Our protagonist is in quite a sticky situation. His heels are backed up against a cliff, a sheer fall into the bottomless unknown. While he desperately seeks an escape a wall is steadily closing the distance between them. Mentally, he is distressed. Physically, he displays an air of calm over the present dilemma. His options are about as narrow as the gap between the barrier and the ledge.
The situation is not as dire as it seems. The wall is only five feet tall, in fact our would-be victim can see over it. The look in his eyes is one of a trapped animal pleading for help. The help is right there, only yards away, and they are offering him a rope. He even recognizes the faces of the saviors. They are his family, hollering “stay the course!” The escape rope is braided strands made up of consistency, conservatism, and persistence. Good qualities to be sure, but they betray the fact that there are also undertones of pessimism and fear of change.
It would be easy to grab the rope and everything it represents. It would be easy to hop over the wall and back into his comfort zone. The underdog could use a hero right about now, time is running out. The hesitation is confusing even to him. Why leave what you know? He has been taught to endure dissatisfying conditions. For his whole life he has waited for things to get better rather than going and making them better himself.
He feels an inner strength emboldening him. Suddenly that unknown doesn’t seem so daunting. If he departs from solid ground he won’t know how this will turn out. If he accepts the rope then the story is written. What he has long taken as a security blanket starts to look a lot like a cape. The wind rushing over his body lets him know that he is moving forward at last.
I wish I could tell you what was at the bottom of my leap but I’m still falling. I’m still a little scared that the end may not be was I was looking for, but at least I’m going to create it.
1 comment:
the last sentence. that's the good part.
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