The young woman stood in the cardboard airplane with both arms stretched toward the sky.

The young man held the steering wheel.

Neither of them appeared concerned that the airplane was hanging from three ropes tied to a tree.

This suggested experience.

Behind them hung a large map.

A red dotted line wandered across continents.

Several cities had already been marked.

A bird landed on the front of the plane.

It studied the map.

Then it asked the obvious question.

“Where are you going next?”

The young man looked left.

The young woman looked right.

They exchanged the sort of glance normally reserved for treasure hunters and people hiding birthday cakes.

“It’s a secret,” said the young woman.

The bird nodded.

This seemed reasonable.

Three days later the bird returned.

The map contained seventeen new circles.

The dotted line now crossed oceans.

It looped around mountains.

It appeared to have visited at least two places that may not exist.

The bird became suspicious.

“You couldn’t possibly have traveled that far.”

The young man smiled.

“We did.”

The bird pointed at the ropes.

“The airplane is still tied to the tree.”

“That’s true,” said the young woman.

The bird pointed at the propeller.

“It doesn’t move.”

“Also true.”

The bird pointed at the complete absence of an engine.

The young man nodded.

“A difficult obstacle for most pilots.”

The bird stared at them for a long moment.

Then it finally asked:

“So where exactly have you been?”

The young woman opened a book.

The young man opened another.

The bird looked at the map.

Then at the books.

Then back at the map.

A slow realization arrived.

The red dotted line was not marking flights.

It was marking chapters.

The airplane had never left the tree.

Yet somehow they had crossed deserts, sailed oceans, climbed mountains, wandered ancient cities, and gotten lost in three separate kingdoms.

The bird sat quietly for a moment.

Then it asked:

“Where are you going tomorrow?”

The young man grinned.

The young woman tapped a thick unopened book.

And for the first time all afternoon, neither of them answered.

Apparently, some routes are easier to travel than to explain. ✈️📚♥️