Excerpt from the Book

The leap from the top step of my bus to the pavement wasn’t that vast, especially compared to all the other distances I had jumped. But today’s was particularly jarring. The shock traveled up through my body like electricity, the current tingling its way through my every joint. My backpack had just enough weight to drive my body down solidly. I hardly noticed the jolt today, though. I was embarking on an adventure of discovery, an expedition to feed my ravenous curiosity. Today, I was in second grade, and I had a mission.

Natural forces failed to root me to the ground; my rapid forward motion seemed uninterrupted. I continued at this velocity toward my house. I ran faster than a cheetah, each foot kissing the ground for only an instant, just enough to propel me forward. I soared through the air with outstretched limbs in perfect unison, the nearly still breeze becoming wind that I sliced through freely…or so I thought. The downward slope of the sidewalk to my home may have assisted my quick descent.