Abseiling

I can smell the dampness of the bush floor mixed with the sound of excited chatter. Trees and ferns don’t seem to match the sight of the clear lake. Shaky fingers tighten my harness, and I nervously walk towards the instructor waiting for me. My stomach churns. He fixes the anchor to my harness and then explains what to do. I lean back into thin air and take one tiny step down. Beads of sweat gather on my forehead. Fear catches in my throat. My eyes widen with terror, as I take another step down. My mind is blank, but somehow I keep going. “One foot after the other” I say to myself. As I spread my trembling feet apart, the feeling of fear starts to melt away, and I begin to grow confident.

“Almost half way there” the instructor cry's. Battling the sun's blinding rays, I peer upwards. A look of shock and astonishment spreads across my pale face. My eyes change directions, so I can see the bottom. There's still at least fifteen meters to go. My feet slide down, and I frantically try to regain my footing. Thankfully we only get to do this once. The harness begins to hurt my legs causing the butterflies to return. Aching heels somehow move down the cliff face. My neck aches like I've been looking upwards since the day I was born. I anxiously peer down to find I’m almost done. I let out the sigh of relief I've been holding for what feels like forever. Toes hit the ground first, then the pain seems to shoot out of my legs. Thank goodness that’s over.