looked at Charlie and me. And
Charlie and me looked at each other. I knew we were all thinking
the same thing: It's seriously steep. I'm
puffing just looking at it.
There were black slide marks going from the
top to the bottom - like the aliens had got mats and slid down the
sides for fun.
Then before we'd even got out of the car,
the Jacksons pulled in next to us. They were following us! Alyson, Tyson and then Harry
jumped out of their LandCruiser, which had so much red dust on it
you couldn't tell it was white. Charlie and me had no choice; we
couldn't stay in the nice air-conditioned car forever. We got out.
Yep, it was hot. Charlie and me said hi to Alyson, Tyson and Harry,
and to Mr. High-Pants Jackson and Mrs. Jackson.
Harry came and stood with me. He noticed my
Manchester United shirt and said, "That's my team, too."
Alyson told Charlie they were climbing Uluru
now.
Tyson asked me, "Are you climbing it
too?"
"Tomorrow," I said. "We're going to see the
sunrise and then climb it." Unless I suddenly got real sick during
the night and I couldn't. That was possible.
Mr. High-Pants Jackson must've heard me
because he said, "Oh, don't wait until tomorrow. They're predicting
tomorrow will be windy so the climb will probably be closed."
If we had to climb it now, we'd never get
lunch. I'd die of starvation. I felt my stomach, but there was
nothing there - just a hollow space. I might die hungry.
Dad muttered, "We've got to climb Uluru. We
haven't come all this way to miss out." He put his hand up to block
out the sun and stared at the big red rock.
Mom said to Dad, "I'd rather wait until the
morning when it's cooler."
"I'll take you to the hotel, if you like,"
replied Dad. "But I'm going to climb it now. If the climb is open
tomorrow, I'll do it again with you."
Very generously, I offered to stay with Mom.
Dad stuck his hands on his hips and glared at me.
Then Mom shook her head and said, "No, we'll
all go together."
"Good idea," said Dad, "let's get
ready."
I sucked in my breath. Would this be the
last day of my life?
After scrounging in the car to find three
cracker biscuits that Charlie and me had to share (I tried not to
think that might be my last meal), slopping on half a tube of
sunscreen and grabbing our backpacks, we all set off for the base
of Uluru.
Tyson came in between Charlie and me and
challenged us, "Bet ya I beat youse to the top."
I remembered telling Charlie I'd beat him to
the top. But now I didn't feel like competing. Not with anyone. I
wanted to concentrate on staying alive.
"I'm not interested in racing," said
Charlie.
"Wimps," he said as though we were totally
pathetic, and he ran up ahead.
Charlie and me looked at each other. I knew
we were thinking the same thing. One of us has
to beat him.
"You beat him," I whispered.
"Why me?" asked Charlie. "Why can't
you?"
"You're the fastest runner."
"You're better at climbing trees," he
said.
I hadn't thought of that. Actually, Charlie
didn't even like climbing trees. But he was bigger and stronger, so
he should beat him.
'Max, I've got to tell you something ...
don't laugh.'
Just the serious look on his face made me
feel like laughing.
He grabbed my arm and whispered, "I'm scared
of heights - really scared. I only realized I was afraid of heights
at Kings Canyon. Last night, I had a nightmare about being pushed
off a tall building."
I began to laugh, but I stopped. That made
sense ... how he'd gone a weird color when we were standing on the
edge. Then it hit me just how hard it must've been for him to be
lowered down to grab my hands. He'd been looking down at the canyon
floor the whole time. But then I thought about me. I wanted to say, Obviously I'm so good I have to die young. I
mightn't make it to the top. My dying wish is for you to beat Tyson
to the top. But, of course, I couldn't. He'd saved my
life. Not once, but three times.
"Okay," I said, "I'll beat him."
I swallowed as I looked up. Uluru almost
seemed to go straight up.
Charlie and me looked at each other. I knew we were all thinking
the same thing: It's seriously steep. I'm
puffing just looking at it.
There were black slide marks going from the
top to the bottom - like the aliens had got mats and slid down the
sides for fun.
Then before we'd even got out of the car,
the Jacksons pulled in next to us. They were following us! Alyson, Tyson and then Harry
jumped out of their LandCruiser, which had so much red dust on it
you couldn't tell it was white. Charlie and me had no choice; we
couldn't stay in the nice air-conditioned car forever. We got out.
Yep, it was hot. Charlie and me said hi to Alyson, Tyson and Harry,
and to Mr. High-Pants Jackson and Mrs. Jackson.
Harry came and stood with me. He noticed my
Manchester United shirt and said, "That's my team, too."
Alyson told Charlie they were climbing Uluru
now.
Tyson asked me, "Are you climbing it
too?"
"Tomorrow," I said. "We're going to see the
sunrise and then climb it." Unless I suddenly got real sick during
the night and I couldn't. That was possible.
Mr. High-Pants Jackson must've heard me
because he said, "Oh, don't wait until tomorrow. They're predicting
tomorrow will be windy so the climb will probably be closed."
If we had to climb it now, we'd never get
lunch. I'd die of starvation. I felt my stomach, but there was
nothing there - just a hollow space. I might die hungry.
Dad muttered, "We've got to climb Uluru. We
haven't come all this way to miss out." He put his hand up to block
out the sun and stared at the big red rock.
Mom said to Dad, "I'd rather wait until the
morning when it's cooler."
"I'll take you to the hotel, if you like,"
replied Dad. "But I'm going to climb it now. If the climb is open
tomorrow, I'll do it again with you."
Very generously, I offered to stay with Mom.
Dad stuck his hands on his hips and glared at me.
Then Mom shook her head and said, "No, we'll
all go together."
"Good idea," said Dad, "let's get
ready."
I sucked in my breath. Would this be the
last day of my life?
After scrounging in the car to find three
cracker biscuits that Charlie and me had to share (I tried not to
think that might be my last meal), slopping on half a tube of
sunscreen and grabbing our backpacks, we all set off for the base
of Uluru.
Tyson came in between Charlie and me and
challenged us, "Bet ya I beat youse to the top."
I remembered telling Charlie I'd beat him to
the top. But now I didn't feel like competing. Not with anyone. I
wanted to concentrate on staying alive.
"I'm not interested in racing," said
Charlie.
"Wimps," he said as though we were totally
pathetic, and he ran up ahead.
Charlie and me looked at each other. I knew
we were thinking the same thing. One of us has
to beat him.
"You beat him," I whispered.
"Why me?" asked Charlie. "Why can't
you?"
"You're the fastest runner."
"You're better at climbing trees," he
said.
I hadn't thought of that. Actually, Charlie
didn't even like climbing trees. But he was bigger and stronger, so
he should beat him.
'Max, I've got to tell you something ...
don't laugh.'
Just the serious look on his face made me
feel like laughing.
He grabbed my arm and whispered, "I'm scared
of heights - really scared. I only realized I was afraid of heights
at Kings Canyon. Last night, I had a nightmare about being pushed
off a tall building."
I began to laugh, but I stopped. That made
sense ... how he'd gone a weird color when we were standing on the
edge. Then it hit me just how hard it must've been for him to be
lowered down to grab my hands. He'd been looking down at the canyon
floor the whole time. But then I thought about me. I wanted to say, Obviously I'm so good I have to die young. I
mightn't make it to the top. My dying wish is for you to beat Tyson
to the top. But, of course, I couldn't. He'd saved my
life. Not once, but three times.
"Okay," I said, "I'll beat him."
I swallowed as I looked up. Uluru almost
seemed to go straight up.
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