All eyes turned to them.
This was their time to shine.
They took one last look at the crowd a little way off, took a step back, and ran headlong towards the cliff, faster and faster until, at the last second, they unfurled their wings and leapt.
The wind caught them and swept them out into the centre of the chasm, where for a moment they looked as if they would gain altitude. But then they turned slightly to the side and began their turn.
Gliding down in descended circles, they traced the path of a helix until they lightly touched down on the canyon floor some 200m below, refurling their wings as they touched the ground.
It looked effortless, as if anyone could do it, and that was what they wanted to convey.
Spread out, each wing was the length of their body, jointed in three places but controlled by the arm that fitted inside it. The stretched fabric mirroring the effect of a thousand feathers.
They took one last look at the crowd a little way off, took a step back, and ran headlong towards the cliff, faster and faster until, at the last second, they unfurled their wings and leapt.
The wind caught them and swept them out into the centre of the chasm, where for a moment they looked as if they would gain altitude. But then they turned slightly to the side and began their turn.
Gliding down in descended circles, they traced the path of a helix until they lightly touched down on the canyon floor some 200m below, refurling their wings as they touched the ground.
It looked effortless, as if anyone could do it, and that was what they wanted to convey.
Spread out, each wing was the length of their body, jointed in three places but controlled by the arm that fitted inside it. The stretched fabric mirroring the effect of a thousand feathers.
The generals turned to the inventor, and started firing questions, but she was waiting for a certain one.
"But can they go up?" Once it was answered there was silence, she could feel the weight of expectation in the air.
"No", she replied, "they can only drift down"
She knew the effect her answer would have. There were more questions, but that was the important one, and without it they wouldn't endorse her project for the armed forces.
The generals and their entourage drove off into the desert. They were polite but she knew the answer would be no.
The wings would become a leisure item for hobbyists and enthusiasts. They would still be huge, but now they would not be used for defence.
"But can they go up?" Once it was answered there was silence, she could feel the weight of expectation in the air.
"No", she replied, "they can only drift down"
She knew the effect her answer would have. There were more questions, but that was the important one, and without it they wouldn't endorse her project for the armed forces.
The generals and their entourage drove off into the desert. They were polite but she knew the answer would be no.
The wings would become a leisure item for hobbyists and enthusiasts. They would still be huge, but now they would not be used for defence.
She waited until the dust from their vehicles disappeared over the horizon, and then waved to her two assistants on the desert canyon far below.
She watched as they took off from their standing position, flapping their wings, rising higher and higher until they had ascended the canyon wall and landed safely beside her on the cliff's edge.
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