Dust swirled away behind the airplane, erupting out of the distant ditches and seeping across the grass. The outboard engines were started as another black gunship with red lettering lumbered alongside. A camouflaged jet fighter rolled up to the quick check inspection area. I wondered if he was our escort. A quaint skyline of trees and brown wooden bungalows and business establishments diminished behind as the plane accelerated down the runway, leaving the sun to sink into the night.
Dust sweeps back down the receding runway.
The glorious feel of wings grabbing air and lifting a marvelous machine gently off the ground. Wind swirled into the open cargo compartment from behind, blowing in my face. I was still sitting on the ramp, watching lakes and dirt roads and tin-roofed houses fall away beneath us. The hot exhaust gasses from the engines formed a pair of shimmering cores behind each wing. A storage area slid into view, and a winding river flowed by a red-roofed temple.