Cheery music played as we walked.
“Lovely. We’re here and there’s no line.” Lucian released his hold. “It’s about to stop so we can get in the next empty gondola. You will need to fold your cane.”
I nodded. The sound of a metal gate spring squeaked as he or the ride operator pushed against it.
Lucian put his hand on the small of my back. “Watch your step, my dear Anna.” He grasped my hand and helped me into the seat.
A swaying motion shook the gondola as Lucian settled in beside me.
My heart beat a staccato rhythm. “How high does it go?” I whispered.
“Seventy-five feet or so. Why? Are you afraid of heights?”
I chuckled. “I don’t think so, I’m just trying to picture it in my head.”
With a subtle jerk, we moved forward and up.
A tingle of fear and excitement coursed through my nerves, and I reached toward Lucian, searching for his hand, squeezing his fingers as we rose, the breeze turning stronger and blowing my hair across my face.
The music faded as we gently climbed into the sky.
“Is it fully dark?” I stretched my arm as far as I could reach, imagining flying through the air.
“Yes, why?” Lucian’s voice held a note of amusement, and he shifted closer, his hip touching mine.
“Can you see the stars?” When I’d been small, I remembered being in the garden and staring up at the night sky.
“Yes.” He lifted my other hand and used my index finger to point somewhere above. “Right there is Venus, the brightest spot at the moment besides the full moon.”
“I remember the moon and the stars,” I breathed, smiling at the memory. “They always seemed so white against the backdrop of night, like a gigantic pearl and tiny little diamonds scattered around it.”
“That’s exactly how they appear.”
I kept my arms out, enjoying the wind rushing past my face and playing in my hair. “This must be what it’s like when you fly.” The thought of Lucian using his wings to soar through the night made me laugh with delight.How exciting it must be to have that power.
“I don’t fly much, not anymore.”
The ride stopped and we swayed.
“Why not?” I put my hands in my lap and moved my head toward him, not wanting to miss his words in the rushing breeze.
“I guess it’s so easy to blink wherever I need to go, I do not bother taking time to enjoy the little things.”
“If I had wings, I’d never stop flying.”
He laughed his warm, smooth chuckle. “You, my dear Anna, have no idea how happy you make my heart.”
“Are we at the top?”
“Yes.”
I shifted my hips carefully, not wanting to move the car more than necessary.
“Lucian?”
“Hmm?” A note of concern flashed in his voice.
“Can I…” I lifted my hand. “Can I feel your face? Please? Just this once.”
