After all my hardships, it finally hit me. The gravity of where I was and what I did to get there. As I watched the chaotic flow of the water an indescribable panic seized me. The tightening of my chest nearly caused my entire figure to collapse, but I managed to catch myself.
How would I get down? How would I explain what happened back home? Did anyone even really care? Overwhelmed, I looked for somewhere to rest on the boulder upon which I stood. As I began to slowly descend into a seated position, I overestimated how much of the rock remained behind me.
In that moment, time slowed to match the triumphant slithering of the world's slowest slug. My senses heightened as I descended into the river below. I could hear every whisper of the wind and the endless turning of the hands on my watch. I could feel the cold breeze and every hair on my body standing up in response. And I could see the magnificent waterfall, in all its destructive beauty.
The instant my body crashed against the water; everything went dark. To my endless surprise, I survived the ordeal, though my left arm had been severely bruised. By then, the luster of the evening sun had waned, and the stars made themselves known. Was I meant to survive the fall? Who knows? I did. By brushing death, I experienced life to a greater degree than ever before. As I walked away, the sound of water violently crashing against the rocks below began to fade and so did a little piece of my humanity.
