National Adult Literacy Database

May 7, 2001

Ramsay Blair has been coming to the Reading Council for Literacy Advance in Montreal (RECLAIM) for 5 years now. He likes to write stories and draw cartoons with the help of the computer.

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Flying South

by Ramsay Blair

On a cold windy day, when the leaves were falling it was time for us to go south. We picked our selves up and started our flight. As we were flying south we saw the land slowly change below us. We saw the colours changing from greens into reds, oranges, yellows and browns, the fall colours. We saw farmers gathering their crops from their fields. We flew over the bustling villages and off in the distance we saw a mountain. It started to get dark and we decided to land for the night near a small lake. The following morning, as the sun rose, we continued our journey over the mountain. We saw a city beside a large lake. Passing over the city we saw the people moving through its streets. To us they looked like ants. We started to fly across the lake and by nightfall we landed in a field on the other side. At that moment we decided to take a break for a day to refuel.

We continued our flight and in front of us were rolling hills gradually growing into a mountain range. As we passed over the mountain range we saw a vast prairie stretching endlessly in front of us. The fields were covered with crops which were ready for harvest. Off into the distance we saw a river snaking its way across the prairie. Dusk was upon us and it was time for us to land near the river. Now it was dark and off in the distance we saw a city glowing in the night. The sun was rising and we were off again. The climate was starting to get warmer and the land was slowly becoming green again. This was a sign that we were close to our goal.

Further on in the day clouds started to move in and the wind picked up. The rain began to fall and the lightning streaked across the sky. The rain was coming down in a torrent, which forced us to land on a small hill. It was now pitch black and the water was rising around us. By morning the rain was still falling and the water was flowing past our hill. Closer and closer the water crept towards us and forced us to move to the top of the hill. Another night had come and the rain was slowly starting to slow down and by morning the storm was over. The warming sun was shining over the land. As we looked out over the land all we could see was water with small islands dotted throughout the area. By the end of the day we were dried out enough for us to take off to continue our journey.

As we rose from the top of the hill we could see the flooded land. Off in the distance we could see villages on top of some of these small hills. The people who live in this area are used to having floods. We were approaching by now the foot hill of another mountain range. As we were flying over the range darkness fell and we landed on a mountain plateau. From our vantage point we could see a tropical rain forest with rivers running through it. Way off in the distance we could see the last mountain range we had to fly over. For the whole day we flew over the rain forest and by the end of the day we landed in its foot hills for the night.

Early in the morning we started our flight over the last mountain range. As we popped over the crest of the last mountain we saw the promised land. This area was a tropical mountain valley with many lakes and rivers. Part of the area was fill with fir trees and other parts had grass. The climate in this area was warm, sunny and it rained only at night. We landed besides a large lake and from there we went to our own winter home. My home was situated on a island in a middle of a river. It took us a week to settle in to our home routine. This place was a wonderful place to spend the winter months. When spring arrived we got the eager to return to our northern homes, and start the journey north.