around me, extending the other out to the side for balance. He began walking along the large branch. I looked down at his bare feet gripping the bark, moving steadily and swiftly along toward the branch’s end. It was amazing, but I also saw the ground spinning impossibly far below us. I buried my face in his neck.
He jumped, and I glanced up long enough to tell we were in a different tree, its soft green leaves brushing my face. It occurred to me I might be choking Lad with my death grip around his neck. I tried to loosen it.
Lad dipped his chin and nuzzled my cheek, murmuring, “Let go of your fear, Ryann. Trust me and try to enjoy the ride.”
I looked up to meet his gaze. I was trying. Then he leapt to the next branch, and I buried my face and squeezed again for all I was worth. Sometimes he made a small jump down, sometimes to a slightly higher branch, steadily taking us west, further away from the coyote pack. We finally stopped in a tree near a clearing, perched on its lowest branch, about twenty feet from the ground.
“Okay, it’s all over. Not so bad, right?” Lad leaned back against the trunk, attempting to loosen my petrified fingers.
At first, I clung tighter, but eventually let him pry my grip from his neck and torso and attempted to cut off the circulation to his fingers instead. “How on Earth did you do that?” I asked when I could finally manage speech.
He shrugged. “It’s not hard. I’ve been doing it since I was a toddler.”
Bending his knees to level his eyes with mine, Lad searched my face. I’m not sure what he saw, but even a county fair fortune teller should have been able to tell I wasn’t doing all that well. He broke into a grin, his eyebrows rising in apparent amusement.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me, Tarzan,” I snarled.
“Who’s Tarzan?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Listen, will you be okay to stay here for a minute? It’s a secure spot. Hold on here.” He took one of my hands and placed it on a y-shaped offshoot near my shoulder. “And here.” He placed the other hand on a branch about the diameter of my forearm. I gripped it greedily. “I’ll be right back,” he said.
“Where are you going?” I demanded, my panic level rising again.
“Don’t worry. You’re coming with me in a moment.”
That had me more worried, actually, because I realized he was about to jump to the ground.
“Oh no,” I started to protest, but it was too late. He’d stepped off the branch and dropped, in the way a normal person might have done on the side of a swimming pool, with water waiting inches below. Nothing waited for Lad but a twenty-foot plunge to the ground.
He slipped below the branch and landed lightly on the earth as if he’d hopscotched to the spot instead of falling out of a tree. He looked up at me and smiled.
My breath left me in a whoosh. It might have been the surprise of seeing him jump and execute the landing. Or maybe it was the sheer beauty of his smile that left me breathless once again.
“I guess you’ve been doing that since you were a toddler, too?” I yelled down.
“Of course not. That would be suicide. I was at least seven before I made a jump from such a height.” Lad held his arms up to me. “Okay, now you.”
“Now me, what?”
“Drop, and I’ll catch you,” he said as if it was obvious.
It might have been—to him. To me, it was out of the question. “No. No thanks. I can’t do that. When I was seven, I was still riding with training wheels. I’ll stay here.” I looked around for something, a staircase or an elevator to appear, I guess.
“Really, Ryann. It’s going to be all right. I will catch you. There’s no chance you’ll get hurt.”
“If I jump down, there’s every chance I’ll die.”
He laughed again out loud. “You won’t die. I promise. I rescue terrified girls from trees all the time. It’s much easier than saving them from coyotes, and look how well that turned out.” Knowing I had no
He jumped, and I glanced up long enough to tell we were in a different tree, its soft green leaves brushing my face. It occurred to me I might be choking Lad with my death grip around his neck. I tried to loosen it.
Lad dipped his chin and nuzzled my cheek, murmuring, “Let go of your fear, Ryann. Trust me and try to enjoy the ride.”
I looked up to meet his gaze. I was trying. Then he leapt to the next branch, and I buried my face and squeezed again for all I was worth. Sometimes he made a small jump down, sometimes to a slightly higher branch, steadily taking us west, further away from the coyote pack. We finally stopped in a tree near a clearing, perched on its lowest branch, about twenty feet from the ground.
“Okay, it’s all over. Not so bad, right?” Lad leaned back against the trunk, attempting to loosen my petrified fingers.
At first, I clung tighter, but eventually let him pry my grip from his neck and torso and attempted to cut off the circulation to his fingers instead. “How on Earth did you do that?” I asked when I could finally manage speech.
He shrugged. “It’s not hard. I’ve been doing it since I was a toddler.”
Bending his knees to level his eyes with mine, Lad searched my face. I’m not sure what he saw, but even a county fair fortune teller should have been able to tell I wasn’t doing all that well. He broke into a grin, his eyebrows rising in apparent amusement.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me, Tarzan,” I snarled.
“Who’s Tarzan?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Listen, will you be okay to stay here for a minute? It’s a secure spot. Hold on here.” He took one of my hands and placed it on a y-shaped offshoot near my shoulder. “And here.” He placed the other hand on a branch about the diameter of my forearm. I gripped it greedily. “I’ll be right back,” he said.
“Where are you going?” I demanded, my panic level rising again.
“Don’t worry. You’re coming with me in a moment.”
That had me more worried, actually, because I realized he was about to jump to the ground.
“Oh no,” I started to protest, but it was too late. He’d stepped off the branch and dropped, in the way a normal person might have done on the side of a swimming pool, with water waiting inches below. Nothing waited for Lad but a twenty-foot plunge to the ground.
He slipped below the branch and landed lightly on the earth as if he’d hopscotched to the spot instead of falling out of a tree. He looked up at me and smiled.
My breath left me in a whoosh. It might have been the surprise of seeing him jump and execute the landing. Or maybe it was the sheer beauty of his smile that left me breathless once again.
“I guess you’ve been doing that since you were a toddler, too?” I yelled down.
“Of course not. That would be suicide. I was at least seven before I made a jump from such a height.” Lad held his arms up to me. “Okay, now you.”
“Now me, what?”
“Drop, and I’ll catch you,” he said as if it was obvious.
It might have been—to him. To me, it was out of the question. “No. No thanks. I can’t do that. When I was seven, I was still riding with training wheels. I’ll stay here.” I looked around for something, a staircase or an elevator to appear, I guess.
“Really, Ryann. It’s going to be all right. I will catch you. There’s no chance you’ll get hurt.”
“If I jump down, there’s every chance I’ll die.”
He laughed again out loud. “You won’t die. I promise. I rescue terrified girls from trees all the time. It’s much easier than saving them from coyotes, and look how well that turned out.” Knowing I had no
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