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After taking another deep breath, I let go, stretching my arm as far as I could. He lunged further over the edge, but there had to be almost two feet of difference.
“Stretch more. See if you can plant one foot on something.”
“Like what?” I was almost hysterical.Calm down. He won’t allow you to fall.
“Just try. Maybe there’s an exposed root or a rock.”
My heart was racing so hard it pulsed in my throat. I slowly lowered my head just enough that I noticed an indentation. I gingerly placed my foot in the slot, clawing the root I was holding onto to try to lift my torso. “I think I got it.”
“Okay, wonderful. You’re doing great. Let’s try this again. On three. One. Two. Three.” There was more of an urgency in his tone and as soon as I reached for him again, I felt more dirt and debris tumble over the edge.
Stretching, his fingers were almost in reach. Almost. Almost. Then I lost my footing, dropping back again, exhausted from the effort. “I can’t do it.” Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, a strong pull to just let go that paralyzing moment.
“Yes, you can. And you will.”
There was the stern man who’d groused at me the moment I’d walked into his house. “I’ll try.” The quake in my voice was increasing, fear crawling along every inch of skin.
Let go. Just let go.
No. I wanted to live.Breathe. Live.
“Hold on.”
When I no longer was able to see him at the top of the ridge, I thrashed involuntarily, the sudden drop by another few inches forcing a yelp. “Where did you go? Don’t leave me.” My shouts were ridiculous. I didn’t really think he was going to leave me, but the terror was increasing. I didn’t want to die today.
I heard nothing for a few seconds. When he popped his head over once again, he grinned. “Did you really think I’d walk away from you, sweetheart?” He glanced past me, his breathing more labored than before.
“I told you, I’m not your sweetheart.” I tried to laugh as tears stung my eyes.
“This will be easier. I’m going to lower my belt down and you’re going to grab the loop. That’s all you need to do.”
“Okay. I can. I will.” I was breathless, every slight cracking sound almost paralyzing.
“Come on, baby. You can do this for me.”
Additional debris and dirt trickled down the slope and I resisted the urge to look down. When a rock almost hit me in the head, the tears rolled down my cheeks. “I don’t know if…”
“Listen to my voice. That’s all you need to concentrate on. Okay? When you see the belt, just slip your arm through it. I’ll do the rest.”
The pull to look down increased.
“What’s your favorite color?” he asked, which was so unexpected that the draw to look down vanished.
“Red.”
He slid the belt down, easing what appeared to be half his body over the edge.
“You’ll fall!”
“I’m not going to fall. What’s your favorite food?”
The belt came within a few inches. “Um. Pizza. I think.”
“You think, huh? Thin or thick crust?” He was grinning. How could he grin when I was dangling close to death? “You look like a thick girl. I mean pizza.”
“You’re still insufferable.” I threw my arm through the loop he’d created, winding the leather around my wrist. “Thin, thank you very much.”
“I like both, baby.” Snake hoisted me up by several inches. Then I noticed the strain on his face and the way he scrambled to his feet was nothing short of miraculous.
