Falling

• Caleb Pellowe, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2014

Again they went through the safety protocol, but it was hard to listen when your heart is beating a million beats per second. Jarred started thinking of what he would do if something went wrong, if something failed, but the sound of the door unlocking broke his thoughts. The pilot shouted something, too muffled by the wind for anyone to understand; though Jarred nodded back in response. Jarred inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and leaped into the unknown. His heart went into his throat, a feeling he had never experienced before, but still, he embraced it. He screamed with joy, with fright and with whatever else there was to scream about. He opened his eyes and instantly almost all the water evaporated. He tried to take a deep breath, struggled, but managed. He looked up to see Ruwan leap out of the plane. Ruwan was the person who had ‘forced’ him into this experience. He looked at his altitude watch, and then slowly pulled his parachute. It released and relief came over him, but muffled screams were heard to his left. He jolted his neck towards the screaming, no one was there. It took him a while to realise it was his ear piece. He focused on the screams and realised it was the plane crew. “CUT THE PARACHUTE! CUT IT!” He tried to make sense of it. “W-why?” he replied, uncertain. “KNOT IN YOUR PARACHUTE!” Jarred froze; “A k-knot?” Four words flashed through his mind, parachute-knot-fall-die; fear gripped him, he was paralysed. He continued to fall, the wind slapping against his face, grasping for a decent breath. The words continued through his head, parachute-knot-fall-die. A muffled shout broke his train of thought, he opened his eyes. THUD! Ruwan had dived into him and sent both of them tumbling in the air. They both shouted and both strained to hear the other. Ruwan wrapped himself around Jarred and pulled Jarred’s emergency cut-away cord; the parachute cut. Ruwan squeezed Jarred harder and yanked at his own parachute cord, but the jolt of the parachute opening was too strong, Ruwan’s efforts weren't enough. Jarred continued to fall, screaming again from fear, though this time, he was alert. He leveled himself flat; it didn't do much, though it gave him more time to think. Suddenly he remembered his back up parachute and he laughed at how stupid he was. All that time falling and all he had to do was pull another cord. He laughed again while he yanked at it; nothing. He started to panic, seven tries, each one with more force, but still, nothing. Thinking fast, he undid the harness that secured his parachute bag, pulled the bag off his back and ripped it open. Jarred gripped the bag with all his might as the parachute began to open. The sudden force of the parachute opening ripped his right arm muscles. When his feet hit the ground minutes later, he knelled and cried.