Kite flying is not just an activity; it is a mixture of fun, excitement, and artistry. But have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a kite as it soars high above the ground? Let me tell you a story about my friend Kiki, who once experienced an exhilarating adventure on a windy day.
It was a clear, blue day, and the wind was blowing just right. Kiki the Kite looked around with her shiny eyes and thought to herself, “What a perfect day to fly!” She could already envision herself dancing gracefully in the sky, fluttering through fluffy clouds, and frolicking with the birds. She even dreamed of touching the moon if it could come a little closer.
One by one, other kites were set free by their owners. Kiki watched as they curiously floated in the air next to her. She introduced herself and explained, “My name is Kiki, and today will be my first flight.” Most of the other kites giggled, remembering their experiences of being tossed around like leaves in autumn. One brave kite came forward, whispering to Kiki, “Don’t be scared; it’s a wonderful journey. Just embrace the wind, and you will be amazed.” “I want to fly,” Kiki replied.
But suddenly she had a scary thought: “But what if I get caught in a tree?” The other kites overheard her and exploded with laughter. They told her it was a part of the experience: “If you want to fly, you can’t worry about getting trapped in trees or tangles.” With that, Kiki’s string was given a pull, and off she went. “It’s only for a short distance,” she was assured.
But with each pull, Kiki felt lighter. Soon, the earth was waved goodbye, her friends became tiny dots, and she was high above, dancing effortlessly. “I’m flying! I’m truly flying!” she exclaimed with joy. She chased clouds and painted rainbows in the bright sky. She twirled around with the songs of her friends, a flock of birds soaring alongside.
It was everything she had ever dreamed of and much more. One moment, she was flickering through puffs of white cloud, and the next she darted through blue, blue, beautiful blue, as far as her eyes could see. Sometimes the wind would sway her gently from side to side, but all of a sudden, a strong gust would enfold her, nearly blowing her heart out of her little paper body.
“I was so foolish to fear,” thought Kiki, “for now I have all of this.” And then suddenly there came a stronger gust than she had ever felt before. She was darting and tumbling through the sky. She felt as though her body were being ripped apart. Her tail was ragged, her paper wings torn, and she feared every moment she would tear all to pieces, but it seemed as though she would get a little rest.
There came a moment when she felt sure of herself again; and looking around, she saw other kites, some traveling very high, some not so much so, but none near earth as she had seen them at first.
“Aren’t you afraid of being caught in a tree?” cried an old kite wearing a paper waistcoat. “Caught in a tree? What do you mean?” shouted Kiki, swinging round.
Then an even older kite, who had tassels at every corner of his kite-body that seemed to have begun life as white, but now so faded and tangled, looked so funny that Kiki asked him quite kindly where he belonged to.
“Me,” he replied, “I can’t say exactly where I belong. I have been caught in a tree for years.”
“And did it hurt you?” asked Kiki, feeling quite sorry for the old kite.
“Hurt me? No, only my feelings, for it was a kite flying that caught me up, you know. But I can’t say that it contributes to my happiness that ever so often an old boy with basket pants comes and throws stones and other things to get hold of my tail only—they never manage it, so I remain here; but it tires one awfully, I can tell you. Go where you like; fly where you like, only avoid trees, and don’t miss any opportunity of enjoying a wild flight of pleasure.”
“Now certainly that sounds much more sensible,” replied Kiki; “but just now I seem to have found a tree myself.”
And looking down, she found herself swaying to and fro, far below, but still a little way off, resting on the very extremity of a long branch, like a little red apple.
“It’s only at meals-time,” said the kite. “Now get away while you have time, or you will have to stay with me for further company.” But now Kiki’s tail was very firmly wedged in one of the cracks of the branch. She made every possible effort to extricate it, kicking, pushing, twisting; but to no purpose whatever.
It was quite evening before she got away; but lucky for her it was such a still evening without even as much as a breath of wind, there were no trees she could easily get into, or wires would soon have put an end to her flight. Every moment she moved to free her feet, she slid . . . and back she went nearly as far as before. But then she just flew a little and went back again, kicking away and loosening her tail, and away she went again, and good-bye to the kite without any tree under him.
The rest of the evening, she wandered about in the neighbourhood, keeping under the street-lamps or the moon, who kept singing her lullaby tunes to the night-black soil and the blacker roofs.
“It is not quite night yet,” she thought, as she went to sleep round about the neck of a chimney-pot. But thinking of all she had seen that day made her dream of ever so many wood-cocks come and breathe over her with their cool, moist, resin-kissed wings; eat, eat, till they grew larger and larger—till she herself seemed to glide over sea and hill, where flowers awoke before her approach, and let fall their splendour over the fields of clover, and leafy groves welcomed her again with their royal shade.
Kiki the Kite awoke late the next morning. The sun was high up in the sky and nodded good morning to her, and all around were green fields, in which there came out red and white specks, very much to her curiosity, for she had never seen such a sight before.
One side of the fields was the sea, very blue indeed, with sea-gulls flying over and so began Kiki the Kite; everything pointing north.