It's warm up here,
but yet cold
on this foreign
pale orange wall of steel
I find myself clinging,
and alone.

High above the concrete floor,
distance sounds filling the void
deep inside my mind.
I try to hear my own thoughts:

Where am I?
What is this unknown place?
Where is... everyone?

I ask myself through the mist
of confusion that surrounds me.

Counting down...
10... 9... 8... 7... 6...

A new sound echoes,
but yet I do not heed it
or understand what it means.
Yet, I find myself wondering...

What is that?
That doesn't sound like the cries of a bird.
It sounds too mechanical for a howl.
That isn't... the sound of an animal.
It doesn't sound... natural.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
We have lift off.

The wall quake and roars
with all its might.
I find myself clinging on,
mystified but yet afraid.

Is this object I am holding on to
a monster?
Some form of behemoth
trying to throw me off?
What should I do?
Should I hold on still...
or should I let go?

Then I feel the creature move,
rising up off the ground in a fiery inferno.
I clench my eyes shut
and cling on as much as
my hands and feet would allow me.

Zephyrs fly past me,
threatening to snatch me up
and take me with them.
My eyes water but does not flood.

I still cling on, unsure if letting go
would be my salvation
or my destruction.
Yet, this behemoth is growing warmer,
growing hotter. Burning.

My breathing slows yet
it does not occur to me
if it is because of the air steadily
being taken from me
or if it's me holding my breath.

It's cold, but it's burning too.
I feel fire. But I also feel nothing.
It's... I feel numb.
At the same time,
I don't know if it really is numbness
or my mind telling me I feel numb.

What is it am I
supposed to be feeling?
What is this?
Is this supposed to feel...

Calm?
I freeze. A new feeling sweeps
across me, but something tells me
it's strange yet welcoming.

I slowly open my eyes. Blinking.
I'm gliding through a moonless sky
yet it is clear and warm
as if the sun was merely invisible
in this evening oasis.
Though, I don't remember letting go.

Was I dreaming? Or am I?
What is this? Where am I?
Where is the ground?
Where is the sun?
Birds? Bats? Bugs...?

Then I hear one. Close by.
I can hear its beating wings flap
from somewhere.
It did not occur to me
that I am hungry
or was hungry...
I feel hungry though.

I chirp a squeak. I wait.
I can hear it now.
I know where it is;
It's right in front of me.

I flap my wings faster,
it's right there. Easy.
A second later, I find myself
biting down on the delectable
creature, feeling the life drain away.
It was... good. Satisfying. Filling.
Perfect.

Questions fade away
though a few remain.
Some still baffle me.
All still unanswered.

I fly to a large tree
containing an assortment
of appetizing fruits
and perch myself on one
of the branches.
I look around.

Where am I?
This does not look familiar?
What happened?
Am I alone...?

Then I turn to a squeak.
It is a bat staring back at me.
It is small with large ears,
similar to mine, I notice.

I hear another squeak.
I turn to see the origins of this
new voice and see another bat.
Then another.

I am not alone.
And while I do not know
these strangers
I cannot explain it,
for there are not true words
to fully express this feeling... But.
I feel welcomed. Warm.
One of them.

The first bat spread its
thin leathery wings,
and takes off into the air.

I watch in awe at how unified
they all are; all not exactly
together but yet,
they all fit together.

I let myself drop as well,
opening my wings to catch a drift
and soar after them.

This oasis is much more than an oasis,
it is some... some place
full of insects letting themselves
get caught and eaten.
Some place where every tree
is filled with all fruits imaginable.

Some place there is no confusion,
no fear, no sadness...
Some place where there is only
warmth, bliss, life...

I fly around in the free air
taking in the paradise all around me.
Then, I remembered one question
that still plagued me
and has yet to be answered.

I dive into the welcoming circle of bats
hoping to find the first bat I saw.
I found it sweeping a dragonfly
into its grasp and eats it.
I fly up to it.

Excuse me, but do you know
what is this place? Where am I?
I squeak, looking at it.

Heaven, it squeaks back in a friendly voice.