The Airplane Tree

It was at our summer home that I found my refuge in an apple tree I called "The Airplane Tree". To any one else's eye, it was a common apple tree whose trunk split into a Y about five feet off the ground. To me it was very special and far from common. What might have given away my secret was the half circle piece of wood to use as a steering wheel, and the three pieces of wood nailed to one side to use as a ladder to climb aboard.
I would climb that special haven when life became too much to bear. I would fly among the butterflies, away from the hurt and shame to a land all my very own. As I traveled, my family and all the pain looked small below.