Over the Edge

Newsflash; I don’t like any of it so far”, he said.

“You’re going to like this even less. Can you stand up?” Will rolled to his knees and stood up awkwardly. He winced and went pale. “Damn, I’m stiff”, he said.

“We’re probably both bruised more than we realize. I’ve been moving around and you haven’t. Now I’m going to bind your arm to your body so you can’t move it.” She held out the piece of material she’d salvaged from the balloon.

“You’re crazy; I’m not going to let you tie me up like a Christmas package”, he said.

“Oh, yes you are”, she told him. “I didn’t tell you this, but we’re not sitting on the ground. Look behind me.”

“Yeah, so what? It’s steep, but we don’t have to go up.”

“Now turn around and look behind you” she said. William turned and looked over the rim of the basket. He stood motionless for a moment staring out at the vista before him. When he turned back to face her, his eyes were shocked and staring.

“We’re going to have to climb down out of here, William. We’ve landed on top of some bushes – a rhododendron thicket, most likely. That’s what stopped us. Otherwise we’d most likely be at the bottom of this gorge. But we can’t have you trying to use your right arm on the way down. Think about what would happen if you tried to use it to support yourself.”
Will’s eyes held hers and he blanched with remembered pain. “What do you want me to do?” he said.

“You see it now, don’t you?” she asked him. “I’m going to bind your arm across your chest so you can’t use it. Don’t even think about using it. I want you to forget you even have another arm until we get down on the ground.”
After stabilizing Will’s arm across his chest, she took the ends of the fabric and tucked them down the back of his jeans.

“Hey, what are you doing?” he asked.

“We can’t have you snagging those ends on anything. Do you want to be hanging in the air like a Christmas ornament?” Leaving William to ponder the logistics of climbing down one handed, Unique gathered what little she could find that looked useful into John’s back pack. She threaded the strap of SC’s bag through the D rings of the back pack and made sure it was securely fastened. She handed Neuro’s jacket to William and said, “Hold onto this until I tell you to drop it. We want to hold onto as many warm clothes as we can. We may need them later.

“What are you going to do, Unique?” William asked her.

“We only have a few lines to work with here, William. I think we’re pretty securely hung up here, but all we can do is hope for the best. I want you to go to the other side of the basket to act as a counterbalance while I take this line over the side. Hopefully it’s long enough for me to reach the ground. Once I’m down, I’ll look around to see which way will be easiest for you. You can drop the back pack and the jacket after me once I’ve gotten into a clear space. It’s going to be hard for you to do this one handed so hopefully we’re not too far up in the air.” Unique coiled the rope and launched it over the side. She watched it disappear as it uncoiled into the branches below. She tugged on the line overhead. It was still securely fastened, but it seemed much thinner now that she contemplated using it to hold her weight.

“Wish me luck, Will”, she said. Taking a firm grip on the rope over head, she slithered over the edge of the basket. She lifted her elbows off the rim and hung for a moment before letting herself down hand over hand. Laurel branches tried to make their way up the legs of her jeans. She kept reaching with her toes hoping to find some solid purchase beneath her. When her foot reached a limb that felt large enough to stand on, she tested it with her full weight while keeping a tight grip on the rope. The branch cracked and she continued to ease her way down. There was no way for her to tell how much rope she had left. She wondered if she’d still be dangling above the ground when she ran out of line. Suddenly, the toe of her shoe jammed into a V in the main trunk of one of the trees. She kicked desperately with her other foot to free herself. Slipping a little down the rope, she realized she was standing on solid ground. Arms above her head, she looked around. She was determined not to let go of the rope until she knew where she was. She let out a sigh of relief.

“Unique!” William called from above, “are you making it?”

“Yes, William. I’ve made it to the ground. The trees supporting the basket are growing from a shallow ledge. I think you’d better come down the same way I did. I don’t think I can fight my way through to the other side. They’re too thick and I can’t see what’s on the other side. Come over to this side and look down. Can you see me?” she called.

“No, all I can see are branches. Wait a minute; wave your arms around a little bit.” William peered through the branches trying to see the ground below. “I can see where you went through. Some of the branches are broken but I can’t see you. What’s it like down there?”

“It’s not very wide, but if you take the rope a turn around one of your legs, I can help lead you down by holding onto this end of it. It reaches all the way to the ground so you won’t have to jump. See if you can drop the back pack where I came through."

William wrestled the pack onto the rim of the basket. “Look out; I’m getting ready to heave it.” He gave the pack a mighty push and watched it sail out and down. He heard it crashing through the branches on its way to the ground. It landed with a thump a few feet from Unique.

“Okay, William; I’ve got it. You’re next. Hold onto the rope and try to slow yourself with your feet.”William wrapped the rope loosely around his left leg. Straddling the rim of the basket, he threw his other leg up until he was sitting of the edge.Slowly, he eased off the side and hung for a moment before beginning his slide down the rope. He closed his eyes as his feet started hitting the branches below him. Just as his palm was beginning to burn from the friction of the rope, his feet hit the ground and Unique grabbed him around the waist to steady him.

“You made it. You can open your eyes now, Will.” He opened his eyes to see Unique grinning up at him. He let go of the rope and started to laugh. “I can’t believe I did that. I can’t believe I let you talk me into doing that. I don’t ever want to do anything like that again.” Will sat down heavily and put his forehead on his knees. “Do you think you could untie me now?” he asked. “I think I really would like to sit down for a minute.”

Unique unwrapped the green nylon fabric that was holding Will’s arm in place. She folded it into a long sling and slid it under his arm. “Let me fix this up for you and then we’ll see about getting down from here. I think we should head for that river – try and follow it down from here. Keep your ears open and listen for cars. We could be very near a highway and never know it if it’s on the other side of the mountain.”