Freedom by Beth Sadler Copyright 2012 Beth Sadler Smashwords Edition Smashwords Edition Licence Notes Thank you for downloading this free book. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyright property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support. This book is written in Australian English Cover Copyright 2012 Beth Sadler Chapter 1 Axel gazed up at the Condors in wonder, stunned by the magnificence of these huge magical creatures who danced happily in the cool, clear blue sky above. They swooped overhead, so close you could swear they were playing with you, tempting you to try and touch them. With an almost silent rush of air over their glistening, powerful wings, they swooped down, down into the depths of this ancient, mysterious canyon in the heart of Peru. Axel stood entranced, waiting for the return of these symbols of freedom that he had travelled so far to see. His heart bursting with fullness, a sting of tears at the back of his eyes, he waited. He had taken a year to get here and now only had a day to bask in this glory. On silent wings, a black dot from hundreds of metres below in the valley swiftly grew larger as it lifted on the thermal updraughts, heading straight to where he stood. This time he didn’t try to hold back the tears. Freedom! This was freedom, this was the freedom he had craved back home in Germany. His life was blessed, he knew that. He was the product of a middle class, rich, German family. His father was a successful businessman and his mother a doctor; he had never had to struggle for anything. Of course his parents hadn’t got to where they were without strict discipline; he knew all about strictures and discipline. God, how tightly his life had been wound back home, till he thought he would explode if he didn’t get free. "Duty" had said his father "was not just important, it was essential". This had been the lecture when Axel had informed his father that he had deferred his National Service. He was not going straight into the army after he completed university; he was going to defer for a year to travel overseas. “Europe needs its young people to have a social conscience” had said father. They were expected to give something back to the world that had nurtured them so well. Finally, his parent’s had come around; after all, they loved him, and he loved and honoured them. But, oh God! How he had craved freedom. Freedom, from the rigid worlds of school and home. Freedom, how he had longed to let his soul escape and soar like these magnificent creatures. The condor swept closer and closer, quickly growing in size the nearer it came. Then, like a gift from the gods, it was circling lazily over his head its wings spread to an enormous twelve feet, hovering over him like a benediction. It seemed to be toying with him, staying just out of reach above his madly swivelling head. Axel thought about lying on his back to watch, but then he would miss the joyful swoop as it dived back down to the valley floor. With a casual “watch me” flap of its wings, the Condor seemed to be performing just for Axle’s pleasure. With a lightening move, it was off; diving towards the ground again, down, down, faster and faster simply because it could. That was freedom. Chapter 2 That was what he had done, dived head first into life; simply because he could. He had been at the Zoo in Frankfurt when he had first seen a Condor. How miserable he had been that day, father was being unfair again, forbidding him from going to the rock concert in East Berlin. "It wasn’t fair," he had been huffing to himself. All of his friends were going, including the gorgeous Anna Schmidt that he had had a crush on all year. But, "no" had said father, he must attend the Zoo on behalf of his parents, as they had urgent business in Vienna. Father was a generous contributor to the Zoo’s ‘Birds of Prey’ preservation society; he was to receive an award for all of his help; Axel would have to appear in his place and deliver his already written, "thank you" speech. So there he had been, wandering around the zoo, kicking his size thirteen boots against every rubbish bin he passed and in general acting like a ten year old, instead of the seventeen year old he was. Eventually he had arrived at the open door to the veterinary clinic; a young man struggling to hold on to a huge bird looked up at him with a relieved smile. “Quickly please, grab hold of our friend here so that I can get his I.D. tag on.” Axel had rushed into the room, and used every muscle of his huge frame, to hang onto the, as yet, unknown bird, before he realised what he was doing. Sweat poured off of him and dripped to the floor as he pitted the might of his six foot five inch frame, against the bird’s desire to be free. He felt the wild heart beat of this mighty bird and recognised a kindred spirit. When the task was finished and the bird safely back in his cage, the young man took the leather snood off of its head. That was when Axel’s life changed forever. The Condor looked at him with such a fierce cry for freedom shining in its proud eyes that he knew this bird would die if it had to stay in captivity. He felt the bird’s desire for flight, its need to be unrestricted from the desires of humans. He understood, and as he looked into those fierce eyes, he thought that perhaps the bird understood him better than anyone else on earth. Now he knew why his father donated money to this cause, but, suddenly he knew----- money wasn’t enough. He started that day to learn about his Condor and the land that it came from. Peru. Peru, land of the Inca’s, bathed in everlasting mystery. Peru, land of the Llama, Alpaca and Jaguar. Peru, land of magnificent mountains, endless deserts and ancient cities Peru, land of beautiful giving people, some, still speaking the ancient language of their Indian ancestors. Chapter 3 The Condors were playing now, showing off for their audience. Slipping dizzily sideways off to one side of the canyon, then arching back in a huge sweep, to finish off with a flap of their wings that looked a lot like applause. Axel was aware that his time was running short. Soon the hot air would cool and the players on this enormous stage would settle their feathers and sink to the comfort of their penthouse homes. He hoped one of these actors was his bird. He knew it had been healed and returned to the Andes here in Peru. Here, to Canyon del Colca, the deepest canyon in the world; deeper even than the American Grand Canyon by one hundred and thirty six feet. Here to the place of an early Inca civilisation and now host to fifteen thousand people. Here, to the cradle of its birth. He had sent the Zoo in Frankfurt every mark that he could spare for the care of that particular bird. They had been very grateful and full of praise for his generosity, but he had known it was more than money that was needed; it was caring. So, he had planned and studied and learned more and more of Peru and his Condor. Peru, land of incredible poverty. Peru, land of people struggling to eke a living from barren desert lands. Peru, land of dirt floor huts and no sanitation, of running water reserved for the rich; of leaking roofs and lice. Peru, so poor the majority of its people would never know a true holiday from work, from worry. He had learned a lot of facts about Peru over the years; but, none of it had had any meaning until he had come here to the land of his Condor twelve months ago. As he looked up, to watch the final act of the unique aerial play being put on for his benefit, he thought back over this last remarkable year. His time as an unpaid, voluntary teacher; living in the dirt floor hut of his adopted family. The rush in the morning to get to the bathroom first before the young ones beat you and took all of the cold, clean water. The laughter when you were beaten. The endless trek along the dusty road carrying back more water from the communal tap. The meals of rice, rice and more rice; all flavoured with laughter. Laughter, always the laughter. Poverty never diminished the laughter of these intelligent kind people. At first his parents had fretted about his safety, here in this distant, different land, but, finally they had recognised his determination to go and help. After all, as he said to father, hadn’t he been raised to have a social conscience? What was the difference if his conscience was pricking in Peru instead of Europe? What was the good of all that good food, clean air and parental nurturing that had produced a strong handsome young man, if it was not put to good use? What good to be six foot five and as strong as a horse, if he couldn’t help those weaker than himself? And, of course, his Condor was in Peru; his Condor that had led him here to help its people. Chapter 4 The air was cooling rapidly now. One by one; the Condors were making their final bows and deserting their aerial stage. Tears of joy were flowing freely and unashamedly down Axel’s face. Freedom he thought, came in many disguises; the secret was to recognise them. Just above his head flew one kind; another was what he had found in giving to his fellow man. He had to leave this beautiful land for now, maybe forever, but, freedom was going with him in his heart. He had found it was not in distance from parental demands and lack of strictures. Freedom was in a giving, loving heart. The last Condor aloft, whispered silently closer, until it hovered incredibly near Axel’s head; covering him in enough shade, so, that for the first time he clearly saw the underside of the birds magnificent wings. He sucked in a choked breath, as glinting in the late morning sun, shone a silver I.D. tag. With one last circle overhead the Condor made its final, joyful dive for the valley floor, taking Axel’s heart with it; freedom, freedom. The End Other Titles by Beth Sadler A Man For Cassi Twisted Dreams Visit Beth on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bethsadlernovels.