Aviophobia: an 8-step program PV Jake Finished

Jake wiped away the tears from his eyes. There were a lot of scary classes at Hogwarts, but flying class was definitely the scariest. Broomstick riding WAS cool - or at least watching it was. Jake was amazed the first time he'd seen that you could really fly like in the stories. It was incredible! But his awe ran out when he realized that they were going to have to do it too...Flying class meant going up high - sitting on a broomstick with nothing to strap you on. Jake barely even liked riding a bike (he had only recently learned to do it without the training wheels and he still secretly missed them), and he never got in a car without being securely strapped in. How could he go up on a flimsy little broom. What was to stop him from falling? It was like being on a roller coaster without the seatbelt (and Jake didn't even like roller coasters then).

But the teacher didn't let him sit out, and it only took mounting a broom for Jake to feel the terror creeping in. Try as he might he couldn't find any bravery and the little hufflepuff would burst into frightened tears, desperate to not lift his feet off the grass. He would cling to his broom in fright, begging not to fall to the ground, and begging to be allowed off..

After class, he hurried to get as far away from the pitch as possible. He didn't want to be anywhere near the brooms, but he also didn't want anybody to see how bad he was crying. He was getting under control now, taking deep breaths. Another flying class was over and he was still alive. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped in shock.

Jake heard a pleasant greeting, and looked up at the girl who had tapped him. The tiny boy sniffled, self-consciously rubbing at his eyes, though his lower lip still trembled a little. Now that he was on the ground, he felt silly for having cried as badly as he had, and yet even the thought of the class was enough to make sure he didn't stop entirely. Jake didn't know a lot about other kids, but he did know that it was bad if they saw you crying. That was the kind of thing that made people laugh at you.

"S-sorry...." he mumbled sheepishly. He sniffled once more and tried to regain his composure...but he had never spoken to this girl and shyness made him quiet. "I just don't wanna fall...." Jake said softly.

Her eyes snapped wide when she saw him jump. It was quite unexpected. She never would have thought a simple tap on the should would frighten the boy that much. Perhaps he was just naturally jumpy? If some people, like her father, were calm, it seemed that the opposite had to be true. Still, she hadn't intended it. "Sorry if I startled you," she apologized, looking at his face. From the way his eyes looked, freshly rubbed, and his lips quivered, it was clear her diagnosis had been correct: this was a face of fear. And a lot of fear. Was she biting off too much to chew? Quite possibly. But Ruthie didn't see it that way. She saw it as a kind of noble quest--her fiduciary responsibility as a Quidditch player and frequent flyer to introduce the boy to the wonders life on a broomstick held.

"It's okay," she nodded in response to both his unnecessary apology and his admission that he didn't want to fall. Tucking a hair behind her head, she knew this was rational. Hell, she didn't want to fall, especially mid-match, but it was a possibility. But that possibility shouldn't stand in the way of joy. With upcoming classes, she didn't want to waste time. Sticking out her hand for him to shake, she introduced both herself and her idea for remedial flying: "I'm Ruthie. I've got a Comet 180 up in my dormitory. It's a good broom, much more stable than a school broom. You could borrow it if you wanted and we could come back out here one afternoon for you to try it. You won't fall, promise." It was a hell of a promise for an 11 year old to make, but she felt it was necessary in the moment to fib a white lie just to get him to agree. He simply had to try. Otherwise, nothing would be remedied.

As she smiled, other passing students might overhear and wonder why a Quidditch player was willing to risk her own broom on a boy she didn't know. But he had a kind face, not unlike her sister, and for Ruthie that was enough.

Interacting with @Jake Morris

"I-it's okay..." Jake assured the girl sheepishly, still sniffling and embarrassed that he had startled so obviously. He hadn't meant to jump...she had just scared him. He also wished she hadn't seen him crying...But she stuck out a hand, and he stuck out a small and shaky hand of his own. He shook it lightly, his grip gentle. He was getting more used to greetings and hand-shakes the longer he stayed at school. "Im Jake," he said quietly. He was getting more used to introductions too.

The other girl's offer was surprising - surprising enough to get through some of Jake's shyness. She wanted to let him practice on one of her brooms. It was called a comet 180 and instantly Jake pictured a comet streaking across the sky and shuddered.

"Don't they make brooms with training wheels...? O-Or seatbelts...?" he asked futilely. Even if they did have brooms that had more safety features, Jake knew he would probably get made fun of for using them, but at this moment he didn't have it in him to care. Anything was better than falling. Jake feared being laughed at, but he feared heights much more. Still, he had a feeling that the muggle world and the wizarding world worked in very different ways and even if they did have brooms that were easier to learn on it wouldn't be something Ruthie would have. He shook his head.

"I-I dunno..." he said hanging his head and feeling a ball of anxiety in his chest at her offer. Flying in class was bad enough...now she wanted him to fly even more. How could he do that?

He thought for a while, his face narrowed in concentration. The safest option was just saying no, and going back to the protection of Hufflepuff common room. But what if she COULD help him? Somehow it felt like if he was going to have to cling to a broom just trying not to cry, maybe it would be better to practice with only one person watching and not fifty. And he did need help...more than their Professor could give him (especially because their professor scared him too badly to ever talk to her). The only other option was hoping that class was cancelled or that he'd get sick before it (though sometimes he was so nervous he really did get sick).

Jake grimaced and looked up. "Y-You really mean it...? You promise I won't fall...?" he asked. He looked up and studied her face for any sign that maybe she wasn't telling the truth but didn't find one. He didn't know how she could know that...but well...."Do I have to go high...?" he finally asked, hesitation creeping into his voice and making him sound much younger than his eleven years.

Shaking the boy's hand, his grip was gentle, a bit like a stuffed animal. He introduced himself as Jake--a simple name for a simple boy. He seemed scared, but behind that there was something genuine though she couldn't quite tell what it was. But she had a feeling he was really a good kid, not unlike her sister who was also afraid at inopportune times. But then perhaps that was just the nature of an older sibling to a bit more adventurous, a more bold.

The mention of her Comet seemed to scare him if his expression was anything to go by. "No seat belts, but brooms today have a cushioning charm so you'll be comfortable," she tried to make him feel better. To be honest, she didn't know if this would work. His fear seemed deeply rooted. And if his questions were anything to go off, it was likely he came from a muggle background where flying was simply left to aeroplanes. "Have you ever been on an aeroplane, Jake?" she asked him even though she'd never been on one herself. She could imagine, however, and she thought if she could relate flying to something common--something muggle--maybe that would help make him more comfortable. The reverse could also happen--scare him more--but she had to take a risk.

When the boy said he didn't know, she bit her lip in response, unsure what else to do but wait for him to come to her. He seemed to be thinking about it, and thinking about it hard. It took several seconds, but eventually he looked up at her and spoke. His tone was still uncertain, but she thought she detected a twinge of hope. And then he did it--he took her words literally and wanted confirmation still. But she was far in, she had to follow her white lie of well-intentioned encouragement. "I promise," she confirmed, "We'll go slow. You won't need to go high. Just enough so you're off the ground. It'll make class much better for you. People won't have to stare." That was the point surely. He didn't have to be a star. He just had to be comfortable. Ideally, she could share her love of flying, but it would be enough if he could just be comfortable. How to achieve that in terms of teaching, she wasn't completely sure yet, but that would be a challenge for once they actually stepped out on the pitch. First she needed to get him there.

Smiling, she offered him a hand. "What do you say, Jake?" she questioned, "Let me teach you and you won't have to cry in flying class again." It seemed she was developing a habit in these few minutes of over-committing. But then she had always been a 'go big or go home' kind of girl. And she really didn't want him to struggle the way he was anymore. No one should struggle like that, not when flying was so great. And so she stood, hopeful, awaiting his reply.

For @Jake Morris

Jake wasn't surprised to hear there were no seatbelts...and sitting on a cushion didn't sound like it was going to solve the problem. That might make him more comfortable ON the broom but nothing was going to help him if he fell. Her next question surprised him though. "Um, yeah...twice," he said, holding up two fingers and thinking back to his family's trip to America. "I-I went to Disney World." He had been scared when the plane had begun to go up, but it had ended up being not so bad in the end. That was different though. You were inside with walls all around you (and your parents right by your side). On a broom you were sitting on a tiny little thing...that wobbled and turned where you didn't want it, and with no big seat like an aeroplane had. He looked up at her questioning. Why had she asked?

But Ruthie did promise he wouldn't have to go high, and that they could take it slow. That was a relief because their flying professor had never made any such promises. And an even more important promise...people won't have to stare. As she stuck out a hand and told him that he wouldn't have to cry in class anymore, Jake looked down in embarrassment. The spotlight on his behavior was uncomfortable but he knew it was true. People WERE looking. He had hoped that maybe they wouldn't notice. Sometimes people just didn't notice him, which had never been something he'd minded before. Actually, it was the one good part about being small. But people looked at the kid who was crying.

"Okay," he said finally, sticking out his hand again to hers and raising his eyes once more. "I...I guess I can try..." His heart was pounding with nerves, and he once again felt a little sick...but if she could really help him...if she could really make him not cry....then that meant that he had to try.

Ruthie nodded at the boy's two fingers. This was good. She was connecting with him--or so she hoped. "You've been to America?" she questioned, rather in awe. To the girl who'd never left Scotland, America seemed so very far away. Far and huge compared to the little fishing village she called home. And moreover, he hadn't gone just anywhere. He'd gone to Disneyworld, the happiest place on earth. She had to admit she didn't know too much about Disney. They had a television at the house, but it was mostly her father Ross who used it. Ruthie had seen the cartoons, but she'd been more fascinated by the books her parents would read to her. Still, she couldn't wait to ask Jake what this was like. If only he would agree.

He seemed a little uncomfortable at the proposition, but he'd been uncomfortable the whole time they'd been talking and then earlier in class as far as she could see. The only way to reverse that as far as she could see was getting him out onto the pitch. Biting her lip, she looked down at her hand and then across at the blonde boy and back again. Take it, please. Then suddenly she felt his hand meet hers. His grip wasn't necessarily firm, far from it, but it was clear he was taking taking her up on her crazy offer. "Good, that's good, Jake. Meet me back her on Saturday, okay? Ten o'clock," she explained, wanting to make sure this wasn't going to be a lost offer. And with that, she started to walk back up the hill towards the school. They'd dropped far behind the rest of the class, but it was worth it. It seemed she had gained a little brother, or at least a little student.

Interacting with @Jake Morris. Will be marking this thread as complete.