Issue 7:
Sky
Karen Bass
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The Leap
The azure day had beckoned him, and so he had spent the morning climbing. Now the young man stood, toes curling over the precipice, ignoring the valley far below to revel in the pristine sky. He craned his neck back to trace wisps of angel hair floating high above. Narrowing his gaze, it seemed he could see beyond the blue, to eternity itself. A smile touched his lips. He'd soon be there.
The young man stepped back from the edge. It had to be done right. Just as he'd planned. Ten paces back, then run, jump, and be swallowed by the air.
Sudden tremors swept along his nerves. His heart pounded furiously as it tried to break free of its cage and take to the sky without him. He blew on icy fingers and counted the steps to freedom.
Taking three calming breaths, he whispered, "Okay, Ben. This is it."
He charged the edge of the cliff, storming his trepidation, as he leapt into the ether.
For one brief second he was falling. And then the wind rushed up the rock face and caught the wings of his glider, sweeping Ben aloft. He soared into the sky’s welcoming embrace.
~Karen Bass
Karen Bass is an emerging writer from northern Alberta. She has had pieces published in local newspapers, the Canadian Writer's Journal, and online, at Authormania. Email.
© 2001 by Karen Bass. All Rights Reserved.
© 2000-2002 by Cayuse Press. All Rights Reserved.
This page updated April 30, 2002.