I squealed. My foot had just slipped, almost giving my life to the ground below me. My hands clenched around the metal wire I was using to climb up. My friends and I had gone to Yosemite, but I was the only one to actually take the dare to climb Half-Dome seriously. Now my little flock of pedestrians was staring at me attentively while I gripped the cold iron with my rough gloves. My foot found a new foothold, and I slowly looked around. There had been a hiking trail leading up to the side of the cliff, and thank God I didn’t have to climb the sheer side. I looked over the side of the mountain, and saw many tourist sites with the doll-looking souls snapping photos. Many, many photos. I looked around to my other side, behind me, and I felt my foot slip again. I yelped and quickly looked around for another hold. My body was not harnessed to anything, just my hands and feet holding me up. I looked at the forest around me, and underneath me. My vision went blurry, and I quickly looked up again.
My feet ached. I had made it to the top of Half-Dome, and I was on my belly, the lack of railings overwhelming me. On trembling legs, I stood up and quickly fell backwards again. My hands scrambling for a rock to push myself against, I looked up. I saw a creature. It looked at me, its fierce red eyes full of hate. The stink it gave off smelled of fish, salt, and death. I shrieked. The thing in front of me looked like a bear, 6 feet tall, with bluish matted fur hanging over its huge body. Its neck had many slits in it, which I took to be gills. The thing opened its mouth and roared, yellow teeth dripping with blood and I could see morsels of its last meal. I shrieked again and scrambled backwards. The thing approached me, and I felt my hand slip. I fell backwards, and landed on the ledge below me. It looked around, confused at my sudden disappearance. I could hear shrieks from the tourists, and I could see their little figures flailing around, and despite my horror to the thing above me, I laughed a little. That was enough for it to find my hiding place. As I saw the thing ready to pounce, I took a step back and fell. The time turned almost slow-motion. It is funny what your mind does in stressful situations. I could see it, staring down at me, the tourists in the distance froze, and pointed, horrified, the trees waved slowly in the wind, and I could see it start to roar in fury. I free-fell, pine smell wafting in from the forest. I slowly closed my eyes, trying to enjoy what I knew would be my last moments. It was peaceful, my feelings and frights fleeing me, as gravity carried me down to the woods. As I fell, eyes closed and, dreaming for the last time, I felt time regain itself in the quickest moments.
--Katrin
My feet ached. I had made it to the top of Half-Dome, and I was on my belly, the lack of railings overwhelming me. On trembling legs, I stood up and quickly fell backwards again. My hands scrambling for a rock to push myself against, I looked up. I saw a creature. It looked at me, its fierce red eyes full of hate. The stink it gave off smelled of fish, salt, and death. I shrieked. The thing in front of me looked like a bear, 6 feet tall, with bluish matted fur hanging over its huge body. Its neck had many slits in it, which I took to be gills. The thing opened its mouth and roared, yellow teeth dripping with blood and I could see morsels of its last meal. I shrieked again and scrambled backwards. The thing approached me, and I felt my hand slip. I fell backwards, and landed on the ledge below me. It looked around, confused at my sudden disappearance. I could hear shrieks from the tourists, and I could see their little figures flailing around, and despite my horror to the thing above me, I laughed a little. That was enough for it to find my hiding place. As I saw the thing ready to pounce, I took a step back and fell. The time turned almost slow-motion. It is funny what your mind does in stressful situations. I could see it, staring down at me, the tourists in the distance froze, and pointed, horrified, the trees waved slowly in the wind, and I could see it start to roar in fury. I free-fell, pine smell wafting in from the forest. I slowly closed my eyes, trying to enjoy what I knew would be my last moments. It was peaceful, my feelings and frights fleeing me, as gravity carried me down to the woods. As I fell, eyes closed and, dreaming for the last time, I felt time regain itself in the quickest moments.
--Katrin
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