Chapter 2
Janet stopped by the house to pick up her suitcase, and dropped it into the car. She had a personal driver now. Of course, she had the option growing up, but she had always declined and chose to live a more normal life instead.
Now, as the head of the company, with a potential bounty on her head, Janet took the option given to her and used a personal driver instead. She sat in the back seat, watching the city swirl by her. She couldn’t help but consider how terribly different the city looked from this perspective. It was a lot busier, and the layers all but disappeared into nothingness when you were this close to the ground.
Janet continued to watch as they headed towards the airport and she settled back in the seat. After a few moments, she glanced at her bag. The book of fairy tales and poetry that her father had left in his office…it was calling to her. She felt a lump in her throat. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with her, hadn’t really read to her very often. But when he had, it had always been from this book. She smiled, feeling the prick of tears, which she blinked back.
She lifted the book out of her bag and thumbed through it, trying to find the page of her favorite story, the story of the golden bird. She scanned the pages until she came to the most well-worn part of the book.
“How long until we’re at the airport?” Janet asked the driver, leaning forward.
“A few more minutes.” Janet nodded and glanced down. She could finish whatever she didn’t read now, in the plane. Eyes down, she began to read.
A specific lord had an excellent garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore brilliant apples. These apples were constantly checked, and about the time when they started to develop ready it was discovered that consistently one of them was no more. The ruler turned out to be extremely irate at this, and requested the nursery worker to hold observe throughout the night under the tree. The planter set his oldest child to watch; yet around twelve o'clock he nodded off, and early in the day one more of the apples was absent. At that point the second child was requested to watch; and at midnight he excessively nodded off, and toward the beginning of the day another apple was no more.
At that point the third child offered to keep watch; yet the nursery worker at first would not let him, for fear some damage should come to him: in any case, finally he agreed, and the young fellow laid himself under the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a stirring commotion noticeable all around, and a winged creature came flying that was of unadulterated gold; and as it was snapping at one of the apples with its nose, the plant specialist's child bounced up and shot a bolt at it. In any case, the bolt did the flying creature no damage; just it dropped a brilliant plume from its tail, and after that took off. The brilliant plume was conveyed to the ruler toward the beginning of the day, and all the board was assembled.
Everybody concurred that it was worth more than all the abundance of the kingdom: yet the lord stated, 'One plume is of no utilization to me, I should have the entire feathered creature.'
Janet smiled faintly as she read the words, ghosting her fingers across the page. It struck her, suddenly, that her father was a bit like the king in the book. He wasn’t happy with a small business, but he strove to build an empire. He wasn’t happy with one feather- he wanted the entire bird.
The car jolted to a shuddering stop and Janet lifted her head. They were surrounded by cars, many, many cars and the bright lights of the airport terminal. Quickly, Janet slipped the book back into her bag, resolving to read it while waiting for her plane, or perhaps on the plane itself, to pass the time.
She sat up slowly, double checking the time and that she had everything that she needed for the trip. Then she stepped out of the car. The driver had finished paying for parking and had grabbed her suitcase for her. She smiled in appreciation, and they walked towards the building.
Inside, it was busy. The night air was cool around them, but within the building, it was bright and bustling and busy. Janet drank it all in and took a deep breath to settle the buzz of nerves in her heart. Everything was going to be just fine. Everything was going to work out and there was no reason for her to worry as much as she was. She headed towards the checkout bays and presented her ticket and identification. Her driver helped slide the luggage through, although Janet kept her carry-on bag close. It didn’t take long to process everything and she turned to her driver with a smile, “Thank you for your help.”
He nodded politely, “Shall I stay, miss?”
Janet shook her head, “No thank you. It’s late, and I’m sure you have somewhere to be.” She smiled, “I’ll arrange for pickup when I know my return dates.”
He nodded and smiled, “I hope that you have a safe trip.”
Then he turned and Janet watched him weave through the crowd, watched him until he disappeared, watched him until he was gone, until she could not see him anymore, until she could not see even a glimmer of him in the crowd.
Then she turned around, and headed towards the admissions gate. She showed her ticket and was scanned accordingly. She was searched, she had her luggage checked and then she was allowed through.
She made her way into the terminal itself, shuddering at how busy and bright everything seemed. She held her bag tighter. She needed some time to breathe. Looking around, Janet spotted a coffee shop. She hurried towards it, ordering herself a cup of hot coffee, before she found the most secluded spot she could.
She looked up, watching the screens flash with the flight times. She still had a little while before she had to board. She was lucky enough to avoid the hour or two wait time, purely because the company’s human resource team had flashed her name and position while they were booking her tickets.
She shivered a little. It only served to reinforce the idea that she was in trouble, in some sort of danger, just by existing and the thought was not one that Janet was comfortable with, not in the slightest.
She tried to ignore her worry and focus on something else instead. She grabbed the book back out of her bag and flipped through the pages until she found her place again, and continued where she had left off.
Then the plant specialist's oldest child set out and thought to locate the brilliant fowl effortlessly; and when he had gone yet a little way, he went to a wood, and by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting; so he took his bow and made prepared to shoot at it. At that point the fox stated, 'Don't shoot me, for I will give you great guidance; I realize what your business is, and that you need to locate the brilliant feathered creature. You will achieve a town at night; and when you arrive, you will see two motels inverse to each other, one of which is extremely lovely and wonderful to take a gander at: go not in there, but rather rest for the night in the other, however it might appear to you to be exceptionally poor and mean.' But the child contemplated internally, 'What can such a brute as this think about the issue?' So he shot his bolt at the fox; yet he missed it, and it set up its tail over its back and kept running into the wood. At that point he went on his path, and at night went to the town where the two hotels were; and in one of these were individuals singing, and moving, and devouring; however the other looked extremely filthy, and poor. 'I ought to be senseless,' said he, 'on the off chance that I went to that ratty house, and left this beguiling spot'; so he went into the brilliant house, and ate and drank at his simplicity, and overlooked the feathered creature, and his nation as well.
Time passed on; and as the oldest child did not return, and no greetings were known about him, the second child set out, and a similar thing transpired. He met the fox, who gave him the solid counsel: however when he went to the two motels, his oldest sibling was remaining at the window where the fun was, and called to him to come in; and he couldn't withstand the enticement, yet went in, and overlooked the brilliant winged animal and his nation in a similar way.
Janet chuckled a little. This part of the story always seemed a little bit odd to her, but she was enchanted with the talking fox. She was enchanted with the idea that a fox could speak, could be so much more intelligent than a human. She was enchanted with the magic of the story, the choices that were so impactful to the people within the book. She sighed and began reading the next paragraph.
Time passed on once more, and the most youthful child too wished to set out into the wide world to look for the brilliant flying creature; yet his dad would not hear it for quite a while, for he was exceptionally attached to his child, and was worried about the possibility that some evil fortunes may transpire likewise, and keep his returning. Nonetheless, finally it was concurred he ought to go, for he would not rest at home; and as he went to the wood, he met the fox, and heard a similar decent advice. Yet, he was appreciative to the fox, and did not endeavor his life as his siblings had done; so the fox stated, 'Sit upon my tail, and you will travel quicker.' So he sat down, and the fox started to flee, they went over stock and stone so brisk that their hair shrieked in the breeze.
A chiming voice came in over the intercom and Janet looked up from her book with a frown. She listened carefully and fished her ticket out of her bag, double checking the flight number. Nodding in satisfaction, she noted that yes, yes, this was her flight and it was now time to board. Janet didn’t know if she was nervous or excited, but her stomach was flipping with butterflies and she bit her lip as she pocketed her book, grabbed her bag and made her way over to the terminals.
Janet had, of course, flown before. She had flown many, many times as a child and a few times in her adult life. There was nothing about it that frightened her, and it wasn’t particularly exciting either. She supposed it had something to do with the gravity of her trip, the gravity of all that had happened to her family.
After all, her father had died in that country, through no fault of the country itself, but because of a handful of people who stood against the company. It frightened Janet that she might be walking straight into their hands, playing into their plan, but she couldn’t be sure. She couldn’t just turn her back on her father’s company, on everything that he had worked so hard to build, create and protect. She couldn’t handle the thought of it all crumbling because she stepped away, backed off at the last moment. She hated the idea of being the one who damaged the company in any way. She took a deep breath, pushing back the panic and the thoughts that swirled around her head. It was a long flight and there was no point starting to worry already.
She handed over her ticket and stepped through the gate, making her way towards the boarding tunnel. She stepped onto the plane and made her way through the seats. She was fortunate, very fortunate, to be riding first class.
She had felt that it was a huge waste of money, but her assistants had all insisted that this was just safer. It was a long, long flight on a big plane, with multiple stops. It was just safer to have her away from the crowds, somewhere comfortable, that she could be well rested enough to start the meeting with a bang when she arrived. It was for the good of the company.
Janet had still been reluctant, but what did she know? She didn’t know how it was done in the company. She didn’t know what it was like to be the head of a company this big, who was also in potential danger. She bit her lip and took a deep breath. It would be fine. She just had to go with it and act like she knew exactly what she was doing.
Janet made her way to first class, where she was immediately shown to her seat and offered a drink. She politely declined and chose, instead, to settle into the seat and stare out of the window.
It was different from riding in business class, which she had done before. It felt more luxurious, more spacious. But what Janet found herself the most thankful for, was the fact that it was more private. It was a long flight, after all, and she didn’t particularly want to spend it cooped up with a lot of other people, never getting a moment to herself. She was exceptionally fortunate, although the waste of money still nagged at her conscience. Still, she did what she could to get comfortable, doing up her seatbelt and settling in. She wished that she could push the seat back a bit, but she knew she had to wait until they were well and truly in the air. She considered for a moment, and then fished for her book again. She probably had a bit of time before take-off and she decided that this was a good way to spend her time. She scanned the pages and kept reading…
When they went to the town, the child took after the fox's guidance, and without looking about him went to the ratty hotel and rested there throughout the night at his straightforwardness. Early in the day came the fox again and met him as he was starting his adventure, and stated, 'Go straight forward, till you go to a manor, before which lie an entire troop of fighters sleeping soundly and wheezing: fail to acknowledge them, however go into the stronghold and pass endlessly till you go to a room, where the brilliant winged animal sits in a wooden confine; near to it stands a delightful brilliant pen; yet don't attempt to remove the fledgling from the pitiful enclosure and place it into the nice looking one, else you will atone it.'
At that point the fox extended his tail once more, and the young fellow sat himself down, and away they went over stock and stone till their hair shrieked in the breeze. Before the château entryway all was as the fox had stated: so the child went in and found the chamber where the brilliant flying creature hung in a wooden pen, and beneath stood the brilliant pen, and the three brilliant apples that had been lost were lying near to it. At that point figured he to himself, 'It will be an extremely funny thing to bring without end such a fine winged creature in this decrepit enclosure'; so he opened the entryway and grabbed hold of it and place it into the brilliant confine. In any case, the winged creature set up such a noisy shout, to the point that every one of the warriors got up, and they took him prisoner and conveyed him before the ruler.
The following morning the court sat to judge him; and when all was heard, it condemned him to kick the bucket, unless he ought to bring the lord the brilliant steed which could keep running as quickly as the breeze; and in the event that he did this, he was to have the brilliant winged animal given him for his own.
The plane jostled, beginning to move down the runway and Janet set her book down. She glanced up as the safety videos started to play. Out of habit, she familiarized herself with everything, although she had a pretty good idea where everything was. She sighed and settled back, watching the runway wiz by at high speeds. The announcement chimed that they were about to lift off and Janet braced herself a little.
They were going faster, faster, faster…and suddenly, the plane was lifted up, and they were gliding, through the air. Janet felt weightless. She always loved that moment. The moment of weightlessness as they were lifted into the air, a moment where they didn’t seem to weigh anything at all, a moment where she felt free and lighter than air. It was perfect. It was blissful. Janet loved it, loved the feelings that came with it, loved the sensation of flying through the air at great speeds.
It was intoxicating and it was so easy to lose herself in the movement, the momentum of the plane. She stared out of the window, her eyes lighting up with enjoyment as she gazed out of the window, sparking as she saw the lights before. It was stunning, just stunning. She loved her city. The view in the plane was so much better than the view from the office block, so much better than the view from her home. It was gorgeous and she truly felt, for a long, lingering moment, that she was above it all, above all of the panic and pain and the responsibilities that weighed on her like a too-heavy blanket.
She felt free, she felt comfortable, and she felt, for the first time in a long, long while, like she had some sort of privacy, had some sort sense of being on her own. Sure, the air hostesses were around, but that was okay. She didn’t feel so terribly crowded in anymore.
As the plane eased into an even plateau, Janet settled back a little more. She was free to undo her seatbelt and she did so gratefully. The flight attendant brought hot towels, a menu and offered her a glass of champagne, which she happily accepted. She was also given toiletries, a lovely pillow and a menu for later.
Janet took a look at the options on the menu and smiled softly. They looked lovely. She was happy that she’d be okay in terms of food choices for the flight and, after picking out a few things, she set the menu down and looked out the window again.
They were high above the clouds, so high up that Janet could barely see what was happening below. She sighed, finally feeling above her worries, and grabbed her book again. When she was finished reading, she’d probably turn on some music, or see if there were any good movies. Still, reading had always been her first love and she wanted to finish the fairy tale. She remembered when she could read, uninterrupted for ages. Now, she could barely finish a story that spanned a few pages, because she kept having to move onto the next step.
Still, she was grateful for the luxury she was enjoying and she opened up the book again, scanning through its pages.
So he set out again on his excursion, murmuring, and in awesome sadness, when all of a sudden his companion the fox met him, and stated, 'You see now what has occurred by virtue of your not tuning in to my guidance. I will even now, be that as it may, reveal to you how to locate the brilliant stallion, on the off chance that you will do as I offer you. You should go straight on till you go to the stronghold where the steed remains in his slow down: close by will lie the prepare sleeping soundly and wheezing: take away the stallion discreetly, however make sure to put the old leathern saddle upon him, and not the brilliant one that is near to it.' Then the child sat down on the fox's tail, and away they went over stock and stone till their hair shrieked in the breeze. All went right, and the prepare lay wheezing with his hand upon the brilliant seat. Yet, when the child took a gander at the stallion, he thought it an incredible pity to put the leathern saddle upon it. 'I will give him the great one,' said he; 'I am certain he merits it.'
As he took up the brilliant seat the prepare arose and shouted out so noisy, that every one of the watchmen came running in and took him prisoner, and early in the day he was again brought under the steady gaze of the court to be judged, and was condemned to kick the bucket. In any case, it was concurred, that, on the off chance that he could bring thither the delightful princess, he should live, and have the flying creature and the steed given him for his own. At that point he went his direction exceptionally sad; however the old fox came and stated, 'For what reason did not you hear me out?
On the off chance that you had, you would have diverted both the feathered creature and the steed; yet will I yet again give you advice. Go straight on, and at night you will touch base at a mansion. At twelve o'clock around evening time the princess goes to the showering house: go up to her and give her a kiss, and she will give you a chance to lead her away; yet take mind you don't endure her to go and withdraw of her dad and mom.' Then the fox extended his tail, thus away they went over stock and stone till their hair shrieked once more. As they went to the stronghold, everything was as the fox had stated, and at twelve o'clock the young fellow met the princess heading off to the shower and gave her the kiss, and she consented to flee with him, however asked with numerous tears that he would give her take a risk to leave of her dad.
“What would you like for dinner, Ma’am?” A polite voice chimed in, from a few feet away. Janet had been so engrossed in her book that she had not even noticed. She looked up, feeling her cheeks flush softly with embarrassment.
She grabbed the menu, “I’ll have the salad, the duck and then the, hmm… the cheese platter and the chocolate parfait.” She handed the menu back and the attendant smiled, nodding.
“That will be ready shortly.” She informed Janet, who nodded and smiled.
“Thank you very much.” The attendant headed off to the next customer and Janet snuggled down. These seats were unusually comfortable for an airplane. She felt good about snuggling into the comfort, and stretching out her legs. She checked the levers and was happy to see that the seat reclined fully. Good, that would hopefully mean she could catch some sleep before it was time to land.
She’d read for a bit more, until it was time for dinner. Hopefully, she’d have time to read more than a paragraph or two. After all, they were just getting to her favorite parts of the book and she really didn’t want to miss out on enjoying the story!
At first he won't, however she sobbed still to an ever increasing extent, and fell at his feet, till finally he agreed; yet the minute she went to her dad's home the gatekeepers stirred and he was taken prisoner again. At that point he was brought before the lord, and the ruler stated, 'You should never have my girl unless in eight days you burrow away the slope that prevents the view from my window.' Now this slope was big to the point that the entire world couldn't take it away: and when he had labored for seven days, and had done practically nothing, the fox came and said. 'Rests and rest; I will work for you.' And toward the beginning of the day he arose and the slope was gone; so he went cheerfully to the ruler, and revealed to him that now that it was expelled he should give him the princess.
At that point the lord was obliged to keep his oath, and away went the young fellow and the princess; and the fox came and said to him, 'We will have every one of the three, the princess, the steed, and the feathered creature.' 'Ah!' said the young fellow, 'that would be an awesome thing, yet how might you think up it?' 'On the off chance that you will just tune in,' said the fox, 'it should be possible. When you go to the ruler, and he requests the wonderful princess, you should state, "Here she is!" Then he will be exceptionally blissful; and you will mount the brilliant steed that they are to give you, and put out your hand to disappear of them; however shake hands with the princess last.
At that point lift her rapidly on to the stallion behind you; applaud your goads to his side, and run away as quick as possible.' All went right: at that point the fox stated, 'When you go to the manor where the winged creature is, I will remain with the princess at the entryway, and you will ride in and address the ruler; and when he sees that it is the correct steed, he will draw out the fowl; yet you should sit still, and say that you need to take a gander at it, to see whether it is the genuine brilliant flying creature; and when you get it into your hand, ride away.'
Janet sighed, feeling excitement and pleasure tingle through her. She loved this story. She enjoyed the fox the most, but talk of exciting creatures, like the bird and the horse also thrilled her. It was magical. Magic and intrigue and romance, to an extent. She wouldn’t admit to anyone how much she loved this story, but she did. She loved it.
Janet was again, taken from the story by the sound of someone clearing their throat. She looked up to see an attendant standing there, a tray in her hands.
“Oh!” Janet pushed herself up, setting the book down and clearing some space, “Sorry!”
The attendant smiled, “It’s no problem, honestly.” There was a kindness in her eyes, something soft and welcoming and it settled Janet. She accepted the tray and smiled as she looked at it, “It looks great.”
The attendant nodded, “The next course will arrive shortly.”
Janet nodded and grabbed her glass of champagne. She took a sip, relishing the bubbles on her tongue. She started on the first course, a lovely salad. It looked remarkably fresh, considering it was made on a plane and Janet had no problem at all digging into it and enjoying herself.
She idly flicked the pages while she ate.
This, as well, occurred as the fox said; they carted away the fowl, the princess mounted once more, and they rode on to an incredible wood. At that point the fox came, and stated, 'Ask execute me, and remove my head and my feet.' But the young fellow declined to do it: so the fox stated, 'I will at any rate give you great guidance: be careful with two things; deliver nobody from the scaffold, and take a seat by the side of no stream.' Then away he went. 'Well,' thought the young fellow, 'it is no hard issue to keep that guidance.' He rode on with the princess, till finally he went to the town where he had left his two siblings. What's more, there he heard an extraordinary commotion and mayhem; and when he asked what the issue was, the general population stated, 'Two men will be hanged.'
As he came closer, he saw that the two men were his siblings, who had turned criminals; so he stated, 'Would they be able to in any capacity be spared?' But the general population said 'No,' unless he would give all his cash to the miscreants and purchase their freedom. At that point he didn't remain to consider the issue, however paid what was asked, and his siblings were surrendered, and went ahead with him towards their home.
When the duck came, Janet put her book away. It tasted absolutely fantastic and she enjoyed every moment of it, even the sides. By the next course, Janet was starting to feel stuffed.
She nibbled at the platter and tasted the lovely cheese and crackers that they had served. She didn’t eat it all, deciding to leave a bit of space for dessert. Dessert definitely didn’t disappoint. A rich chocolate, served with coffee, Janet was happy to take her time savoring it all. It tasted great and she enjoyed every moment of it. She decided to flick through the channels, settling on some peaceful music, playing through her headphones and really setting the mood.
She only had about a page left of her book and she was determined to get through it before she rested. She felt a pleasant sort of comfort descend on her and she settled in, opening the book, savoring the last mouthfuls of her coffee.
What's more, as they went to the wood where the fox initially met them, it was so cool and lovely that the two siblings stated, 'Let us take a seat by the side of the stream, and rest a while, to eat and drink.' So he stated, 'Yes,' and overlooked the fox's advice, and sat down in favor of the waterway; and keeping in mind that he didn't speculate anything, they came behind, and tossed him down the bank, and took the princess, the steed, and the winged animal, and went home to the ruler their lord, and said. 'This have we won by our work.' Then there was incredible celebrating made; yet the steed would not eat, the winged animal would not sing, and the princess sobbed.
The most youthful child tumbled to the base of the waterway's bed: fortunately it was about dry, yet his bones were relatively broken, and the bank was steep to the point that he could discover no real way to get out. At that point the old fox came yet again, and chastened him for not following his recommendation; generally no insidiousness would have come to pass for him: 'Yet,' said he, 'I can't abandon you here, so lay hold of my tail and hold quick.' Then he hauled him out of the waterway, and said to him, as he got upon the bank, 'Your siblings have set watch to slaughter you, on the off chance that they discover you in the kingdom.' So he dressed himself as a poor man, and came furtively to the lord's court, and was hardly inside the entryways when the stallion started to eat, and the winged animal to sing, and princess left off sobbing.
At that point he went to the lord, and disclosed to him every one of his siblings' roguery; and they were seized and rebuffed, and he had the princess given to him once more; and after the ruler's demise he was beneficiary to his kingdom. A drawn-out period of time after, he went to walk one day in the wood, and the old fox met him, and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him, and remove his head and feet. Also, finally he did as such, and in a minute the fox was changed into a man, and ended up being the sibling of the princess, who had been lost a considerable number of numerous years.
Janet shut the book, a dreamy look in her eyes. That was probably her favorite part of the book. The part where the fox, who was the real hero of the story, turns into a human again, the spell broken. She remembered getting really upset as a child, when the fox had been killed. She had been really distressed, really upset to think that the fox, who had done so much to help everyone, would be killed.
But when he had changed into the price, Janet’s heart had lit up, and it had stayed that way ever since. Part of her longed for magic, longed for the magic of these tales, longed to experience it, hide away from the real world, the world that she found herself in now.
She sighed and looked out of the window. She knew that it wasn’t a reality. She knew that her life was a life of business, a life of meetings and responsibility, even if it did come with fantastic perks like travel. It was, at the end of the day, in no way magical.
She hadn’t even met someone who she connected with, let alone experienced any sort of enchanted world. The dreams of a child. It was a dream she had as a little girl and one that she didn’t want to let go of, but one that she knew wasn’t real.
Still, she couldn’t help but dive into these stories, these poems, the works of another world, and the works of someone who had opened up her eyes and shown her how different everything could be. The tale of the golden bird was probably her favorite. It showed so much about the way humans thought and worked, and Janet couldn’t help but draw parallels to her own life.
She sighed and tilted her head back, picking out another playlist. She stayed like that for a while, just thinking about the story, thinking about her own life and her own family. An hour or so later, the attendant brought Janet a blanket and she snuggled beneath it with her pillows. The lights in the cabin dimmed and Janet flicked through the channels on offer. She settled on a movie that she hadn’t seen in years and stared at the screen.
She was only half following the plot. As she reclined her chair a little bit, Janet found herself dozing off a little, idly watching the movie, gazing out of the window and enjoying the view, just letting her mind switch off.
For a moment, there was no panic about the days ahead, no worry about what happened to her father. For a moment, Janet didn’t find herself wondering about the diamond market and what she had to learn. She didn’t find herself concerned that she would do the wrong thing and plunge the company into ruin. She didn’t fear for her life.
For a moment, she just felt blissfully blank and unaware, restful. She realized, quite suddenly, that the people who had booked her this flight knew what they were talking about when they booked her first class. She didn’t feel pressured, and she felt, just for a moment, like she was flying above her worries.
She had needed this break far more than she realized, and if they only place she could get it was up in the air, then that was fine by her. Janet shut her eyes and breathed deeply.