It’s been a couple days walking next to the river trying to find another way across it. The scenery hasn’t really changed all that much, wide river and open space. We started to hear a faint roaring sound last night right before we set up camp. It gets louder as we continue closer to it.

“Yep, quite the beauty we have here” Doug says while stretching out his back. Out in front of us there’s tons of rocks in the middle of the river, forming rapids leading straight to a waterfall. We walk closer to the edge to find ourselves standing on a at least hundred foot cliff. To the left, the cliff continues on and curves out of sight. To the right, the floor starts to slope up to meet the top a few days walk from here. To the right is our only way to get down, besides jumping off into the abyss.

“Well, looks like this is our final last chance to cross. Unless you want to try and repel down” Doug says with a smile and excited eyes. “Ha. Ha. Ha. I’d probably end up safer if I just jumped over the waterfall” I reply sarcastically and somewhat afraid for my life.

We walk to the water’s edge to find a suitable route over. We found one fairly close to the waterfall, “This one is going to lead to the best outcome, but there will be no room for error” Doug sighs. After a brief instruction on what to do and what not to do from Doug we split into pairs.

Doug and Helen went first to make sure the route was definitely safe. Now it’s our turn, “I you ready?” I look back to Alexia. “As ready as I’ll ever be” she replies back with a serious face, “ehh, at least that makes one of us” I motion for her to go first. Lady’s first right, maybe, or just afraid who knows.

Alexia begins to walk across the rocks, and I watch as the rope tied around us starts to rise from the ground. The is one of the safety measure Doug put into place, if we go into the water we have a better chance to not get dragged away. I step onto the first rock, not as slippery as I thought it would be. But the more I stepped on the more slick it became. I look up and down, focusing on my steps and making sure she doesn’t slip either.

Around two-thirds of the way through something seems off, Alexia stopped moving. “I’m about to fa…” at that moment her foot slips of the rock. I step forward and grab her hand. Everything slows down. (Why, why did I do that), the one thing Doug warned us about is when someone does slip, make sure you don’t step in the same place.

“Hold still, I’ll come…” Doug begins to yell. “Don’t” I yell back with regret. My foot’s already beginning to slide off, if I try to pull her up i’ll fall faster. I look into her eyes, terror filled eyes. “I’m sorry” I say as my foot comes out from under my, I slam into the rock then get washed away with Alexia.

I try to grab ahold of anything with my feet and hands but the current is too strong, it sweeps us to the waterfall. I fish out my knife from my pocket as we’re about to go off. I grab her by the rope around her waist and pull her body to mine. We get washed off the edge into the rain and air.

We have several moments before we’ll reach the bottom, “I’m glad I was able to meet you” I say. She was about to reply but I cut her off with a kiss, at the same time I cut the rope connecting us. I closed the knife and flicked it back behind me. I broke lips and planted one on her forehead before saying good bye.

Her face was full of complexity, fear and sadness, joy and happiness, full of confusion. I smiled as I pushed her upwards, or me downwards. I stared at her for what seemed like minutes then closed my eyes. A second later for a moment I felt my body hit the water and everything stopped.