got it?” Carter asked.
“I . . . guess,” Jane said. For some reason, the bamboo had looked thicker and sturdier from above. The whole thing bowed under her weight, bringing her even closer to the cliff wall. But there was no going back now. With a deep breath, she let go just enough to slide down a few feet, and then stopped again.
“Good job, Janie!” Vanessa called out. “Keep going!”
Jane loosened her grip again and dropped a bit farther.
Then again, and again.
The bamboo burned against her skin as she went. It wasn’t a smooth ride, but the ground came up quickly. Soon, she was standing safely on the rocks next to Vanessa.
There was no time for talking. The girls quickly positioned themselves on either side of the pole as Buzz got ready to work his way down.
His descent was slower than Jane’s had been. His body scraped against the cliff face as he squeaked his way along, foot by foot. By the time he touched down and let go of the bamboo, his arms and legs were marred with painful-looking, deep-red burn marks. Still, he looked more relieved than anything.
Now came the really tricky part. It was Carter’s turn.
Carter flexed his stiff fingers. His hands were raw from gripping rock, and the gash on his palm had opened up. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“Hold on tight, you guys,” he said. “Here I come.”
“We’ve got you!” Buzz said. All three of the others gripped the pole around the base, watching as Carter let himself off the tiny shelf where he’d been waiting.
Gripping the ledge with both hands, he lowered himself toward the top of the bamboo. One foot hooked the pole, and then both legs wrapped around it as he came low enough.
The idea was to let go of the ledge, one hand at a time, then press his palms into the cliff wall and use leverage, leg strength, and gravity to lower himself the next few crucial feet.
But the moment Carter let go with his first hand, he could tell it wasn’t going to work. His other hand slipped off too soon, and he slid faster and farther than he’d intended, several feet down the pole. He’d barely taken hold of the bamboo before his own weight forced it to pull away from the wall.
“Wait!” Jane screamed, but there was nothing Carter could do. The pole came unstoppably into a vertical position, and then kept on going. The next thing he knew, it was falling toward the rocks.
“JUMP!” Buzz yelled.
He saw Buzz throw himself against the pole and felt a hard jerk from below. The bamboo’s direction shifted. It was falling toward the beach now. In the fraction of a second Carter had left, he realized what Buzz meant for him to do. He thrust as hard as he could, pushing himself away from the falling pole. His eyes took in a blur of rock, sea, and sky—just before he landed in the sand. A shock of pain came up through his legs. He absorbed what he could and rolled several times before coming to a stop.
He was on his back. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he tried to figure out if anything was broken.
“Carter!” Jane’s voice came from nearby. The others were there now, kneeling next to him. Someone’s hand was on his arm.
“Can you sit up?” Vanessa said.
Carter blinked several times and squinted into the hot sun. He wiggled his toes. Bent his knees.
“I think so,” he said.
As they got him onto his feet, it was a relief to find that he could walk on his own. The only real pain came from the throbbing cut on his hand. But that didn’t seem like much, compared to what could have happened.
The point was, he’d made it down in one piece.
They all had. And they’d done it together.
CHAPTER 3
B ack at camp, everyone flopped out in the shade. It had been a long morning. Vanessa could hardly wait to tell the others about the cove she’d found, but they had a story of their own to tell first.
Jane explained that a plane had flown by that morning. Vanessa had never even heard it from where she’d been.
It was the first and
“I . . . guess,” Jane said. For some reason, the bamboo had looked thicker and sturdier from above. The whole thing bowed under her weight, bringing her even closer to the cliff wall. But there was no going back now. With a deep breath, she let go just enough to slide down a few feet, and then stopped again.
“Good job, Janie!” Vanessa called out. “Keep going!”
Jane loosened her grip again and dropped a bit farther.
Then again, and again.
The bamboo burned against her skin as she went. It wasn’t a smooth ride, but the ground came up quickly. Soon, she was standing safely on the rocks next to Vanessa.
There was no time for talking. The girls quickly positioned themselves on either side of the pole as Buzz got ready to work his way down.
His descent was slower than Jane’s had been. His body scraped against the cliff face as he squeaked his way along, foot by foot. By the time he touched down and let go of the bamboo, his arms and legs were marred with painful-looking, deep-red burn marks. Still, he looked more relieved than anything.
Now came the really tricky part. It was Carter’s turn.
Carter flexed his stiff fingers. His hands were raw from gripping rock, and the gash on his palm had opened up. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“Hold on tight, you guys,” he said. “Here I come.”
“We’ve got you!” Buzz said. All three of the others gripped the pole around the base, watching as Carter let himself off the tiny shelf where he’d been waiting.
Gripping the ledge with both hands, he lowered himself toward the top of the bamboo. One foot hooked the pole, and then both legs wrapped around it as he came low enough.
The idea was to let go of the ledge, one hand at a time, then press his palms into the cliff wall and use leverage, leg strength, and gravity to lower himself the next few crucial feet.
But the moment Carter let go with his first hand, he could tell it wasn’t going to work. His other hand slipped off too soon, and he slid faster and farther than he’d intended, several feet down the pole. He’d barely taken hold of the bamboo before his own weight forced it to pull away from the wall.
“Wait!” Jane screamed, but there was nothing Carter could do. The pole came unstoppably into a vertical position, and then kept on going. The next thing he knew, it was falling toward the rocks.
“JUMP!” Buzz yelled.
He saw Buzz throw himself against the pole and felt a hard jerk from below. The bamboo’s direction shifted. It was falling toward the beach now. In the fraction of a second Carter had left, he realized what Buzz meant for him to do. He thrust as hard as he could, pushing himself away from the falling pole. His eyes took in a blur of rock, sea, and sky—just before he landed in the sand. A shock of pain came up through his legs. He absorbed what he could and rolled several times before coming to a stop.
He was on his back. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he tried to figure out if anything was broken.
“Carter!” Jane’s voice came from nearby. The others were there now, kneeling next to him. Someone’s hand was on his arm.
“Can you sit up?” Vanessa said.
Carter blinked several times and squinted into the hot sun. He wiggled his toes. Bent his knees.
“I think so,” he said.
As they got him onto his feet, it was a relief to find that he could walk on his own. The only real pain came from the throbbing cut on his hand. But that didn’t seem like much, compared to what could have happened.
The point was, he’d made it down in one piece.
They all had. And they’d done it together.
CHAPTER 3
B ack at camp, everyone flopped out in the shade. It had been a long morning. Vanessa could hardly wait to tell the others about the cove she’d found, but they had a story of their own to tell first.
Jane explained that a plane had flown by that morning. Vanessa had never even heard it from where she’d been.
It was the first and
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