Pinnikle: The Lost Truth

16: Of lassoing a star

Recorded by Finnegan Lionhartt,

Of the events which took place during a very daring and risky rescue attempt, on the 18th morning of Radia before the sun came up, year of Pinnikle: 1,229.

Time was only a few paces away, still unnoticed. He heard Sophie's guttural sound, and turned...

"What!? No, It's too risky!" the mirror man gaped, but was not heard.

He stood, and stilled history from moving forward yet again. Before him: Sophie reached out for me as I leapt off the cliff. My back was arched, belly down, and bloodied feet to the sky. I held Sophie's lasso as I soared.

The mirror man walked toward me muttering, "Who does this one think he is!?". Passing Sophie, he pointed at her with a silver finger, saying, "She tried to catch the star twice!". Then, directing his finger at me, he concluded: "You won't succeed!" (Time had indeed predicted that Tryn would catch the next throw of Sophie's lasso. Nonetheless, he likely did not expect for the lasso to be thrown by me).

He walked off the cliff again, and turned around to face my sister. These are the details he saw in her face: tears welled in her big blue eyes, which were wide between dainty lashes. Her slender arms reached up, and burdened hands covered her round face and button nose as she watched my fly away from her. Her glowing cheeks were decorated by tassels of blowing red wavy hair, with a left-side braid tied off by a little green ribbon. She was slender, in pale green shorts and a dirty grey shirt, with an empty lion's jaw bone belt that recently held a lasso on her hip. The mirror man leaned in, putting his glimmering egg shaped face close to Sophie's ribbon.

"Sure enough," he said, but only to himself, "You are the girl we saved. Only Lofi's ribbons are as green as living grass."

Still in mid-air, standing off the cliffside, the mirror man turned toward Leon for the first time - stilled in his wailing. He was shot from the falls, but not by himself! Clutching his shirt, there was a shadow which propelled him off the falls. Time shuddered, and saw the man - whom he knew to be the king - lost in tragic and terrible thoughts, paused in flight, with is back facing the plummet below. The mirror man looked to me - soaring through the air, and determined to accomplish the impossible: loop a star and swing from it, to snatch the stranger from certain death.

The reflection looked at all the danger, and then his gaze was drawn away to the vast expanse of the valley below. He turned his back from the frenzied scene, and walked out from the waterfall as if on solid ground. With the world stopped around him, he took his own moment to be captive to the pinnacle of sights: the expanse of a cloudy star-scape on the horizon, stretching over the grassy valley far below. The star-scape burst with every color. He noticed low floating stars in the distance, who gave light to many little warm homes that could be seen under the bright night sky. Cozy orange glows from homes toted little trails of smoke toward the star-scape. He observed the peaceful and unaware valley for a good, long moment. Perhaps he was certain he would witness the death of the king, or some other tragedy. Or possibly, he just enjoyed the view, because he could have. He never told me that part.

Eventually, he sauntered casually back from the place where I was paused, soaring through the air. The reflection (that is, Time himself) sat at the edge, next to Sophie, who was stilled in her concern. As if trying to make light of the situation, Time casually dangled his feet over the cliff. He peered over at Tryn, the white star who lit up the whole waterfall with a dancing rainbow glow. She was not paused, only waiting. The reflection watched anxiously, and hesitantly put history into motion again. He watched it slowly: I whipped Sophie's lasso out toward the star.

"Might as well get it over with..." Time muttered to himself, then let everything go, full-speed.

I was flying, pelted with roaring water, and starting to drop. I yelled out to the star, "Hey, Tryn! Listen up: I need you to hold this lasso with all you've got okay!?"