Es and the Towel
As Es stared down at the cloth in her hands, she couldn’t help the disbelief that crawled through her mind. There was just-- There was no way Syed was being serious. “It-- Really? Are you sure?”
He reaches down, tousling her hair. “I’m sure, little Esmee. Don’t you believe me?” When he spoke with such sincerity in his words, she couldn’t help but nod. A smile grew across his face, quickly mirrored by Es’ own. “Now, come on; try it.”
“Father said--”
Crouching down a little to be at eye level with her, Syed tilted his head to one side. “Is your father here with us?” Wide eyed, Es shakes her head. “Then what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
Taking a step towards the edge of the roof, she held out the large towel in front of her. “I just-- I just jump off? And it’ll make me fly?”
Had Es been a little oder or a little less naive, she might have noticed the glint in her eye; but, alas, she was six and had a crush on her big brother’s best friend. So when he told her to jump, she did.
They were on one of the smaller roofs, their house having sections that capped off at different levels, but it felt like it took hours as Es fell. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the fabric to begin pulling her upward. She didn’t let herself imagine what might happen if she hit the ground.
A few feet from impact, she felt the towel lift up. She quickly grabbed tight, pulling herself up and on to it. Once safely secured, she looked over to the roof where Syed and Vance sat, her brother’s face red as he glared at his friend. She, of course, didn’t notice the girl on the ground below her; Jasmine, her brother’s girlfriend. She easily maneuvered the towel, landing Esmee safely on the roof.
To this day, no one told her how she survived the fall. She was never told that Syed was trying to see how far she would go or that if not for Jasmine she could have killed herself. To this day, she still carries the towel in her bag, always ready in case she, for whatever reason, needs to fly. Her family had tried to dissuade her, telling her about how the towel could run out of magic at any minute, but Es is too practical; she would tell them that even a few moments of flight might be enough to save her life.
Sprint for NaNoWriMo July 2019, with the dare of "Trick your character into believing something that isn't true".
Characters:
Es
Syed
Vance Benton
Jasmine
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