Chapter 16 - In the Air

It is a terrifying experience to suddenly realise that there is nothing under your feet. You know, in that instant, that you are going to have a very, very bad day. Celia’s day was looking very bad indeed. At this particular moment, she was suspended in mid-air above a river. A very long way above a river. She was not, as people often are in stories, hanging by a fingertip from a rocky outcrop. Nor was she experiencing the other common scenario that results from a character in a story slipping over the edge of a cliff, wherein, in the last second before she falls to her death, a firm, strong male hand reaches out and clasps hers, saving her from certain death. No, she had just fallen with alarming speed for a few seconds, and then she had stopped. And now she was suspended in mid-air above a river. It was a really long way down.
“NO!” Sammy bellowed, clasping the wall. He closed his eyes. He held his breath. He refused to watch his friend, the girl he loved, fall to her death. In his head he held the image of Celia floating in the air, as he so much hoped she was. It should be pointed out that it was incredibly lucky for Celia that Sammy was both a demigod and a little stupid. For it was him, although he did not realise it, that held her suspended in the air. His power was growing stronger, and he was becoming more God-like by the day, though he did not notice. It was this power that supported Celia in the air. But it was Sammy’s supreme ability to hope for the best against all logic that kept her there. It was, of course, impossible that she did not fall, and because of this, she did not fall.
It was Barney’s time. He realised that. Sammy was not going to ride in, bellowing heroically this time. Sammy was quivering against the rock wall with his eyes shut. Now, Barney was poorly educated, but not un-intelligent. It was just that he had never been a particularly practical person. Somehow, he knew it was Sammy that was holding her there, and he could not disturb him. This annoyed Barney a little. Sameus Rufus Pegasus was, as he was so fond of saying, almost a god. Surely he could do better than leave Celia floating in mid-air. However, this slight annoyance was soon chased away by a smug little voice that spoke in his head. Be a hero, it said. Win her heart.
Celia, at this stage, was beginning to realise that although her position was very frightening, she was not in immediate danger. So, while she was frightened, uncomfortable, and cold, she did not have her short life flash before her eyes. Instead, she attempted to clear her head and avoid looking down. There is a practical solution to every problem, she told herself. This is simply a very sticky situation, with a simple answer. What would the most sensible thing to do in this situation be?
“Do we have a rope?” Celia asked Barney. Barney didn’t know. He hadn’t packed their belongings. He removed his pack and rummaged in it. Cheese. Fish. Interestingly shaped root vegetables. Furs. He dug deeper. Protective rock number three. More furs. Squashed hat. Waterskin. Interestingly shaped rock numbers two and seven. No rope. He peered down at Celia and shook his head.
Celia knew she didn’t have a rope in her pack. She realised now that they were very ill-equipped for a long journey. They did not even have a knife. Or a first-aid kit. Right, she thought. No rope. What would do instead?
Barney was not strong. The long walks and fresh air of his journey had helped untwist his limbs and harden his muscles, but he would never be strong. Not like Sammy, who was still huddled against the wall with his eyes closed. The furs were tough, and very disinclined to rip – a good thing, on reflection. If he was going to hang from a rope made of furs, 200 metres above raging floodwaters, he would prefer them to be disinclined to rip. But it did make Barney’s task of creating a rope long enough to reach Celia more difficult. Fortunately, interestingly shaped rock number seven was a solid metamorphic with a sharply pointed edge.
Celia was growing impatient. It was taking Barney a very long time to make the rope. Because of her intense practicality, Celia realised that making a strong rope from wet furs would take a long time. Unfortunately, this practical, logical, sensible nature also caused her to know that what was happening was plainly, unequivocally impossible. Being the centre of an impossible situation is always something that causes great anxiety and distress in those of us who carry the burden of being sensible, and Celia was more than usually well-endowed with this burden. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
At last, the rope was prepared. Barney searched for a place to tie it. Unfortunately, it is a truth universally acknowledged that any place a large, well anchored tree is would be convenient is guaranteed to be completely devoid of such trees. The rock walls were completely smooth and slicked by rain. There was not a tree or a sturdy overhanging rock to be seen. Barney stood a moment in thought. He looked at Sammy, still against the wall. He touched his arm. Sammy didn’t move. Barney pulled on his arm. Sammy tensed but did not change position. Slipping his arm behind his motionless companion, Barney passed the rope around Sammy’s waist and tied it tight. He dropped the end over the edge.
Something wet and furry slapped Celia in the face. She shuddered. It took her a moment to realise it was the end of a makeshift rope. She grabbed it. The leather was slippery on one side; on the other, the rain had flattened the fur. She pulled on it. It creaked disconcertingly. Climbing the rope was much more difficult than she had expected. She had never gone to school, and so had never practiced climbing ropes during Games, as the girls had in her second favourite book, Miss Mansfield the Marauder. Her hands were soon rubbed raw, her arms aching. For every tiny advance, she slipped back half the distance. The furs stretched alarmingly.
Barney pulled with all his rather insignificant might. Straining and heaving, he made many interesting faces and noises, as he worked to rescue his love. He felt a pull on the rope behind him. Sammy had at last burst into action. So together, they pulled on the rope, and slowly but surely, Celia was raised to the level of the path, and dragged back to relative safety. And that is how teamwork saved the day and Celia’s life.