Page 116 of Mountain Grump

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Ethan’s voice is strong and steady.

I exhale.

I force my limbs to relax.

The nose of the plane tips up.

My next breath catches.

And then the plane touches down.

Our tires connect with the ground.

We’re still going too fast.

We have to be going too fast.

Ethan’s thigh shifts beneath my hand as he depresses the brakes.

We start to slow.

The ground dips.

We bounce.

I press my lips together and swallow the distress trying to crawl out of my throat.

We slow a little more.

The stretch of clear land narrows ahead of us.

The river turns.

The trees get closer on Ethan’s side.

The sound claws at my throat.

“Counts as smooth,” Ethan grits out through my headphones. “But this part won’t be.”

“What—”

Then I see it.

The lone tree.

It’s not huge.

But it’s not small enough.

We’re going to?—

The tip of Ethan’s wing slams into the trunk.

The sound escapes my chest.

And the collision forces the plane to swing toward the forest.

My eyes finally squeeze shut.

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