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Description
Early evening in London, a soft, elegant snow has been falling most of the day. Not enough to truly disrupt the city's routine, but the lights coming on as the sun drops illuminate the frozen powder with sparkling blues and oranges. In one small, empty apartment a man is packing a small bag. A young girl watches the snow as she twirls a strand of curly black hair. Each room is left bare, the last of its clutter already shipped away. It is lit by a single bulb and the soft glow from outdoors. Only the father and his daughter remain with a single piece of luggage each. The child speaks softly.
"Daddy, is it scary?"
The man looks up, "What's that hon?".
"Is flying scary?"
He smiles and moves to place his hands on his daughter's shoulders. His accent is more American than his daughter's, "No, no, it's beautiful. When we get up really high you can see a sea of soft clouds and sometimes the sun setting or rising on the curve of the earth. And on this flight we'll get a special treat. Just keep looking out the windows and you'll be too distracted to be afraid."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really, now come on, we need to go now or we'll miss the flight."
He closes and clasps the bag and makes a quick check of lights and locks, then the two grab their luggage and head downstairs and out to the street. A taxi has been waiting. They pile into the back, possessions thrown in the trunk, and the driver, impatient, but uninterested, starts for London International. Traffic is surprisingly thin, the snow has seemingly discouraged unnecessary travel. The glittering flakes still hold the girl's attention as they fly past the taxi.
"Will mom be waiting for us?" she queries, still watching them.
"Yep, just like we always wait for her."
"That's good."
They continue in silence, daughter's eyes fixed out the window and father's closed, anticipating the flight, or perhaps the end of the flight. Before long the dancing lights of the airport and accompanying planes appear in the sky ahead, the dull roar of distant turbines fills the air. Their taxi pulls to a sudden stop just in front of the main entrance. Luggage is removed and the fare is paid. The pair are quickly engulfed in the crowd of travelers within.
Slowly but steadily they find their way through the sea of bodies to their gate, just as boarding begins. Security passes them quickly. As they wait in line for ticket check they can see the sleek aircraft waiting for them through massive windows. It is like nothing else. Flat and sharp, the liner represents the latest in transcontinental travel. Before long they are walking down the tunnel to it, picking out their seats in the cramped interior and stowing their luggage.
Preflight is a flash, emergency instructions are carefully attended when they begin, but before they realize it the engines rumble to life and the craft starts toward a runway. The girl has taken a window seat and is once again watching the snow as it streaks by. A low drone invades the cabin as the plane accelerates to takeoff. She holds her breath and watches the ground fall away, glued to the window as airport lights mix with city lights and reflections from icy crystals dance in her eyes. The forces of acceleration are softly pushing her back in the seat, with a jolt they suddenly push harder. The craft ignites solid fuel, burning hard for an orbital altitude. Father feels her hand slowly snake into his own and squeeze as new visions speed past his daughter's window. Snow strikes it and melts, drawing lines across the glass, suddenly the snow is gone and they are engulfed in billowing cotton, as suddenly the clouds are gone at at last she can see the last gleam of sunlight over the curving horizon.
The flight, however, isn't over. The sky outside rapidly grows a deep blue until it is nearly black. The Earth can barely be seen from her angle and the craft is slowly rotating away from it.
"Rubi, Rubi, hey," Her father finally grabs her attention, still holding her hand, "hey, lean your seat back and look up."
She obeys, feeling light and dreamy. As she looks up at the ceiling of the plane large panels begin to recede, opening to expose a view that causes her to gasp and clench her father's hand. Earth is now above them, in the distance the sun flares under the horizon, above storms billow over the ocean, clouds dancing in spirals. Greens, reds, browns, all swirl together to form islands in a massive blue expanse. One is behind them, one ahead. A pale glow engulfs the planet. A glow reflected in the girls eyes as they grow ever wider, exploring every detail, pouring over the colossal mass that holds her home.
Too soon the shutters begin to close, the girl leans over her father to take in as much of the view as possible before it is gone. They reluctantly return their seats to their standard position and, just as the earth reenters her side window, they are shoved back into them once again. A massive ramjet fires and the craft shoots through the night sky, rocketing toward its destination like a comet. It is too fast now to take in a view, the entire plane vibrates in its extreme velocity. As more and more of the Earth enters the window ribbons of flame begin to flutter across it as well, soon the entire scene is viewed through a thin film of fire as the ship reenters atmosphere. It now truly resembles a comet, a long, flaming tail follows behind as it falls toward the distant coastline. The girl is breathing heavily, her heart racing in her chest. The shaking aircraft, the dancing flames, the earth below, all add up to a level of stimulation she has never experienced before. All the while she firmly grasps her father's hand as he smiles down at her.
Reentry is over quickly, but it has exhausted the little girl. She drifts to sleep just as wisps of clouds begin drifting past the plane. Father must wake her to exit, and even after ends up carrying her and their luggage as he walks out the door to find her mother.

Description
Early evening in London, a soft, elegant snow has been falling most of the day. Not enough to truly disrupt the city's routine, but the lights coming on as the sun drops illuminate the frozen powder with sparkling blues and oranges. In one small, empty apartment a man is packing a small bag. A young girl watches the snow as she twirls a strand of curly black hair. Each room is left bare, the last of its clutter already shipped away. It is lit by a single bulb and the soft glow from outdoors. Only the father and his daughter remain with a single piece of luggage each. The child speaks softly.
"Daddy, is it scary?"
The man looks up, "What's that hon?".
"Is flying scary?"
He smiles and moves to place his hands on his daughter's shoulders. His accent is more American than his daughter's, "No, no, it's beautiful. When we get up really high you can see a sea of soft clouds and sometimes the sun setting or rising on the curve of the earth. And on this flight we'll get a special treat. Just keep looking out the windows and you'll be too distracted to be afraid."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really, now come on, we need to go now or we'll miss the flight."
He closes and clasps the bag and makes a quick check of lights and locks, then the two grab their luggage and head downstairs and out to the street. A taxi has been waiting. They pile into the back, possessions thrown in the trunk, and the driver, impatient, but uninterested, starts for London International. Traffic is surprisingly thin, the snow has seemingly discouraged unnecessary travel. The glittering flakes still hold the girl's attention as they fly past the taxi.
"Will mom be waiting for us?" she queries, still watching them.
"Yep, just like we always wait for her."
"That's good."
They continue in silence, daughter's eyes fixed out the window and father's closed, anticipating the flight, or perhaps the end of the flight. Before long the dancing lights of the airport and accompanying planes appear in the sky ahead, the dull roar of distant turbines fills the air. Their taxi pulls to a sudden stop just in front of the main entrance. Luggage is removed and the fare is paid. The pair are quickly engulfed in the crowd of travelers within.
Slowly but steadily they find their way through the sea of bodies to their gate, just as boarding begins. Security passes them quickly. As they wait in line for ticket check they can see the sleek aircraft waiting for them through massive windows. It is like nothing else. Flat and sharp, the liner represents the latest in transcontinental travel. Before long they are walking down the tunnel to it, picking out their seats in the cramped interior and stowing their luggage.
Preflight is a flash, emergency instructions are carefully attended when they begin, but before they realize it the engines rumble to life and the craft starts toward a runway. The girl has taken a window seat and is once again watching the snow as it streaks by. A low drone invades the cabin as the plane accelerates to takeoff. She holds her breath and watches the ground fall away, glued to the window as airport lights mix with city lights and reflections from icy crystals dance in her eyes. The forces of acceleration are softly pushing her back in the seat, with a jolt they suddenly push harder. The craft ignites solid fuel, burning hard for an orbital altitude. Father feels her hand slowly snake into his own and squeeze as new visions speed past his daughter's window. Snow strikes it and melts, drawing lines across the glass, suddenly the snow is gone and they are engulfed in billowing cotton, as suddenly the clouds are gone at at last she can see the last gleam of sunlight over the curving horizon.
The flight, however, isn't over. The sky outside rapidly grows a deep blue until it is nearly black. The Earth can barely be seen from her angle and the craft is slowly rotating away from it.
"Rubi, Rubi, hey," Her father finally grabs her attention, still holding her hand, "hey, lean your seat back and look up."
She obeys, feeling light and dreamy. As she looks up at the ceiling of the plane large panels begin to recede, opening to expose a view that causes her to gasp and clench her father's hand. Earth is now above them, in the distance the sun flares under the horizon, above storms billow over the ocean, clouds dancing in spirals. Greens, reds, browns, all swirl together to form islands in a massive blue expanse. One is behind them, one ahead. A pale glow engulfs the planet. A glow reflected in the girls eyes as they grow ever wider, exploring every detail, pouring over the colossal mass that holds her home.
Too soon the shutters begin to close, the girl leans over her father to take in as much of the view as possible before it is gone. They reluctantly return their seats to their standard position and, just as the earth reenters her side window, they are shoved back into them once again. A massive ramjet fires and the craft shoots through the night sky, rocketing toward its destination like a comet. It is too fast now to take in a view, the entire plane vibrates in its extreme velocity. As more and more of the Earth enters the window ribbons of flame begin to flutter across it as well, soon the entire scene is viewed through a thin film of fire as the ship reenters atmosphere. It now truly resembles a comet, a long, flaming tail follows behind as it falls toward the distant coastline. The girl is breathing heavily, her heart racing in her chest. The shaking aircraft, the dancing flames, the earth below, all add up to a level of stimulation she has never experienced before. All the while she firmly grasps her father's hand as he smiles down at her.
Reentry is over quickly, but it has exhausted the little girl. She drifts to sleep just as wisps of clouds begin drifting past the plane. Father must wake her to exit, and even after ends up carrying her and their luggage as he walks out the door to find her mother.