Aloft

Elara was afraid of heights. Not the gentle, "I-don't-like-rollercoasters" kind, but the deep, bone-tight kind. She lived on the fifth floor of a walk-up, and every morning, she had to pause on the fourth-floor landing, press her palm to the cool wall, and talk herself down from turning around.

The next Monday, she opened her office blinds. Just a crack. Elara was afraid of heights

She never stopped feeling the fear entirely. But she learned that fear doesn’t have to be the thing that holds the string. Some days, you hold it. Some days, you let go. The next Monday, she opened her office blinds

Saturday arrived. The rooftop garden was twenty stories up. Elara took the stairs, one flight at a time, pausing at every landing. When she pushed open the rooftop door, the wind hit her face—full, clean, and cold. But she learned that fear doesn’t have to