“You were awestruck the moment he truly saw you, an untethered balloon, fighting against crosswinds and carelessness, and still nursing your flame back to life…”

“We could hear the squealing churn of van tires slicked with mud and adrenaline, carving deep into deserts soaked with rain…”

“It’s here, rising first into steam, then fog, until you dissipate and there’s nothing left at all…”

“The sky broke open in rain hammering down so fast it smeared the mountains. We shot back across the field in screams…”

“The signs were there. We could’ve seen it had we chosen not to be blissfully unaware but, by the time we noticed, it was already too late…”

“The grave markers dotting the grass felt like constellations pulling us back into orbit, one tiny orange flag at a time…”

“A scream caught in my throat as I broke into a sprint toward him. Propane fumes tinged the air and red bloomed over us, a wildflower in winter…”

“I braced as we catapulted for the runway, jaw clenched, and thinking of anything but landfall. But the longer I stared at the mountain, the more I saw what kept me here to begin with…”

“I saw her charcoal hair streaming behind her, flowing freely in the breeze. I saw her laughing, bursting with life above all the forgotten things left buried . . .”

“Flickering face masks, vaccine hopes, and shifting guidelines had endlessly dictated the world for the better part of a year . . . I thought I was ready to rejoin the world…”