
For on my back, I had grown
Wings.
***
The third time I flew was much longer than I had ever flown before.
With a thrust of my gossamer wings,
My downward flight became upward.
I entered the oceans and waves I had marvelled at for so long,
Becoming a small purple blur within the unending blue.
I mastered the winds,
And watched the ground rush away from me.
And indeed, it was a dream come true.
***
I do not know what I did to deserve this gift.
I should come down some day.
But I won’t.
Here is the discussion and review thread
Last edited:
