The Paper Airplane
31 Jan 2022The girl showed up to class just a hair late. As she slid into a seat, the teacher frowned but didn’t say anything. The boy next to her gave her a shy smile. She smiled back.
The teacher explained that they were going to split into pairs and learn how to make paper airplanes. At the end of the week, all of the students would fly their airplanes, and the best one would win a prize. The boy and the girl quickly decided to be partners, and the teacher passed out a piece of paper to each group.
The boy and the girl quickly got to folding the paper this way and that way, drawing patterns on the wings, and trying different shapes for the nose. All throughout class they shared ideas and gave each other tips on how to perfect their airplane. Before long, it sprung to life, ready to fly.
Just as the airplane was completed, though, tensions started to rise between the boy and the girl. The girl didn’t like something the boy had said in passing, and called him a name in return. Stung, he fired off a retort and tried to tell her why she was wrong. They had already forgotten the airplane by the time the bell rung and hurriedly threw it into a cubby on their way out, still bickering.
The airplane looked around at the room from the cubby. One of his wings was slightly crumpled, and the design on his nose was smeared a bit. He didn’t know any better, though. The other airplanes were also stretching their wings, murmuring to each other slightly and talking about the race to come. Their folds seemed to be a little more crisp and their designs just a bit more carefully sketched than his. He remembered the boy and the girl arguing, but couldn’t recall if the other airplanes’ children had called each other the same names.
The next day, the teacher announced it was time for practice. The students would learn how to throw their airplanes, so that they could get the most distance for Friday’s race. The boy and the girl were still annoyed but pinky swore a truce. The airplane was excited - if he showed them how straight and true he could fly, maybe they would fix the fold in his wing and finish the drawing on his tail!
Alas, this wouldn’t come to pass. On his first attempt, the boy tossed the airplane high into the sky, but he immediately spiraled out of control and slammed into the ground. His wing had been crumpled just a little too much and caught the air the wrong way. The girl laughed cruelly at the boy, but her throw didn’t fare any better. Before long, the two were consumed by endless jabs about his lack of skill and her mean spirit.
The airplane was left alone on the side of the field. He looked around, confused. The other children were running around, laughing and throwing their airplanes into the sky with joy. Their throws didn’t even go as far as his had! He watched one of the other boys toss his airplane in a lazy arc to a friend, who screamed in delight as he caught it.
Later, the airplane sat in the cubby by himself and pondered the past days’ events. Why were the boy and the girl always mad at each other? What had he done to cause it? The race was just a few days away. He looked around again. All of the other airplanes were peacefully resting, content with their day. None of them had flown very far, but it didn’t matter to them.
But he wasn’t content. He didn’t want the boy to be mad with the girl and the girl to be mad with the boy. Perhaps he just hadn’t flown well enough. Perhaps, they were mad because they thought he wouldn’t win them the race. He vowed to stay up all night to practice. Over and over, he lept out of the cubby and sailed gracefully to the far end of the classroom, learning to tilt his wings just the right way to catch the most air. If being like the other airplanes wasn’t enough to make them happy, then he would find a way to be even better.
As the week went on, the boy and the girl failed to make amends. One day, the boy didn’t show up to class. The next, the girl wasn’t there, either. The airplane started to get nervous. Who would throw him during the race? The other airplanes played games after class and told each other jokes and laughed until the teacher turned the lights out for the evening. He joined in occasionally, but wasn’t sure if the other airplanes really wanted him there. At night, he would coast to the other side of the classroom and glide in circles around the desks. After he won the race, the boy and the girl would be happy with each other again. They would be proud of what they had created together. The airplane was sure of this.
On the day of the race, the classroom was a flurry of excitement. All of the children were hurriedly refolding their airplanes, taping over little tears in their wings, and putting last-minute decorations onto their crafts. Well, except for the boy and the girl. They stared sullenly, with the airplane on the desk in between them. His nose was slightly bent and his folds a little undone, and the boy and the girl didn’t seem to notice. No matter. He knew the classroom like the back of his wing. This race would be a cinch.
The boy and the girl drew straws to see who would throw, and the boy won. The girl stalked off in protest and didn’t stay for the race. The boy cocked his arm back and launched the airplane across the room. The airplane rolled and dived, soared across the chalkboard and over the teacher’s head. No other airplane was even close. He did it! He had won!
The boy collected his prize and dropped the airplane back in the cubby. Class was over; the teacher turned out the lights and closed the door on her way out. This time, though, the airplane was all alone. The other children had eagerly placed their airplanes in their backpacks, excited to show their parents when they got home. There were even some lighthearted disagreements about which of the children got to show off their airplane first.
The airplane didn’t understand. He had won the race. Was that not why the boy and girl had made him? Why had they left him here, when all of the other airplanes had left for their new homes? What had he done to cause the pain that each obviously felt?
All night, he pondered these questions, but couldn’t find an answer. As the sun began to shine hints of its presence through the windows, he lept out of the cubby for one last flight over the desks and around the room, still wondering what had gone wrong.