#slippery rocks

Very careful climb up to avoid snake and spider hidey holes

Very careful slide down to not scooch the cooch over a cactus

Low Force (or Low Foss, if you’re feeling old-timey) is doing its best impression of a romantic novel cover this autumn: all golden leaves, dramatic mist, and the occasional soggy sock. The waterfall tumbles dreamily over ancient stone, while I tumble trying to pose for a photo. I attempted a graceful descent, but instead invented a new yoga pose called “Slippery Panic.”

The rocks are slicker than my social skills, the rain is persistent, and the colours are so vivid they make my camera weep.

It’s the kind of place that makes you believe in woodland sprites, or at least in the healing power of a thermos full of tea.

Here it is in Haiku:

I jumped into the water until I reached the falls. I found a purchase on the rock face and began to climb. The water was beating down on me, but I made sure not to look up. Just focus on the task at hand, one rock, then the next one, then the next.

Things seemed to be going pretty well. I didn't dare look to see how far I had to go, but we were moving upwards at a steady pace. I was beginning to feel optimistic, that we might actually do this when, suddenly something jumped out from the falls and snapped at me! I pulled my hand back quickly as something that looked like a cross between a crow and a piranha shot out of the water. I slipped on the wet rock and only kept from falling by holding tight to the handhold I had with my other hand! I tried to find a foothold while another piranhacrow jumped out at me. "Narroots!" Werz yelled. "And they look hungry!"

"How are we supposed to climb with these things snapping at us?" I asked as I swatted away another Naroot.

"We may not be able to," Werz said.

"Then how are we supposed to get up? These clothes the Wizard gave us don't fly, do they?" I asked.

"No, but the Wizard also gave us this." He pulled out a length of cord and held it out.

"How are you going to fasten that to the top?"

Werz threw the cord with a snap of his wrist and one end went flying. He threw it hard, but there was no way it was going to reach the top. And it didn't! But it didn't fall back down either. The end of the rope just hung in the air as if it were glued there! With another snap, Werz let go of the rope and it went stiff as a board. "Jump!"

"It's not attached to anything!" I yelled back.

"Just jump!"

I looked at the dangling rope, but the Narroots continued to snap and I was only holding on by my finger tips. So...I leapt! I grabbed hold of the rope and was greatly surprised and relieved when it held. I began to climb happy to not have water pouring down on me. When I passed him, I saw with trepidation Werz reach over and grab ahold of the rope. I was amazed it held him as well.

We kept climbing and were more than halfway up when the rope began to shake. "What's that?"

"Uh-oh," Werz said, "It might be waking up."

"What's waking up?" I asked.

"The Purtek."

"The what?"

"The thing we're climbing!"

"You mean the rope?"

"Yes!"

"The rope is waking up? The rope is alive?"

"It's a Purtek!" Werz shouted. "And it's waking up from its dormant state!"

"Dormant...?"

"Just climb!"

I climbed as fast as I could and the rope end of the rope began to curl up. It rose until it was even with me and I could see its open mouth! The Purtek lunged at me, quick as a bullet! I tried to dodge it, but I was hanging from a rope which was the creature's body. It slammed into my side. Fortunately, the Wizard's clothes kept it from ripping out my kidney, but the impact sent me spinning. "We've got to move!" Werz yelled.

"Where? Back to the waterfall where there are piranhabirds waiting to eat us?" I asked as I spun. But the Purtek's mouth was turned back toward me now and I wondered if dropping back down to the water was that bad of an idea.

to be continued next week