cliffside care (part one)

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watcher
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Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 3:40 pm

cliffside care (part one)

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Scott had been holding onto the side of the cliff for what was beginning to seem like an eternity. How could he possibly hold on any longer? The drop over the side was possibly several hundred feet to another smaller ledge, but the question remained if he could actually touch the side or would continue to plummet into the ravine and be pounded onto the rocks and boulders below. He had been a part of a climbing party some days ago that had decided to reach the tops of some mountains located in the Cascades.
He himself had practiced on rock climbing walls, and some lower regions, but this was his first true mountaintop experience. His party had made it to the top, and in their jubilation, had begun to celebrate by jumping around. Their instructor had warned them, but unfortunately, Scott was too close to the edge to avoid another climber, and he plummeted quite some distance before he was able to grasp a cliff to keep from falling further. He could hear his companions in the background, far, far off shouting, but it was impossible to answer. His voice would not respond. He tried to open his mouth and shout, but all that would come out was a raspy sound.
Just as he became completely desperate, he saw some face above his own peering down at him. Was it someone from his party? Was it another climber who had stumbled across him by incredible circumstance? He looked up to ascertain which it was, and heard a low voice reassuring him…

“It’s alright…you’ll be okay. Just hang on. I’m almost there.”

As he watched, he saw a small, slim figure descend on a rope with all the rock climbing paraphernalia that was held so dear. The person came to his side, and began to hook him in so that he could be raised up after doing a thorough check of his injuries. How could he be kept still to make sure he wouldn’t be further injured? But the person had a frame that was also lowered, and they belted and buckled him in. Then as they motioned up the ledge above him, he was raised out of the cliff and found him safe and sound. He could not believe that only a few uncertain moments before, he had been clinging onto life, and now he was rescued. RESCUED!!! He wanted to scream at the top of his voice, but he could only whisper and croak. Scott’s life, would never be the same again…
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