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Angels and Demons

rev-convertedAt the moment Alexandra Brighton takes the eyes of Ramey Sandeley in the desert, she sees all the mysteries of the universe and also a terrifying demon that mirrors something she fears in herself.

When I first began to fly on the trapeze, I was dealing with my own fears, while attempting to fully understanding and convey the fierce struggle Alexandra was undergoing. One day, after weeks of failed attempts; I forced myself to disengage my fear and trust another to catch me in mid air. I came home after my first catch and wrote this:

It stood high above me, this wild and beautiful creature - a species unknown to me before this moment. Its body was powerful and crouched in a manner unlike a human animal, and had the most magnificent pair of wings of had ever seen. My mind could not comprehend the attraction for this strange being - yet something in me did. I wanted to escape, to bolt to safety, because it terrified me in a way I wanted to be terrified - but dared not! I gazed into unfathomable eyes that brought to life a darker being lurking within me. In that moment, I realized my demon must be released, or it would devour me from the inside out.

The creature beckoned me to ascend to its perch. Fighting against a wall of near impenetrable fear, I began the climb, beyond mortal heights, to the place where only creatures with wings would dare to land. When I reached edge of the pedestal, he pulled me up and drew me against him. The energy radiating from his body was overwhelming. The intensity of my internal struggle forced me into a fugue state, with flashes of dreams, as though I were about to fall into a deep sleep.

"Take the leap," I heard it say from somewhere far away.  "Accept your fear. It will always be with you, but you must learn to make it your friend. I promise I will catch you. Give me your trust and you will be safe." The creature descended and I was left alone - standing on what seemed the earth's highest peak.

 Nearly drunk with trepidation, I let out a strangled cry and jumped with wild abandon into the abyss.  Flying into the void, like a bird taking its first flight from the nest,  I soared into the sky for a breaf moment and began to fall. As I began my descent, I felt the grasp of the most powerful hands imaginable.  It was the first time in my life I felt the grasp of hands that pulled me up. My heart exploded in that moment, as I looked up into the eyes of the Creature. We flew together, in union, in an eternity of seconds, until he told me I was safe to let go.

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