Leap From a Burning Airship

"I'm carrying your child!" I screamed.

The airship was falling from the sky.

My fiancé, Oliver Ashford, grabbed the only tandem parachute.

And strapped it to his first love.

"You know how to jump. We'll wait for you on the ground."

He didn't see the heart-shaped brooch pinning my ripcord shut.

Or the gash sliced clean through the harness.

Clutching our unborn child, I closed my eyes and leaped from the burning airship.

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1

Oliver and Giselle strapped themselves into the tandem parachute, bound together as tightly as conjoined twins.

That secure bond must have given Giselle a profound sense of safety as he guided her across the sky.

Meanwhile, I stood frozen, staring at the remaining parachute as a wave of panic washed over me.

A fatal cut gaped at me from the harness, and a heart-shaped brooch pierced the ripcord, as if taunting me to challenge fate—You might as well die!

The airship drifted past the edge of the cliff. I looked down into the abyss, an endless depth below my feet.

I closed my eyes, held my unborn child close, and took the leap.

The sensation of freefall seized me, a violent pull that felt like my soul was being ripped from my body.

I could see myself from above, my body like a discarded rag doll, plummeting through the dense fog toward my death at a terrifying speed.

Memories of the past flooded my mind.

I had just learned to skydive when I found out I was pregnant. I had planned to surprise Oliver with the news on his birthday, but it seemed now that he wouldn't have cared anyway.

Just moments before, I had begged him over and over, “I’m pregnant, please, take me first.”

His patience wore thin. “Giselle is scared, and she has no experience. I can’t leave her alone. If you’re going to guilt-trip me, at least pick a better time.”

“I swear, I’m not lying!”

He was furious. “Amelia! Can’t you just be reasonable and stop causing trouble for everyone?”

Oliver completely ignored me, his focus entirely on securing Giselle's safety harness while I stood on the brink of disaster.

I watched the two of them descend, showing no sign of concern.

Oliver even slowed their descent, as if they were on a scenic tour, admiring the landscape below.

My own death was one thing, but I couldn't bear the thought of my unborn child never getting a chance to see the world.

I immediately dialed 911.

When the call connected, the dispatcher said, “Miss, please remain calm.”

“First,” the dispatcher instructed, “jettison all non-essential items to lighten the airship’s load. That will slow your descent.”

I followed the instructions, tossing out everything I could.

“We will contact a pilot on standby immediately. Please stay on the line.”

But the bladder was rupturing faster than I had anticipated. Tears nearly blinding me, I pleaded, “Please hurry, I don’t have much time. I’m drifting toward the cliffs.”

It wasn't long before a park ranger called me back.

“Is this Amelia? Isn't Oliver with you?”

“He jumped with Giselle first. My parachute is broken, please hurry!” I cried out.

The ranger sighed. “This is highly unusual. All our airships are booked solid today, and every pilot is already in the air. The area you're in, Zone A, is a very strange choice of route.”

They tried to calm my nerves while giving me instructions.

“Do you know where the gas valve is? Release the air to lower your altitude as quickly as possible.”

The airship drifted ominously over the chasm. No matter how I craned my neck, I couldn’t see the bottom. Releasing the air now would only hasten my death.

“I can’t. The airship is too high over the chasm. The fall would be fatal.”

The ranger hesitated.

“Don’t panic,” he said. “Oliver has already jumped, right? As soon as he gets back, I’ll have him come for you immediately.”

I was desperate to know if Oliver had landed safely. He was my only hope—the most skilled person who could come back and save me.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, I called him three times before someone finally answered.

“Oliver, please save me…” I sobbed, my voice laced with desperation.

Before I could explain that my parachute was broken, he cut me off. “Are you faking a pregnancy, or is this just more of your drama?”

“You’ve gone skydiving at the park before. All those guys were scared to death, but you had the time of your life. Why are you making such a big deal out of this now?”

“Just jump already! Stop being so stubborn!”

Then I heard Giselle’s delicate voice on the other end of the line. “Oliver, I feel so dizzy, and my heart is racing.”

“I’m taking Giselle to urgent care to get checked out. Once you land, call an Uber and get yourself home,” Oliver said before hanging up.