The edge of the world

I pushed off the top of the granite cliff and leapt, my arms arced outward and fingers splayed toward the high noon. My breath was ushered from me instantly, taking flight with the wind. I hung there for just an instant, suspended in a immovable hourglass, the sands of time spilling around me but avoiding my body. It reminded me of the old cartoons I would see as a child, when the great Wile E. Coyote sprinted off a cliff, pausing mid-air just long enough to realize his fate, then disappearing downward in a puff of smoke. With this thought, I suddenly realized my own fate, threw my arms clapboard to my sides and knocked my knees tight.

Far below the ledge, the tranquil crystallinity of the lake's surface prepared to inhale me deep into its lungs. Limbs sprawled and sight vanished; my body tangled itself into a rushing bowline as it hit the water with the full force of sixty feet of inertia. Underneath, I regained my senses and set myself right. Probing the rocky bottom with my toes, I clamped onto the moist soil and propelled myself upward in a momentous expulsion. My breathing returned as my head breached the surface and shone victory over the elements. That towering pillar of rock had been conquered by none other than the marvelous (and yet faithfully insignificant) Artie Bloom! Yes, Mr. Bloom, no longer shall the trees call you coward or the children snicker as you walk past! Your status is secure: daredevil, thrill-seeker, adventurer, knight, hero among men.

Sensation started to find its way back into my palms and feet, pricking bitemarks the lake so ably imposed on my flesh. 'Stung by conquest,' I liked to say. Using broad, lengthy strokes - as if I were some world-class Olympic swimmer - I starting closing the distance between myself and the shore, prepared for the short return climb on the mountain wall. Each jagged little outcropping was a new handhold, my spry and limber body was capable of overpowering new and ever-larger obstacles. Something about plunging into depths unknown held a flame to my blood's wick; I was a candle, bent and burning on soaring with the dragonflies and swimming with the catfish. This must be my destiny - what else could explain this heated inner surety? I again stood tall, again inched my feet close to the steep mineral embankment and closed my eyes, ready for the countdown to liftoff. It seemed that every living thing was staring at me, anticipating that carefree moment when my body would lose contact with the world in a brief lapse of logic. A smile formed at my lips. I decided to kept them waiting a minute longer. I liked the suspense.


Tempt me again, Angora