GRAVITY ISN’T ANYTHING TO BE SCARED OF
I don’t dare look down as I stand on the swaying platform.
Flip said this was going to be fun, but as I cling to a rope dangling from a metal hook that’s holding me twenty-five metres above the forest floor, fun’s the last thing I’m thinking of. I shuffle forward to the edge of the platform, the harness that’s keeping me safe digging into some particularly uncomfortable places.
Ahead of me I can see the obstacles that are slung between the treetops: narrow beams and swaying rope bridges, tightrope walks and Tarzan swings. A large rope net is stretched between the tallest of the trees, like some giant spider’s web, and above this I glimpse the final platform that leads to the double zip wire down.
It didn’t look this high when we were on the ground.
That’s where Flip showed us the ropes, training us how to use the safety cables and pulleys that attach to our harnesses, each one colour-coded so we know exactly where to clip them. It all seemed so easy down there, but that was before I climbed the rope ladder that led up to this obstacle course in the sky. My hands shake as I unclip the carabiner, the metal hook clacking as I hook it to the red safety line that’s stretched alongside the obstacles.
‘Come on, Jake,’ Amba calls out from across the abyss. ‘You can do it!’
All the others are already back down on the ground. I’ve watched them wobbling across the obstacles, two by two, each dad and kid taking it in turns to lead the way, just like Flip showed us to. Now there’s just Dad and me left on this first wooden platform and I don’t think I can go any further.
I hear the outdoor instructor’s voice float up from the forest floor.
‘Now for the last two,’ he shouts. ‘Take it easy, guys, and you’ll beat the treetop challenge in no time.’
At the sound of this shout, I make the mistake of glancing down and feel my stomach flip. The ground seems to swim into view and I glimpse the outdoor instructor’s upturned face staring up at me from so far away. I freeze, my fingers tightening around the safety line. We’re even higher than I thought.
Then Dad taps me on the shoulder, the shock of this almost launching me off the edge.
‘Are you ready?’
I shake my head, fear thumping in my chest as I slowly back away from the edge.
Standing next to me, Dad looks surprised, the lines around his blue-green eyes creasing in concern.
‘What’s the matter, Jake?’ he asks, and his gaze flicks from my face to the obstacle course ahead. He gives a tug on the safety line, making my stomach lurch. ‘You don’t need to worry. It’s completely safe.’
I shake my head again, barely able to get my words out in reply.
‘It’s . . . too . . . high,’ I stutter. ‘What if I fall?’
Dad rests his arm on my shoulder, the gently reassuring weight of this helping me to take a breath.
‘The only reason things fall is because of gravity,’ Dad explains, plucking a leaf from an overhanging branch and letting this flutter to the ground. ‘And gravity isn’t anything to be scared of. It’s just the bending of space and time. It can help you to speed up or slow down and even change direction. And if you use it cleverly, it can even make it seem like you can fly.’
Lifting his arm from my shoulder, Dad clips his carabiner on to the safety line ahead of mine.
‘Watch.’
Then my heart leaps in my chest as Dad takes a flying leap from the edge of the platform.
‘Dad!’
The safety line whirrs as Dad lands in the middle of the narrow beam, his darting footsteps catapulting him forward so it looks like he’s skimming the trees. Everyone else took ages to cross this first obstacle, but my dad’s cleared it in seconds flat.
Using his momentum, he swings round the platform that rings the next tree trunk, launching himself on to the swaying rope bridge that climbs to the next. I hear the shocked gasps coming from those watching down below as Dad uses this to bounce even higher. His springing steps make it look like he’s dancing in mid-air.
‘Come on, Jake!’ he shouts over his shoulder. ‘It’s just like gymnastics.’
With a beckoning wave to encourage me on, Dad grabs hold of the Tarzan swing at the end of the rope bridge and then jumps into the unknown. I watch open-mouthed as he soars through the empty air. For a second it looks like he is flying, his hands letting go of the swing as it reaches the crest of its arc. Gravity takes him the rest of the way – a relieved cheer erupting from all those down below as Dad lands safely in the middle of the cargo net that’s stretched between the trees.
He made it look easy, but as Dad scrambles up the rope net to reach the zip wire at the top, I still don’t know if I can follow him.
My throat feels dry as I pace out the obstacles in my mind. Gravity isn’t anything to be scared of, Dad said. It’s just like gymnastics.
And that’s one thing I’m good at.
Carefully checking that the metal loop of my carabiner is still fastened to the red safety line, I take a deep breath and then launch myself straight off the edge.
For a second I’m flying, then I feel the safety line tugging me back as I land slap bang on the spot I was aiming for – right in the middle of the beam. It’s slippery from the rain but, as my feet adjust to keep my balance, I realize that it’s actually three times as wide as the beam I practise on at Gym Stars. And this means I can really show off some of my tricks.
Adrenalin racing, I launch myself forward in a tumbling run, somersaulting head over heels as I soar through the treetops. I can hear the whirr of the safety line ringing in my ear as I reach the end of the beam. I’m not looking down, my gaze still firmly fixed on the obstacles ahead.
Following Dad’s lead, I swing round the platform and land with a boing on the bouncing rope bridge. Trampolining forward, I can hear the others ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ as each bounce takes me higher still. Dad was right. Gravity’s just the bending of space and time and, as I twist to grab hold of the Tarzan swing, it’s making me feel like I can do anything.
‘Go on, Jake!’ Amba calls out from the ground below.
With a grin, I swing out across the abyss, the rope net racing up to meet me as I grasp hold of the webbing. Everyone’s cheering me on as I scramble to the top.
Dad’s waiting for me there, holding out his hand to help me up as I clamber on to the final platform.
‘Well done, Jake,’ he says, greeting me with a grin. ‘I knew you could do it.’
Dad still looks ridiculous in his silver ski suit, but I can’t stop myself from grinning back at him.
‘Ready for the final challenge?’ he asks.
I nod my head.
‘You bet,’ I reply. ‘All we’ve got left now is the easy part.’
It’s time to fly.
Looping myself on to the zip wire, I look at the ground below. It’s a long way down, but somehow I don’t feel scared any more. Dad showed me the way to beat my fear and, as he loops himself on to the zip wire parallel to mine, I start to think that maybe this weekend was a good idea after all.
‘On the count of three,’ Dad says, the two of us holding on to our zip wire straps as we stand on the platform edge. ‘One, two, wheeeeeeeeee!’
Gravity whips his words away as I step into thin air and feel myself fall. The cable buzzes with a quickening whine as I hurtle through the trees. I feel my skin tingling with excitement as I fly through the air, the world rushing towards me at what feels like super-speed. I can’t stop myself from joining in with Dad’s whoops of triumph as we race towards the landing site. I can see the rest of the dads and kids waiting for us there, everyone clapping wildly as the zip wire brakes kick in and we hit the ground in a shower of wood chips.
I can’t stop myself from smiling as I pick myself up off the ground. My skin is still tingling as I turn towards my dad with a grin, but then I see the look of surprise on his face as the clapping quickly fades away.
I look around.
Everyone is staring at me. Flip Foxley has turned as white as a sheet, whilst Damon and Amba just look really worried.
‘What’s the matter?’ I ask, brushing the wood chips from my clothes. Then I catch a glimpse of my hands and stare at them in surprise.
They seem to have turned bright green.