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“We’re flying,” shouted Emily Tears welled up in her eyes, and not only fro wind

Charlotte’s stoh her chest and out through hercheeks The sound of the as so loud and fierce! The cold on her skin felt so bright and sharp! “How many people do you think have flown, ever, in the history of everything?” she marveled “Mr de Rozier and Mr Laurent in Paris, they were the first”

“Then Mr Blanchard” Branwell said softly, staring out into the clouds, down to the furry earth He felt dizzy “I can’t think, I can’t think Where do we fall on the list of first huame? I’d bet we o I was stone dead!”

“I’ around the rooh It her than anyone had any right to be She tried to look out the way her brother and sisters did Intrepid, like them Brilliant, like them Out, but not down “A little baby owl like Diamond in the tree outside our playroom Andand”

“And I’m Snowflake, our poor raven,” Bran said softly “Andand”

“And Eame All the birds and the tree and the playroom see Andand”

The sun fell on Eold “And Charlotte’s Jasper the pheasant, who sneaks into the kitchen garden every night for bread and beans”

Anne finished the round for the her cold cheeks in her hands “And we’re all birds together in the clouds and nothing will ever be like this again, even if I live to be a hundred and eight”

And then, for a long while, they just flew, and stared, trying not to blink and ht, thinking each to themselves that no one would ever believe a word of this in Haworth, and how that didn’t really matter to them one bit

Branwell broke their thrilled silence, as he usually did

“Can we talk about it now? We’re finally alone, just the four of us! Can we finally talk about the soldiers? I can practically feel it burning ot blisters on the inside of ! Did you hear thelon? And Acroofcroo all that time, but it couldn’t have been only pretend, it just couldn’t have, because here we are! Only it’s not exactly like we played it, really It’s all jumbled up and upside down, thrown in with a lot of other stuff and nonsense I never thought of But we must have known somehow Known this place existed Heard about itsoot? Or do you think we’re secretly uessed it all this tiic? Doesn’t it have to be on purpose, with a wand and that? Wouldn’t you have to know you were doing it?”

“Wouldn’t you feel it happening, if you made a whole world?” Emily said softly

Branwell ended feeling a bit confused, for it didn’t see But it was just as i rooiven a silly naazines for barricades and overturned soup bowls and napkins for co so real that poor Leftenant Gravey had died there But on the other hand, they’d never ilass, or the Iron Duke being really and truly actual iron Bran did know he couldn’t leave off sounding wobbly on the subject, so he tried again

“Did you see the burn on Cheeky’s face where I scorched hiood in real life! I did that! That’s mine! I wonder what else is mine round here?”

“Grog,” said Anne, without looking up