Glancing out over the controls, Ken noticed he was about to pass the snowy-tip of the Ecuadorian volcano, Cotopaxi. He recalled the time it caught his eye shortly after getting his licence, during his first international outing. With admiration, he contemplated how nature was able to calm even the most destructive parts of itself — creating something beautiful from catastrophe.

The silent and nonjudgmental company of clouds would often have him asking: Where am I trying to go? But during this more sombre flight, Ken finally wanted to know — What am I trying to leave behind?

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This short story was originally published on Medium.com

Photography by Ivar Abrahamsen