Amanda eased herself over the edge of the cliff trying to keep her mind empty of any thought or emotion.
‘Going over the top’ had been explained to her as being the worst moment. It was best ‘not to think too much and just get on with the abseil’.
But the sky was aquamarine blue above, the rock that emerged in front of her tautly controlled face was hard, grey and unyielding and, so far down below, the tiny figures of her friends looked up, some in friendly support and others in scarcely hidden terror, but none with any possibility of doing anything to help in an emergency.
Amanda’s foot slipped and suddenly the world inside her whirled even faster than her body rotated on the end of her abseiling line. Bile welled up in her throat as she tightly closed and then forced open her tear filled eyes. There was no rock face in front of her now, just emptiness and white, puffy clouds. The fingers of her hands, trembling in front of her on the line, were bled white with terror.
“I can’t be sick,” she told herself, “or do even worse over the people down below.”
A gust of wind caught her clothing and rotated her back in the direction of the cliff face. She seized the opportunity and, by putting a foot out at the crucial moment, managed to ease herself back into a position of control again on the rock face.
Amanda’s breath was coming in gasps and she felt certain she was going to be sick.
‘Success is won by those who dare. Success is won by those who dare. Success is won by those who dare.’
She kept her old school motto running in her head. It didn’t matter if it was nonsensical to her at this moment. It kept other thoughts from her mind such as “I don’t want to die, I should never have done this, why did I agree and I want to go to the toilet.”
Her dress caught between her foot and the rock face. Her beautiful dress. Her special dress. She freed it and some dust and a few pebbles sped silently away down the cliff face.
The rope continued to run and run. She was now half way, suspended between the craggy cliff top, the rocky rubble below and emptiness behind her.
She paused to rest as planned, her pulse racing, her blond hair streaming in the wind.
There was the sound of feet scuffing against the cliff above her and, within seconds, another figure joined her, a more confident figure, who knew how to do this thing called abseiling and even got enjoyment from it. Dark hair, dark eyes and a lean wiry body, he seemed eagle like, made for the rock face and totally at ease.
“You’re doing great Amanda!” He edged nearer. “And you look absolutely ravishing.”
“You’re just trying to cheer me up before I die,” gulped Amanda through her mist of fear. “I don’t know why I agreed to this crazy plan.”
But she did know. She was doing it because she loved David and would do anything for him. She would lay down her life, she wanted to grow old with him and she wanted to have his children (although, of course, not in that order). It was simple, he’d wanted her to abseil with him, just the once, and her old school motto and her heart gave her no choice but to agree.
David reached his hand out to comfort her. Gently caressing her arm through the ruff of flimsy material as it ballooned in the gentle spring wind that also caressed the cliff face where Amanda and David were hanging.
Another sound and a third figure scrabbled clumsily down beside them. Inexpert but enthusiastic, Peter had a huge smile on his ruddy face. All was well in Peter’s world and wellbeing radiated out-wards from his heavy body, fueled with caring visits and home made cakes from the many worthy and kind ladies that he seemed to effortlessly gather around him. His smile lit up the cliff face and invited all, including passing bird life, to stop and be his friend.
“Have you got your microphones switched on? We can’t let those below miss out on the happy occasion of your first abseil together!”
“First and last,” muttered Amanda to herself as she gingerly felt for the switch on her headphones and checked it was activated.
“Absolutely perfect,” said David, with a beaming smile. “They can hear everything.”
“Then Amanda do you take David to be your lawful wedded husband to have and hold until death do you part?”
“I do,” said Amanda, aloud, tears streaming down her face and wishing they’d cut out the death bit which is just too inappropriate at this moment.
“Do you, David, take Amanda to be your lawful wedded wife, to treasure and protect her always until death do you part?”
David’s face was close to Amanda’s as his strong voice roared out “I do!” Relayed to the crowds of wedding guests below by the wireless loudspeaker system, he hardly needed amplification.
“You may kiss the bride.”
Amanda clung to Peter’s rigging as he held her tightly with one arm and suddenly the scary world of the cliff face disappeared as she felt his soft, generous, loving lips hold hers for a long moment that seemed to extend timelessly and which she would never forget.
“Yippee! Job done,” yelled Peter and let his line slip into a rapid descent, disappearing from view with a loud “Halloo” to the waiting congregation below.
As Amanda surfaced from the idyll of her first kiss as a married woman, her blissful mind started to worry about her next challenge which involved traversing across the mountain face.
“Come on Mrs”, smiled David. “Time for our loving cup.”
They edged slowly sideways together and suddenly the rock face gave way to a cave like ledge that went some metres back into the cliff and which was bathed in sunlight.
This was David’s world, pride and joy. Like an Aladdin’s Cave, it had been discovered by him many years ago. He’d spent hours there alone, just gazing out into the distant countryside and it was the place he loved most in the whole world.
They found the champagne safely in the bucket and the two crystal glasses besides it on a boulder.
Standing facing each other, Amanda met Davids eyes with hers. They both drank deeply and then, hidden away in their eyrie, like eagles, held each other in a long drawn passionate embrace that Amanda knew in her soul would unite them for ever.
An eternity later, they resumed their downward descent and, strangely, Amanda was no longer afraid as she dangled on the end of her thin rope besides her husband.
She knew that her decision to brave the cliff face, overcome her fear of heights and marry David in the way he wished had been right. Success was always won by those who dared.
She looked across and saw David’s face was full of pride as he eased himself to the ground to the sound of congratulations and tumultuous applause by their newly united families and many friends.
Then Amanda joined him on the ground, looking beautiful in her wedding dress. Her face flushed from her exertions and the knowledge that she had achieved her ambition and dream.
Suddenly, there was a new excitement welling up inside her, as she smiled, gazed adoringly at David and clung to his arm.
Smiling dreamily, Amanda wondered to herself whether the new life that suddenly she instinctively knew had just started inside her would love the mountains, crags and rocky faces as much as the man so tall that held her and who would soon be it’s proud and loving father.
The End
More free online fiction or news from online author Rob Hopcott. This short abseiling story is copyright Rob Hopcott 1999 - 2007, all rights are reserved. All characters are fictitious in this story and no reference is intended to any organization or person living or otherwise.
