Thoughtful Things and Things I Thought

Precarious

The stars are bright, but on this journey their light will not be enough to guide me. However, it will have to do.

 I was walking with others when I got separated. I stopped to tie my shoes and I didn't notice the lights from their lanterns vanishing until it was too late. The darkness around me is hungry, it seems to have swallowed all traces of the others and their lanterns.

 I look in the direction we had been heading. In a hurry to abandon the darkness and catch up with the others, I take off in a run. Because of the inadequate light from the stars, I failed to notice the small hole in the road.

 I step into the hole and lose my footing, stumbling to the edge of a nearby ravine. I try desperately to regain balance, flailing for anything to grab onto. A thin, low hanging branch is the only thing close enough.

 I twist to grab the branch, but I step on a small rock that takes my feet out from under me. Just in time, I manage to grab the branch. But now, I am hanging precariously over the ledge.

 Barely standing on my toes and being held there by the branch, I start to panic. I start to doubt the strength of the branch; how long could such a thing really hold me? I start to stress about standing back up; will I be able to pull myself back up and onto my feet?