The Jump

My legs ached from the steep hill we were slowly trudging up. The thick green palm trees surrounding us towered above us like giants, providing shade from the scolding sun. The cliffs surrounding our small hiking group loomed down and made our cliff look like its child.

“Are we almost to the top yet dad?” My sister Olivia whined, tugging at the hem of her thin cover up.

“Yes. Almost,” he replied, pausing to take a breath. My stomach clenched as a wave of realization crashed down on me, I was about to face the biggest fear of my life. “Are you ready for this G?” He questioned, his voice so cheerful it was oozing fakeness.

“Well it’s too late to turn back,” I felt as if there was a cork of fear holding my courage in a little glass bottle lost at sea. “I guess someday I will have to do this.” I said firmly, my eyes widening as they darted back and forth between him and the top of the cliff.

About five minutes later the top of the enourmous cliff came into view. The rocks glistened in the sun, slick with water. My jaw dropped when I saw the view before me. The clouds in the sky looked like puff balls from a child’s painting. The water shimmered with the smiling sun and the bright blue sky reflected off the the glassy surface of the water. The ominous sea stretched like elastic for what appeared to be forever. The scene laid out before me looked like a commercial pitching the idea of a wonderful beach vacation.

I guess this is what it feels like in heaven…Oh wait I’m a thirty feet off the ground, about to jump off a cliff, this is more like a nightmare.

“I know what you are thinking Gracie, and it’s just ONE little jump! It’s not a big deal.” Scott, my brother, piped up as he rocked back and forth on his heels. Scott was ...

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...opping off the top of the bottle. The second my legs left the edge of the rough cliff my stomach jumped into my throat. Quickly, I tucked my arms and legs into a ball. The water spilled out of the little glass bottle, keeping the bottle afloat. The wind whipped my curly hair up above me. I was doing it! I actually jumped! It was slow motion falling into the depths of the sea. My body slapped the water and a splash followed my collision with the icy water. My arms and legs stung from the impact. The cold blue water enveloped me within it. I opened my eyes the salt stinging them, the fish swimming away, and the bubbles swarming around me. I let my muscles relax, before I quickly swam to the surface. My lungs gasped for air, the fatigue from anxiety was obvious as I threw my hands in the air.

“ I DID IT!” I roared over the hoots and claps of my family around me.