Two Stories about Flying

The young seagull was afraid to fly because he thought his wings would not support him and he feared the great expanse of sea below. He saw the drop as very dangerous and could not make the first plunge. Some young birds may be more timid than others, because in the story this seagull is unusually afraid even though his brothers and sister had already flown. Yes, a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps, because, like the young bird, it has to overcome fear and learn by trying.

This suggests that the seagull was extremely hungry. The sight of the food made him so desperate that he forgot his fear. He finally flew because his mother held a piece of fish just out of his reach; driven by hunger, he dived for the fish and then found himself falling and flying.

The father and mother threatened and cajoled him because they wanted him to learn to fly. They knew he had to make the first flight himself, so they tried to force him out of fear and also tempt him with food so that he would take the plunge.

In such examples, success is not guaranteed. Like the bird learning to fly, it is important to try despite the fear of failure. A person may fail at first, but making the attempt is necessary for learning and progress.

When I first tried to learn cycling, I thought the bicycle was my enemy. It kept wobbling like a nervous goat, and I sat on it as if I were balancing a basket of eggs. My father ran behind me shouting, “Don’t fear, just pedal!” which was easier said than done, because my feet seemed to have forgotten their job.

At first I managed only a few shaky metres before the bicycle decided to perform a dramatic fall. I fell, the bicycle fell, and my dignity fell the farthest. My little brother, who had never ridden anything except a toy car, laughed so hard that he nearly rolled into the drain.

After several more attempts, bruises, and one near-collision with a flowerpot, I finally rode without support. That tiny victory felt grand. I learned that skill comes not from magic but from patience, practice, and repeated falling—preferably in front of fewer spectators.

The risk was flying straight into the storm clouds even though the narrator knew they were dangerous, and he might lose his way, his instruments, or even crash. He took the risk because he wanted to get home quickly, especially because he was looking forward to a good English breakfast, and he hoped to reach England on time.

As he flew into the storm, everything suddenly became black inside the clouds. The aeroplane was jumping and twisting violently. The compass spun round and stopped working, the radio went dead, and the other instruments also failed. He was completely lost and frightened until he saw another aeroplane and followed it through the storm.

He says this because after landing safely he was relieved to leave the dangerous flight and step away from the old Dakota. He had just come through a frightening storm with little fuel and no working instruments, so walking away from the aeroplane meant he was finally safe.

The woman looked at him strangely because he asked about the other aeroplane and its pilot, but she told him that no other aeroplanes were flying that night. On the radar, his was the only plane visible, so his story sounded unbelievable.

The phrase “Fly a flag” means display a flag on a long pole.

The phrase “Fly the coop” means escape from a place.

The words with the same or nearly the same meaning as fly are: swoop, flit, flutter, skim, dart, hover, soar, shoot, glide, sail, flap. These words all suggest moving through the air.