Fears by Misha

Trees and bushes everywhere, the big, blue sky dotted with kites. The cold wind brushed against my cheeks. A perfect day for kite flying. Yes, it's the "Great Kite Festival".

This year, Dad entered my brother, Cato, and me in the competition. We are called the "Mellark Duo" in segment B, kite-flying. Last year, we came in fifth, and did not make it to the top three. This year, we were determined to come in first. We had been practising for months, in anticipation for this day.

One more hour to the competition. We were doing some warm-ups. "Hey Peeta, let's do the 'eagle' move!" Cato called out to me.

While doing the 'eagle', a gust of wind blew at our kites and us, sending the kites into what we could only call a frenzy. The kites swooped around (really like an eagle), and we lost our grip on the kite handles. With a rustle of leaves, and a sound of a tear, our kites were caught in the tree.

"There goes our chance of winning...", I sighed. What a pity. Cato and I were afraid of heights. We fell from a tree when we were six. That explained it all.

I somehow plucked up the courage and asked Cato, "For our kites?" I managed, shakily.

"Umm... Yeah... For our kites...",Cato replied, whose voice evidently laced with a tinge of fear.

When we were ready, I set my first foot (I went first since I was lighter). After I was up one foot, Cato started pushing me up little by little. At the top, I took our kites and passed them over to Cato. We climbed down and inspected our kites. They were all torn. Disappointed, we went home with Dad since we could not participate without proper kites.

On the other hand, we had won! And it was not the competition. It was a battle, a battle of overcoming fears...!