Sky leapt through the air, toes pointed, body curved, arms straining and fingers splayed. For a moment it looked as if she could fly; her lavender hair streaming out behind her as she leapt away from the security of the cliff and out over the polished surface of the water and past the crumbling rocks below. She let out a shriek of exhilaration as her fingers grasped the rope, the branch it was tied to swinging and bending as her momentum from the jump pushed her forward. Flinging her head back, she let out a yell that echoed against the surrounding cliffs and was swallowed up by the trees that stretched for miles around the lake. She grinned at Leo, head still thrown back as she swung towards him again. As the rope started it's pendulum swing forward again, she waited until it had almost reached the peak, again using the momentum to propel herself forward. She flipped, knees pulled to her chest and feet coming forward so she spun backwards through the air. Just before she reached the surface of the water she twisted so her head was upright before dive bombing, crashing into the water below. Leo leaned out over the edge of the cliff, watching the splash from the force of her dive reach its height and fall back down into the lake, rippling spreading from the point of impact. He felt a twinge of worry in his gut when she didn’t rise from the depths immediately, but his face broke out into a grin as she rose to the surface, pushing her hair out of her face and wiping the water from her eyes.
“Come on! It’s your turn” She yelled up at Leo, and he shook his head. “Hey, you made a promise to your best friend that you would jump off a cliff and do a rope swing! Don’t back out of it now!” She had a point. In their letters, Jake and Leo had planned to do so many things, and now that Leo had the chance to do them he wasn’t so sure he could.
“It never seemed as dangerous or as risk taking as it was in the letters, and Jake isn't here. This is, was, the thing he was most excited to do" He stated, frowning at how far the rope seemed to be.
“Just take the jump Leo, it’s like a leap of faith” Another good point, except Jake had put his faith in Leo as an artist and now Jake was gone.
“What faith? Jake is gone, he was the one who put faith in me to do what I could, he was the one that got my mother to put faith in my art, and made my uncle see that I could paint and play the piano. What faith is left?” He yelled, suddenly frustrated. He had kept these thoughts to himself, hidden just how much he was affected by his best friend’s death, and now he was yelling about how much Jake believed in him to do the things that he loved and was good at.
“What about your faith? Yes Jake is gone, yes he had faith in you, but what about your faith? What about mine? I have faith in you, you’re hopeless, but I have faith that you can do great things Leo. Stop holding back and start something new” Sky yelled forcefully, and if she was still on the cliff she might have punched Leo in the arm to make her point. He turned away from the edge and walked until so he was out of her sight, then crouched, ignoring Sky's shouts to come back. He rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, his stomach seemingly filled with butterflies trying to get out. He thought about leaving the past behind, starting a new future, having faith in himself and all the times that Jake had given him hope that he was worth something, that he could do great things. Leo pressed his fingertips against his skull, raking his fingers through his hair as his world spun in his head. Walking away meant doing the same old thing, going back home and living with his uncle, but taking the jump meant something different. Taking the jump meant something big, taking the jump meant changing his life, taking the jump meant he would take his future into his own hands, and make something of himself. He took a deep breath, pushing himself up from the dirt and the rock. He could hear Sky yelling at him to come back where she could see him, so they could talk and work things out, but he had already made his choice.
He took a few steps back towards their bags, pulling one of the letters out of his pocket. Dropping the letter on the ground by his bag, he ran as fast as he could towards the ledge. He pushed the doubt that was in his mind down, it was too late to turn back now, he was going too fast and the edge was too close. At the last moment possible his foot hit the ground and pushed him forward, out over the water where Sky had her hands raised in argument, but she had stopped yelling when she saw Leo jump. Time slowed for him, and he could feel the wind on his face. He stomach dropped as he looked down, but he wasn’t scared. He reached his arms forward towards the rope, stretching his body as far as he could, and when his fingers found the thick rope, he grasped it tightly in both hands. His stomach lurched as the rope took his weight, time starting back at a normal pace as the branch dipped and he swung forwards. He wrapped his legs around the rope and threw his fist into the air, yelling at the top of his lungs as he swung back and forth over the lake. He could hear Sky cheering for him, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying over the blood rushing in his ears. When the rope reached its peak away from the ledge, he let go, body suspended in mid-air for a second, before he pulled his knees to his chest and plummeted into the water. It was cold, but not too cold, and he kept his eyes open. He watched as the freshwater plants swayed gently in the water, and took in how the sun’s rays shone through, rippling over the rocks and the plants in the clear water. He let go of his legs, and started kicking towards the surface, the blue of the sky unobscured by anything and the sun a great golden disk floating just out of his reach. His lungs welcomed the air as he broke the surface, shaking his head to get the water out of his eyes and ears.
He took a few steps back towards their bags, pulling one of the letters out of his pocket. Dropping the letter on the ground by his bag, he ran as fast as he could towards the ledge. He pushed the doubt that was in his mind down, it was too late to turn back now, he was going too fast and the edge was too close. At the last moment possible his foot hit the ground and pushed him forward, out over the water where Sky had her hands raised in argument, but she had stopped yelling when she saw Leo jump. Time slowed for him, and he could feel the wind on his face. He stomach dropped as he looked down, but he wasn’t scared. He reached his arms forward towards the rope, stretching his body as far as he could, and when his fingers found the thick rope, he grasped it tightly in both hands. His stomach lurched as the rope took his weight, time starting back at a normal pace as the branch dipped and he swung forwards. He wrapped his legs around the rope and threw his fist into the air, yelling at the top of his lungs as he swung back and forth over the lake. He could hear Sky cheering for him, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying over the blood rushing in his ears. When the rope reached its peak away from the ledge, he let go, body suspended in mid-air for a second, before he pulled his knees to his chest and plummeted into the water. It was cold, but not too cold, and he kept his eyes open. He watched as the freshwater plants swayed gently in the water, and took in how the sun’s rays shone through, rippling over the rocks and the plants in the clear water. He let go of his legs, and started kicking towards the surface, the blue of the sky unobscured by anything and the sun a great golden disk floating just out of his reach. His lungs welcomed the air as he broke the surface, shaking his head to get the water out of his eyes and ears.
“You could have told me when you were going to jump! I barely had time to get out the way” Sky almost shouted at him, but she was smiling as she swam up to him and punched him in the arm. Leo started to explain himself, but she put a finger to his lips to silence him. “I’m proud of you.” She said, removing his hand and smiling at him. He smiled back, kicking his legs and treading the water to stay afloat. He only had one thing to say to her after that.
“Thank You”
2/1/2017 - Word Count - 1,254
Okay, so technically I didn't write this today but I have written almost 1,000 words today but neither of those pieces are finished and one of them is being posted elsewhere anyway.
I'm in New Zealand! I'll be travelling around the North Island for almost two weeks doing all the fun things, maybe some things I write will be inspired by the views here, we'll see.
Keep writing!
Meg
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