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Looking down upon the graceful valleys and rushing rivers, the cliff juts out over it all. Gazing at the turquoise sky, interspersed with full, white clouds, she stretches out her arms. Raising them upward as though offering herself to the sky, she tilts her head back, letting the gentle breeze caress her. Her thin, gauzy white dress billows around her, as though she is floating on her own cloud. Tendrils of blonde hair dance in the air, tenderly stroking her downy cheeks occasionally. Edging closer to the rim of the precipice, she leans forward slightly, as though she will suddenly take off and fly. Gazing downward for a brief moment, she sees nothing at first, but after a second, her eyes can make out the outlines of trees and a sloping stream. Relinquishing her view of the drop, she looks up in time to see an eagle soar above her golden head. The eagle lazily swoops down, then back up again, turning loops in the air. Her eyes follow the eagle’s every move. Her body quivers with excitement and anticipation. Reaching out as though to embrace the eagle in her arms, she lets her slender feet slide halfway off the ledge. Clenching her calves tightly, slightly crouching, she leaps off the edge, holding her arms out as if she will soar across the blue expanse. Swooping downward, she believes herself to be an eagle, soaring gracefully above the trees. Gaining speed in her downward descent, she arches her back and allows the wind to buffet her. Closing her eyes, she can believe that she is truly flying. Closer and closer she falls to the unyielding ground beneath her. Stretching her arms above her head, she tries to sweep upward to join the eagle that is casually circling the air above her. Her attempts failing, she begins to panic. Flapping her arms wildly, she tries to change her course, but downward she still falls. Crying out in despair and defeat, she refuses to acknowledge the ground that is rapidly coming towards her. Wrapping her arms around herself, she closes her eyes tightly and imagines she is a bird floating in the wind. She imagines that she can fly anywhere she wants and that she is not falling to her death below. The eagle quietly circles her rapidly descending figure, proud and free. Sobbing, tears stream freely down her soft cheeks, falling past her. She cries out her pain, her grief, her suffering. Her body slams into the boulders and sharp rocks at the bottom of the cliff, snapping and cracking as though it were a mere twig. At the bottom of the fall, her graceful form lies sprawled out among the wildflowers and rocks. Her arms are spread outward as though they are embracing the air. Her hair blows gently in the breeze, free as it ever was. On and on it waves, dancing in the wind, as if she was still flying and not lying broken and battered. The eagle soars downward, gracefully landing on a rock beside her. It gazes thoughtfully at her, then flies upward above the trees, loops a few times as though it has new life, then disappears among the towering trees, heading towards home, strong and free.