Freier Fall Page

He kicked the emergency door open. The roar of the wind was a physical blow, a wall of ice and noise. He looked back at the terrified faces in the cabin, but there was no time for heroics, only physics. He stepped out.

Elias drifted down, landing in a soft field of clover. He lay there for a long time, staring up at the empty blue sky, his heart hammering against his ribs. He had survived the fall, but he knew he’d left a piece of himself up there in the clouds—the part that was ever afraid of letting go. Freier Fall

At 4,000 feet, the ground stopped being a map and started being a destination. Trees became individual sparks of green. He reached for the rip cord. He pulled. He kicked the emergency door open

He checked his altimeter: 12,000 feet. The air was getting thicker, warmer. He could see the green patchwork of fields below, looking like a miniature train set. He stepped out