Free Pieces of Hope by Carolyn Carter Page B

afraid for them. But how was I supposed to tell Ethan that? He wasn’t going to
believe me . . . especially now, tiny leprechauns and all.
    Ethan’s
voice was the epitome of calm. “Hope, I’ve rapped this several times. I’ll tie
a fixed line from one of those pines, and then it’s a straight shot to a ledge
about sixty meters down. There’s a fair amount of holds for the return climb.
I’d say it’s about a 5.8.”
    According
to the Yosemite decimal system, a 5.0 was
almost like climbing a set of stairs. The higher the second number indicated
smaller and smaller holds. Maybe it wasn’t as dangerous as I’d first thought.
    “Shouldn’t
be a problem for you, you’re part arachnid, I can tell.” Ethan was still
wearing that contented half-grin. Given my flurry of emotions, I couldn’t be
certain, but I detected a hint of sarcasm.
    “Part
monkey,” I corrected, biting my lip. To my surprise, his smile widened.  
    To avert
Ethan’s intense gaze, I glanced to the pines he had spoken of. My hands
trembled like an old lady’s with Parkinson’s, but I knew it was more than the
upcoming rap that was causing it. When I stared back at the source my jitters,
Ethan looked cooler than the breeze that blew my hair around.
    “Outrageous!”
Brody howled as he returned from the peak. “Wait till Claire hears about this!”
Reaching for his pack, he grabbed a change of clothes, then ran into a stand of
trees. Just a few feet away, Ethan remained stock-still, eyeing me as if he
were waiting on something. What? Was he expecting a high-five from me, too?           
    I
delayed, but couldn’t take the predator-stare thing another second.
    “It’s
safe?” I finally asked, irritated. Rescuing people from their own bad choices
was more difficult than I had anticipated. “Please don’t die on me. I’d feel
terrible if you did, you know . . . quite terrible.”
    “You’d
feel quite terrible?” Ethan grinned, shook his head. “Well, since you put it
that way, I’ll be quite careful.”
    Nope, I
wasn’t mistaken. Definite sarcasm.
    “Promise
me,” I begged, ignoring his tone.
    Ethan
looked into my eyes, and in the lowest tone humanly imaginable, he uttered
sincerely, “I’d do anything for your happiness, Hope. Anything at all.”
    Although
I wasn’t in my body at the moment, it felt like I was. My heart stopped, then
started up again. I really needed to sit down and hold onto something—or
someone. It was Ethan’s words that had triggered it. Where had I heard them
before? I wracked my brain for answers, but the pieces wouldn’t come. Ethan
came toward me then and froze, as if the questions racing in my mind had now
jumped into his. The confusing mixture of emotions I was feeling was plainly
visible on Ethan’s face—bewilderment, surprise, and something else I couldn’t
quite place.   
    “Are you
guys okay?” Brody shouted from behind a huge pine. “You both look a little
lovesick. Do you need some privacy? If so, I can take a—”
    “What—no!
We’re fine! Fine!” I muttered. Whatever I was wondering vanished; I now focused
on strangling Brody. “We’re talking about the rap!” Then, under my breath, I
whispered to Ethan, “My happiness requires you to be alive. Dying won’t earn
you any brownie points. Remember, you promised to be careful!”
    Sighing,
he breathed, “Hope Valenti, you do have the strangest little mind.”
    It was
all I could do to not to thump him on the forehead. Little and strange?
    By the
time slowpoke Brody returned from the woods, we had already changed into our
loose-fitting shorts and tees, slipped on our sticky rubber climbing shoes, and
finished setting up the rap. From the sturdiest pine, Ethan had tied a fixed
line using a figure-eight knot on a bite, and added a double fisherman for
safety. I gave it a hearty tug. Twice.  
    Brody
and I watched intently as Ethan demonstrated the process of rapping down. After
pinching the rope, he then pushed it