THE CHASM 

By Tessa Harvey

    Ariella had no breath to answer, even though she had used her inhaler. She knew the boy cared, his sadness for her etched on his soul. Soon the people will come to rescue me and I can kick away this bush and perhaps call out now, she thought.

    So she waited in the small cavity for voices and lights, but none came. Eventually, cramming the roots into a crevice, the girl felt secure enough to fall asleep.

    Embarrassed, even though alone, Ari woke before dawn, scraping a small hole to relieve herself, then pushing dirt over the patch and then rubbing her hands on clean clay.

    In her backpack she found an uneaten sandwich and some of her water. A beautiful dawn broke. She heard voices and called, waving the bush frantically. Undoing her inhaler, she pulled out the metal canister and held it to catch and flash the sunlight. She did this over and over again, then heard loud reassuring shouts. Thank God, she thought.

    A man came rappelling down next to her. "Hello there," he called, as if they had merely met in a park somewhere, "but don't move at all," he cautioned loudly as he saw the extreme precariousness of her situation.

    His supports had been anchored well away from the unstable cliff edge. Smiling, he steadied himself as best he could near her. "Okay," he said, drawing the word out slowly. "Why didn't you answer the boy yesterday? Are you hurt?"

"I couldn't breathe," Ariella said simply. "I get asthma."

    "Fine," her rescuer talked briefly into his radio. "I am going back for a proper harness and will return as soon as I can. Will you stay as still as possible? Don't look up or down. Just wait and try to be still. Can you do that for me?" Ariella nodded bravely, crying.