Chilling morning air greets the waking face of a boy as he sits up from the warm comfort of 
his dreams. Dreams where soaring was nothing but ease, nothing but gliding along streams of 
wind as he soared above the heads of people that he felt like he knew but people who had no 
faces. All he could think about now, while cold, sluggish and groggy was the ecstasy and 
euphoria that pounded its way through his veins and how that hot blood ran cold as his vision 
went black and he was gripped and pulled into the waking world. It was pure terror which 
settled into his gut with the weight of lead but before he could delve deeper into that feeling he 
heard his mother calling him to get out of bed and get ready for school. "Alexander Sibusiso 
Dhlomo, if I don't hear you showering in the next five minutes - !!". "Mom I am headed to the 
bathroom right now" he interrupted and promptly gathered everything he would need to get his 
day started. 

The dream was constantly on his mind as he went through his morning routine. Alex was a 
chronic overthinker, and as such struggled against the feeling that the dream was some form of 
ill omen. Being a 15-year-old boy he had struggled against the idea of what it meant to have a 
childish dream whilst being around his peers that were all modelling their own version of what 
it meant to be mature. Alex had long ago decided that it was his childishness that was his 
superpower, and had, at that very moment of decision, started to devise a way to prove that he 
was correct and it was the social norm surrounding him that was false. After finishing up his 
routine and donning his school uniform he headed to the kitchen table where his mom, Gladys 
Dhlomo, was already waiting for him and packing both of their lunch bags for the day. Gladys 
Dhlomo was a mechanic and had worked in the trade for about 13 years. Some of Alex's first 
memories were the smell of oil and the sound of power tools as he sat in the offices after creche 
on the same floor of the workspace in the workshop that his mother owned and worked in. He 
used to sit in her offices every day, discretely watching her work on different vehicles as her 
customer base grew and as she gradually hired employees to help fulfil her increasing quota. 
This is where he first encountered the concept of materializing ones desired reality. 

He eventually grew to ages where he was able to assist his mother and from her mentorship, 
he acquired a keen interest in designing mechanical systems as he had quickly learned the 
differences in the designs of car brands and the trade-offs that came with each of them. "Alex. 
Don't forget to take the trash out before you leave for school", she reminded him while closing 
her lunch bag and heading to the door. "Remember that Mama loves you and remember to do 
your best with whatever it is that you are doing today.", she said while heading out the door. 
The door closed with a thud behind her as he thought to himself that she was right and that all 
he had to do was do his best and decided to rid himself of his feelings of foreboding and focus 
entirely on his mission. Alex was ready to go all in. 

The sun was already shining overhead by the time he left for school, equipped with a lunch bag 
and with a duffel bag that his mother had not seen before she had left for work. A single scenario 
was running through his mind; one where he landed successfully and had the admiration of his 
entire class. Admiration purely by the evidence of a childish dream being made real. The boy 
was naïve and believed with his entire being that one demonstration would be enough to change 
the trajectory of his classes' and perhaps his generations culture. 

Arriving on school premises, he made his way to the school's pavilion which was almost the 
same height as the school building. Climbing to the top of the stands he put his duffel bag down 
and checked the time on his wristwatch. It was quarter past 7 which meant that assembly in the 
courtyard was about to be held within the next five minutes. He then went on to open his duffel 
bag and unpack his equipment, counting the steps that he had taken to get this far along in his 
plan. The months of designing the individual parts, like the wings, the motor and the rudder, 
and getting the materials, all while assembling his wingsuit in secret had been frustrating but 
he had never felt more purposeful than during those couple of months. Now the moment of 
execution had arrived, and he could feel none of that. All he could feel was the cold grip of fear 
draining the warmth from his chest as the sound of the wind whistled past his ears and the 
height of the jump settled into said chest with cold clarity. 

The boy trembled. The ending of his dream and the meaning of it darkened his horizon on the 
sunny Monday morning. A wail arose like bile at the bottom of his throat as a question rose to 
the surface of his mind. Was he willing to die to change the views of a few schoolmates who 
did not even know or care about his aspirations. He then thought of his mom and how 
devastated she would be if he died. A ray of golden light pierced through the darkness of his 
thoughts and Alex found that he at once grasped the meaning of his life, and the significance 
of his last few months and the feeling of purpose fuelling him to create such an innovation. A 
wing suit, foldable wings spanning 6 meters, with a fitted propeller, using a DC motor powered 
by 120 V lithium-ion battery, and a rudder controlled by a system of pulleys connected to his 
hands which would control the direction of flight.

 
Suddenly profusely sweating he realised that he had lost and given in to a different kind of 
maturity. 

Feeling tears start to roll down his eyes he let out the wail stuck in his throat as sobs rocked his 
body. The boy felt he was grieving. He felt that something pure within him had met its end, 
and simultaneously he felt relieved as he felt something hardened and warm had settled within 
him. 

The sun shone through Alex's horizon once more, illuminating his wingsuit. The reflection of 
the metal components caught his gaze as he resolved to showcase his invention in front of the 
world where it could be tested and appreciated without putting his life in danger. He felt that 
this was the only way for his ideal to stay alive.