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She copied the action, but quickly grabbed the side of the plane again and turned forward.
The wheels started rolling, and slowly they eased out of the building into the bright sunshine. A hint of fear tickled her spine, but anticipation overrode it. She’d always felt safe with Forrest years ago, and now wasn’t any different. He’d never let her get hurt back then, and she trusted him as much as ever.
The speed of the plane increased. Soon the field zipped past faster than she’d ever seen, and with a bump that made her stomach drop, they started skyward.
Even though her teeth were clenched, she emitted a squeal that kept slipping out the entire time the plane flew upward. The pitch of her squeal went higher, too, stealing her breath until all she could do was let it all out. She could feel her scream, but couldn’t hear it over the roar of the engine.
The thrill of it all made her laugh. She eased her tight grip on the side, gave Forrest another thumbs-up and then let go with the other hand to stick both arms high over her head. The air wanted to push her arms back, but she held them straight up and let out another full-blown bout of laughter. The wind was a force like she’d never felt against her face; it tugged at her hat and her yellow scarf pressed firmly against her neck as the ends flapped behind her. All in all, it felt marvelous.
Amazing!
The air, the speed, the freedom!
She twisted left and right, to see all she could around the propeller moving so fast it was a solid circle in front of her. Blue sky and white fluffy cotton-puff clouds filled her vision, and she laughed once again. Glancing over the edge, she saw Lester’s farm. That, too, was amazing. How the distance made everything look like miniature toys, even the cows standing in the barnyard. She could see Bald Eagle Lake, too, off to the side, and she was reminded of the snow globe Norma Rose had containing a miniature version of Niagara Falls. Ty had won it for her at the amusement park.
This was better than any old snow globe. This was the real thing.
Nothing on earth could ever compare to this. Not the beauty, the thrill, the freedom. Not even all night dances at the world’s largest speakeasy.
Something jostled, and one wing tipped. Twyla grabbed the edge of the plane as her stomach plummeted to her toes.
Chapter Six
Relaxing a touch, and realizing Forrest was merely turning a corner, so to speak, in midair, Twyla eased her hold on the side of the plane and once again examined the ground far below them.
She could see for miles. Trees and fields, homes and roads, cars and several more of Lester’s dairy cows. Forrest had turned the plane all the way around so they were now flying toward the resort, and far ahead she could make out the buildings of White Bear Lake.
The most spectacular thing was how Bald Eagle Lake looked. She’d lived near it her entire life, but hadn’t realized how large it was. From up here, it looked like a huge tadpole, with a long tail that snaked north. Her home was on the south side, the head of the tadpole, and the island was smack-dab in the center of the big oval. It also amazed her that there was more than the one big island. Several smaller ones created a line that went almost to the very tip of the tadpole tail. There were houses and roads, the depot and highway, and everything appeared mere inches apart rather than the miles she knew them to be.
In no time, the resort was below them. She could even see the hidden back road the runners used to transport shine off the railroad cars to the barn, as well as the road that ran parallel to the main highway. On the ground it was well hidden by trees, but up here, it was as noticeable as a run in a stocking, even where it trailed along the long and narrow northern edges of the lake. She could see the cabins, too, all twenty of them, and the summer kitchens, and outhouses, the boathouses and docks.
Forrest waved a hand, pointing downward.
Standing on the shore of the island, she could see Norma Rose and Ty, although she couldn’t see their faces. It had to be them. No one else had rowed out to the island. Twyla waved, and she assumed it was Ty who waved back before they were out of view due to the trees that covered the small chunk of land. Soon the lake was beneath them again, with water so clear and blue she thought she could see the bottom in places.
They flew to the far tip of the tadpole tail before Forrest skillfully glided the plane around and in the other direction. It all seemed so effortless, and was so very amazing that Twyla was totally in awe. They flew all the way to town, where she saw the streets laid out between houses and other buildings—White Bear, Goose and Gem Lakes, the Plantation and the amusement park. She’d never imagined this was what it all looked like, and could only envision all that Forrest had seen, flying as much as he had. To so many places, too. All along the east coast, down south, out west. Mitsy claimed Forrest had flown all the way across the United States, and Twyla could only wish that someday she’d be able to say she had, too.
