Crazy day...just 4.5 days of work left til vacation...wooohooo...and another Adventure.

The Dragon Inside

I slowly accelerate out onto the road. I can smell the trees and the undertone of the ever decaying leaves from the shaded forest that lines the road. Climbing the two lane road through the enveloping canopy, I begin twisting the throttle, coaxing her to increase the speed as we approach the first curve of this devilish road. It's a hard left, so I roll my weight slightly to the right maneuvering her to the road’s shoulder to provide the longest view around the turn and the deepest dive into the apex. I feel the surface of the road change beneath me, from course level asphalt to a smooth, rounded paint along the right edge of my tires I can now see around the curve and through my heavily tinted lenses, the line we must take appears as rivulets of brilliant golden light, the undulating curves of the road. My mind begins to fade, my heart takes control of her. My weight shifts as my left palm begins applying pressure and moving forward; she begins to lean into the curve, we begin to fall into the curve. Inside my helmet, behind my blue lenses, I see not the road but eyes, a reflection of mine? No, these eyes are clear, not aligned with mine, and they are drawing me into pools of sapphire. I feel the force of gravity pulling us down. As we approach the apex, the pools expand and I no longer see the road. Laid out before us are those long rivulets of gold, strands of energy, that prove to be the line. My mind has relaxed, disconnected itself from the physical plane and my responsibility to the road. I feel the outer edge of the tire touch the asphalt and twist the throttle, launching us back to an upright posture just as the gold line falls to the right and my weight shifts to the right to bank into the next of several shallow rights and lefts; we ever so slowly dive into the curve then accelerate again out of each apex. The eyes appear again behind the shield encouraging an ever-deepening sense of calm. I feel the wind hitting my chest with force and then the sensation of being caressed as the wind wraps around me and pushes against my back, gently but commandingly enveloping me, holding me tight. It then travels through my jacket and up my collar, running its tendrils across my scalp. We lurch forward as the acceleration drops for the next turn. I sense the wind change as another vehicle passes, just inches on the other side of the yellow line. My weight shifts. I am now pushed into the apex as the right peg caresses the asphalt, creating the fireworks of our journey. The curve continues to tighten, my mind begins to panic, the eyes reappear clearer now, and deep in my soul a voice whispers, “Relax, you are committed. Dive deeper.” My skin begins to tingle, my muscles constrict around my eyes, and the rivulets appear. “Relax.” I do. The voice sweet, melodic and comforting, "Give yourself to the light. Give yourself to the journey. . .and you will be who you want to be."

~Topher Wood