The plane engine thundered loudly as Michael stood by the open door of the airplane. His heart raced and the cold strong wind slammed against him, the chilly air hit his face, sending a shiver down his spine, his heart pounded in his chest, as if it were going to jump out. He tried to steady his breathing but fear holding onto him made it difficult. Michael looked down and the ground seemed to be miles away, everything below seemed like ants. Michael had always been terrified of heights, ever since he was a little boy, and now he was about to jump out of a little plane while it was moving 10,000 feet up in the air.
“Ready” his instructor yelled over the loud plane engine. Michael swallowed hard, in the back of his mind he was screaming at himself to say no and to just step back, but for some odd reason he found himself nodding, even though his legs felt like jelly. The instructor gave Michael a quick calm and reassuring smile to let him know that everything would be all right and before Michael could even smile back, he felt a sudden but gentle push on his back.
Before he knew it his feet had left the plane’s floor, he was free falling towards the ground at a high speed. His heart dropped to his stomach and panic started to take over. He saw the ground coming closer and closer, the buildings growing bigger and more visible with each passing second. The strong wind hit him as the wind roared in his ears, his heart pounding even faster, as fast as a rocket, his vision started to become blurred but then he remembered to relax, and to breathe in and out. He forced himself to take a big inhale and then an exhale. Slowly he started to calm down and his fear began to disappear into thin air.
The parachute suddenly came out of his tiny backpack, yanking him upwards, and the entire world slowed down and became peaceful. The view among him was breathtaking. He had never seen such a beautiful view of the mountains and the green fields. Michael was no longer falling, he was gliding towards a big green grassy field. He landed softly on the ground, his heart still racing from all that excitement, as he looked up at the sky a big smile spread across his face as he realized that he had overcome his fear of heights.