cushion.
“I’m fine!” he shouted, thinking he should reassure Veronica as he went. His voice echoed back up at him from below, and he had to shake the impression that the chasm was mocking him with his own words. There were other sounds, some like voices, some musical, always at the very edge of his hearing, unable to be pinned down, ghost noises. He tried to see what might be making them but the fog continued to obscure his view and he didn’t want to move around too much in case it robbed him of his precarious hold.
The orb moved slowly, maintaining a straight line, clearly trying to make it as safe for him as possible. A soft wind blew up from below and, for a moment, the fog swirled around him, the orb bobbing slightly in the current. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make him unsteady, rocking to and fro, his balance lost for the moment. He gave a shout as he toppled backwards, his hands digging into the surface of the orb, trying to find some form of purchase.
He heard Veronica calling to him but he didn’t respond, concentrating on trying to maintain his grip. The orb suddenly dropped and for a brief moment he thought it was abandoning him to his fate. Then it pushed up against him once more, letting him get a stronger hold. It had consciously acted to help him. This thought reassured him as he shouted back to Veronica.
“I’m fine! My hand slipped but the orb kept me safe.” He hoped that would give her a little more confidence when it was her turn to make the journey.
The orb began to descend, and the fog cleared ahead of him to reveal a set of jagged mountains, their stone black and volcanic. They looked sharp enough to cut you just by walking on them.
He was lowered gently to the ground, which crunched beneath his feet.
“I’m over!” he shouted, as the orb retreated back over the chasm. “You’ll be fine!”
There was no response, maybe she hadn’t heard him.
He wondered if she would make the journey. He knew she had been reluctant to leave the Dominion of Clouds and this was the first moment their journey had represented genuine danger. This was the lost point at which it would be easy to simply turn around and return. If she was willing to do this, he knew, she would stay with him whatever the future held.
He paced up and down at the edge of the chasm, staring towards the fog and waiting.
After a few minutes he began calling her name, convinced that she had decided against making the crossing.
Another couple of minutes and he had decided that she had tried to make the journey but had fallen. If that was the case, his common sense argued, surely he would have heard her fall? Wouldn’t the orb have continued its journey and reappeared by now?
Just as he was convinced he would never see Veronica again, the orb appeared through the mist. She was clutching it to her so tightly he could see the cords rising up in her neck, her teeth clenched.
“I was worried,” he said as she came to rest on solid ground.
“I wasn’t exactly relaxed,” she replied, her legs shaking as the tension finally left her body. “Oh boy.” She sat down. “So stupid. I’ve never been so scared in all my life. And I’m not even alive. Oh Lord...” She put her hands over her face. “I hate heights so much.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, trying to console her. “I didn’t realise.”
“Just don’t ask me to do it again.” Then a thought occurred to her. “We’ll have to go back the same way!” She gave a moan and shook her head. “Should have stayed in the garden.”
He didn’t know what to say to that so he just sat next to her and held her.
After a few minutes she got her breathing back under control and got to her feet. “I nearly left you,” she said, “you know that? I stood on the edge of that thing and tried to think of all the sensible reasons why I should turn around and walk back the way we had come.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Because
“I’m fine!” he shouted, thinking he should reassure Veronica as he went. His voice echoed back up at him from below, and he had to shake the impression that the chasm was mocking him with his own words. There were other sounds, some like voices, some musical, always at the very edge of his hearing, unable to be pinned down, ghost noises. He tried to see what might be making them but the fog continued to obscure his view and he didn’t want to move around too much in case it robbed him of his precarious hold.
The orb moved slowly, maintaining a straight line, clearly trying to make it as safe for him as possible. A soft wind blew up from below and, for a moment, the fog swirled around him, the orb bobbing slightly in the current. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make him unsteady, rocking to and fro, his balance lost for the moment. He gave a shout as he toppled backwards, his hands digging into the surface of the orb, trying to find some form of purchase.
He heard Veronica calling to him but he didn’t respond, concentrating on trying to maintain his grip. The orb suddenly dropped and for a brief moment he thought it was abandoning him to his fate. Then it pushed up against him once more, letting him get a stronger hold. It had consciously acted to help him. This thought reassured him as he shouted back to Veronica.
“I’m fine! My hand slipped but the orb kept me safe.” He hoped that would give her a little more confidence when it was her turn to make the journey.
The orb began to descend, and the fog cleared ahead of him to reveal a set of jagged mountains, their stone black and volcanic. They looked sharp enough to cut you just by walking on them.
He was lowered gently to the ground, which crunched beneath his feet.
“I’m over!” he shouted, as the orb retreated back over the chasm. “You’ll be fine!”
There was no response, maybe she hadn’t heard him.
He wondered if she would make the journey. He knew she had been reluctant to leave the Dominion of Clouds and this was the first moment their journey had represented genuine danger. This was the lost point at which it would be easy to simply turn around and return. If she was willing to do this, he knew, she would stay with him whatever the future held.
He paced up and down at the edge of the chasm, staring towards the fog and waiting.
After a few minutes he began calling her name, convinced that she had decided against making the crossing.
Another couple of minutes and he had decided that she had tried to make the journey but had fallen. If that was the case, his common sense argued, surely he would have heard her fall? Wouldn’t the orb have continued its journey and reappeared by now?
Just as he was convinced he would never see Veronica again, the orb appeared through the mist. She was clutching it to her so tightly he could see the cords rising up in her neck, her teeth clenched.
“I was worried,” he said as she came to rest on solid ground.
“I wasn’t exactly relaxed,” she replied, her legs shaking as the tension finally left her body. “Oh boy.” She sat down. “So stupid. I’ve never been so scared in all my life. And I’m not even alive. Oh Lord...” She put her hands over her face. “I hate heights so much.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, trying to console her. “I didn’t realise.”
“Just don’t ask me to do it again.” Then a thought occurred to her. “We’ll have to go back the same way!” She gave a moan and shook her head. “Should have stayed in the garden.”
He didn’t know what to say to that so he just sat next to her and held her.
After a few minutes she got her breathing back under control and got to her feet. “I nearly left you,” she said, “you know that? I stood on the edge of that thing and tried to think of all the sensible reasons why I should turn around and walk back the way we had come.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Because
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