Welcome to Anna Levine, author of Freefall
which is now available in bookstores. Wondering what Freefall is all about?... Then read the excerpt below. Without wanting to give anything away, this excerpt is from the epilogue. I’ve chosen it because it mirrors the prologue and yet shows how far Aggie has come from the beginning of her journey to this pivotal moment in her life. (Freefall, page 248-250)
I am about to jump.
Feet, knees, hip, back, roll.
I am about to jump wearing a full load on my back.
Feet, knees, hip, back, roll.
Crammed tightly, the pack is stuffed with my anxieties, fears – and the army-issued parachute. Strapped to me it is secured to my chest with strings and clasps. It holds my heart in place, should it try to break free. When the time is right, I will yank the cord.
At that moment, the pack will open. My fears will rise to the dome of my chute where they will hover. And for a moment, I will be free of them.
Feet, knees, hip, back, roll. I have been trained to react without thinking. My body knows the drill. I will fall. Drift. Soar. Once my feet make contact with the ground, I will drop to my knees, lean into my hip, flip onto my back and roll.
Not another rehearsal, this is reality. Am I ready? Yes. I can do this. Really, I am.
The door is pushed open and a rush of air blasts at me. The noise of the airplane motorswells and crashes inside my head.
I am sandwiched in. And can’t retreat. We shuffle forward like penguins. Birds without wings forced to fly. My hands clench the rungs. I have been trained for this moment, but nothing can tame the terror in my bones and the fear churning in my stomach.
“Green!”
I’m not ready to let go.
“Jump!”
The air batters against my chest pressing me back. The engine thunders in my head.
And then my fingers are pried from the rungs.
----
There are moments in life when you have to jump. You throw yourself into the atmosphere hoping you’ll land right, hoping your parachute will open and ease your fall. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a crowd of onlookers waiting on the ground to greet you. Some chutes glide with the wind until landing effortlessly. Others get caught up in turbulence and the ride down to earth is bumpier, the landing harder. The thing is that you never know how it’ll be until you step out and take the chance.
And when you hit the air, before your automatic parachute opens, there are a few seconds in which you are suspended. Skydivers call it freefall. I like to think of it as that fleeting moment in life when you can see everything with unusual clarity.
As I peer out at the land rising up towards me, I am amazed at how small it all looks as if I could scoop up all the land and cradle it in the palm of my hand. I wonder, as I am watched from below, if I look like a kite that has broken loose from the strings which once held it.
Feet, knees, hip, back, roll.
The ground is hard: Feet.
The impact quick: Knees
But I am quicker: Hips.
The sky retreats: Back
I am home: Roll.
