ound became suddenly muffled, like someone threw a wool blanket over us. As we sidestepped down the aisle, I kept glancing over my shoulder into the cockpit, maybe out of curiosity as to what all the flashing buttons did, or maybe to continually remind myself that the pilots knew what they were doing. I sat down and slid over to the window seat, leaving my unlucky cousin stuck in the middle. I buckled the cold silver seat belt around my waste and sat back to watch interesting people pass by my seat. I met their stares with stares of my own. What did I care? I was never going to see these people again. Everyone shuffled in place, waiting for those ahead in the aisle to sit down. When everyone was seated and the overhead bins were crammed with bags the plane hummed to life. I watched as the workers beneath the plane made last minute checks and tossed, literally tossed, the last few bags onto the conveyer belt. After the workers had scattered, much like ants in the rain, the plane slid slowly onto the runway. The pilot came on the intercom and said we were cleared for take off. I looked out the window in anticipation as we began to pick up speed, starting at a slow rumble and gradually increasing to a blurred crescendo. The plane lurched as we lifted off the ground. Off the ground! I still get a rush whenever I realize that we are actually flying, faster and higher than any bird.I closed my eyes and felt a slight pressure on my chest as we rose up to an acceptable height. When I opened them the whole state was spread out before me, a rolling blanket of white. In some places trees poked through, adding a little color to the drab landscape, but failing miserably because they just added brown and a bit of green.As we continued to climb, details became fuzzy and I was greeted with a new sight. We had arisen above the level of the clouds, and it made my eyes widen. Walls of billowing clouds, constantly changing, blanketing and s...
