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The silly man should have known what I’d do. “Just because.” I managed to pull away, shifting to the right.
“Come back here,” he said.
“I’m having fun.” When I took off sprinting in another direction, I sensed he was losing patience. At least for once we were both laughing.
“No, Chasity. Don’t go that way.”
“Why?”
“Chasity, come back here. I’m serious.” He had an urgency in his voice.
I turned around in the direction of the sound, carefully walking backward. As soon as I heard a single crack, Snake bolted through the trees.
“Do not move.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Just stay right there.”
A trickle of fear slid down my spine. When I slowly tipped my head over my shoulder, I heard another crack just seconds before I felt a series of vibrations.
Then it seemed like the earth fell out from underneath me. My scream was high pitched, the inertia flipping my stomach as I dropped by several feet. When I finally heard running water, I realized the dimming light had hidden the edge of a cliff. I managed to grab onto a limb or a root, shaking all over as I was spun from side to side.
I heard his voice seconds later, the soft velvety tone able to rise over the much louder sounds of the river water tumbling over rocks. Why hadn’t I heard the sound before?Because you were too busy laughing at one-upping him.
That was true enough.
In all the times I’d been to the mountain range, I’d missed the lagoon and waterfall. Now this. The area must have had significant rain, washing out a portion of the cliff, exposing roots from several trees.
“I’m going to fall,” I said, which was ridiculous, yet my dangling feet felt like lead weights. As I tried to pull myself up, I dropped another two feet.
“Don’t do that. When I tell you not to move, you will listen to me next time.”
He was on his belly, peering over the edge. “You have your hand wrapped around a root, but it’s not very strong.”
“Okay. What now?” My voice was shaking as much as my body, the hard thumping of my heart echoing in my ears.
“Now, I pull you up.” How could the man be so calm and collected while I was dangling over the edge of a cliff? I was sick inside, trying to keep from panicking, but my fingers were already slipping.
“I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can. Look at me,” he instructed.
I gauged the number of feet between us and shuddered. “Your arms aren’t that long.”
“You better learn to trust me, sweetheart.”
Swallowing, another crackling sound drew my attention, and I was stupid enough to glance over my shoulder. Big mistake. Huge. The real reason I didn’t hear the water before was how far below me it was. If I slipped, crashing into the rocks, there would be nothing but a puddle of blood and broken bones.
“Do not look down. Just listen to my voice.”
Still shaking, everything seemed to be in slow motion. I finally lifted my head, every muscle tense. “I am.” I scrambled to try to grab another root or limb. Anything. Another creaking noise stopped me, and I gasped, another wave of fear becoming paralyzing.
“Okay. I’m going to get you out of this. I need you to reach for me.”
“I can’t. I just can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” he said. By now, I thought he’d be furious with me, barking orders, but the fact he remained calm meant I was in trouble. “Come on, honey.”
