Published:
July 11, 2023
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Olivia dangled precariously from the cliff's edge, her heart pounding with anticipation of victory. With the summit in sight, her grip on the rock faltered, and for a moment her fate teetered on the verge of triumph or free fall. She gazed up at the endless blue sky, beads of sweat pouring down her face while the wind howled all around her.
She was in rare territory now.
Looking down at her rock climbing mentor, Olivia was surprised at just how much distance was between them. A smile crept across her face as she secured her grip and boosted herself up. It was in that instant that she knew. This is the first time I’m going to beat my Dad to the top of the mountain.
She was close to shouting out something boastful at him but caught herself. No time to be cocky, Livi. Keep going. The words echoed in her head in her father’s voice. She reached into her bag, forcing herself into renewed focus, and dug out a piton and hammer.
This is the home stretch, she thought. With efficient movements, her hands caressed the rock until finding what she had been looking for — a crack large and secure enough to embed the metal spike. She cocked her arm back and triumphantly drove the pin deep into the sandstone crevice with surgical precision.
A deep breath now gave way to alternating waves of pride and humility. What does it mean? she wondered. Is this happening sooner than it should? I’m only seventeen after all…
Her mind raced. He’s sixty-one now. Sixty-one! It seemed unthinkable when she said it out loud. Is this more sad than anything? Should I feel bad about this? Olivia pondered as her father continued his steady climb. She glanced down once again and could almost make his facial expressions out now.
No, she thought resiliently. You’ve earned this. She knew that she was only in this position because of him, because she had paid attention to the details of every technique that he had ever taught her and practiced them over and over.
Lost in thought, she smiled down at him, half-expecting a look of pride on his face. A look, perhaps, of deep satisfaction.
This was not the look that Olivia got.
Instead, her father wore a face of aggressive focus that she had seen before. He was close enough now that her recognition was crystal clear. At a very young age, she remembered being ringside seeing this face of resolute determination when her father was losing a competitive boxing match.
And now he was coming for her.
Her smile quickly turned to surprise panic. Her father winked at her as he continued to scale the rock like a mountain lion. She turned back to face the rock and struggled to clip a carabiner to the metal spike that she had just driven in. Ten seconds. That’s all I need. I’m just ten seconds from the top.
Olivia peeked back down again, but this time her father had vanished.
An unsettling confusion flooded her entire body as she scanned the mountainside below. Then without warning, a green lizard-like creature eighteen inches from head to tail scurried out of the fractured part of the rock, momentarily stunning her. Then another, then three more, and as the first few raised their forearms to reveal massive wings, dozens more flew out all around her!
Several of the strange creatures clung to the mountain and steadily crawled toward her. She peered above at the edge of the rock, knowing safety was just seconds away. I can make it, she decided. She swung the hammer wildly at the group, sending most of the reptiles flying away. A single creature defied the retreat and instead inched closer.
The two locked eyes, neither backing down. Olivia briefly glanced away to gauge her escape, but before she could make another move, the winged serpent leaped towards her neck, clamping its fangs into her exposed flesh.
She immediately ripped it off and flung the animal violently away only to see it gather itself midair and fly back towards her. It suddenly billowed out a large plume of fire, snapping Olivia’s cable, and sending her free-falling downwards!
There was nothing to save her now. Time seemed to move slowly as she gazed upwards at the top of the mountain, where she had been so close to success just seconds earlier.
Bleeding badly, and falling towards the ground, Olivia rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh.
“End simulation,” she muttered.
She opened her eyes, removing a small pea-sized device near her temple. Glancing around her father’s den, she noticed an image of him on a large screen standing on top of the mountain. He entered the room with a beer while wearing a wide smile.
“Where did you go?” she asked.
“Gekko dragons”, her father revealed, “native to these rocks we’re preparing for, Livi. Once you get near the top, the trick is to scale the east part of the rock — where it’s not in shadow — to avoid them.”
Her father approached and kneeled beside her. “Just because I taught you everything you know doesn’t mean I taught you everything I know.”
Olivia shook her head in disappointment. “I almost had you,” she offered, before finally letting out a smile.
“You did. But with these planets out here, in this part of the galaxy, it’s like being in the ring — you have to be ready for anything. Remember that this is Colossus-9 we’re prepping for, sweetheart!”
Olivia let out a frustrated sigh, her shoulders slumping.
"Hey, it happens to the best of us," her father replied in a sympathetic tone. "I'm proud of how far you've come."
"Thanks, Dad," she said, her gaze meeting his with a renewed determination. "I'll get you next time, I promise."
Her father chuckled and nodded, his eyes twinkling with affection.
"Where did you think you were, Earth?"

Copyright 2023 - SFS Publishing LLC
Summit
It's never over until it's over
Aaron J. Rodriguez

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