The View From The Top

The View From The Top 

By Jane 

Prologue

“Mountain ziplining?” I said with a confused look, turning my head to them in the front seat. My parents had told me we were going Mountain ziplining, in a wildlife resort in the rainforest mountains of the Dominican Republic. We came to the Dominican Republic for vacation, but I had no idea we were going Mountain ziplining. “But mom, I’m scared of ziplining!” I said in surprise, crossing my arms and slumping back in my seat. “And I’m afraid of heights too!”I tried to protest with her to drive the car around, but she refused. Then my dad added, “Too late,” In a teasing voice. And soon enough we drove into the driveway of the resort. 

Chapter 1: Arrival 

I opened the car door and waited for my twin sister Natalie to come out of the car, then my little brother Alex. I looked around, we seemed to be at the top of a mountain, and the parking lot was right at the cliff, but rocks were blocking the edge so you didn’t fall off. I peered down to take a look. I saw a platform attached to the cliff that was attached to more lines in the air, which led to farther platforms. I narrowed my eyes to look farther away from the platform. In the middle of the rainforests were a rocky, bushy range, and in the distance was the rainforest directly away from where we were. It looked as if the farthest mountains were dipped in forest green paint and smudged to make a tree-looking texture, though the rocky hills in front almost looked dead.  I switched my gaze away from the distance. That must be the end of the zipline. I gulped when I saw another platform to the left on the other side of the cliff, but it was different from the others because it was attached to the ground level we were on, and there was a room on top of the platform that said: “Gear room.” 

Chapter 2: Gear Ready

After we checked in a few people took us to the platform at the end to get our gear on, and then we could go hiking to the start platform. They gave us a harness and helmet. My sister, brother, and I sat on a bench against the wall of the gear room. Then while we were waiting for the people to come, a thought popped up in my head. What if I fall on the zipline? I seemed more nervous now, and the rest of the people had finally come and put their gear on. Suddenly my sister asked in a teasing voice, “You look nervous. Are you scared?” both my brother and her grinned. “I am not!” I crossed my arms. But really, I was. Then I sat up and narrowed my eyes at my siblings, for a few seconds actually, but then I noticed they weren’t even looking at me, but they just stared at the spot I was sitting on. That was when I realized there was a huge brown cricket on the wall I was leaning against, right over where I was! We all screamed and pushed, running away from the bench into the gear room with the tourists, tour guides, and my parents. Anyway, the platform scared me because there was no barrier between the platform and the drop into the depths of the rainforest. It scared Natalie too, I could tell. I couldn’t tell how Alex thought, but since Natalie is my twin sister, I kind of just know by the look of her face, or I just do. I pushed my siblings aside and went to stand next to my parents, butterflies starting to swarm inside my stomach. I squeezed my mom’s hand once the tour guide said that we had to go to the starting platform. The tour guide’s all had bright red shirts on with the company’s logo and very dark chocolate-colored skin. Everyone was ready, and we walked around the gear room, off the platform, and down a narrow pathway on a rocky hill. 

Chapter 3: The Hike

The rocky hill we had to hike on went far into the valley, and closer to the rainforest away from the cliff.  It felt like we had been walking for hours, in the burning hot sun. I looked up at the sizzling hot blue sky. I almost stumbled down the rocks at the end, on the highest hill, so my mom had to hold my hand and drag me up. After we had got up everything looked like a dry, bushy landscape with huge trees and mountains in the far distance. It was so far out, that even the pathway was overgrown, and we had to step over some bushes. Suddenly when we got up a very high hill leading over to more trees, rocks, and jungle, someone in the front of the group screamed, “Snake!” I gasped as people started to crowd around a rocky, ferny patch of grass. The farther we walked, the wilder and jungle-ish it looked. “Snake?” I looked at my mom with a worried face and then questioned her. “Don’t worry honey, nothing is going to hurt you.” She reassured me while walking through the crowd. She knew I worried a lot. “Haha, it’s just a snake!” My brother laughed at me as we were passing the spot where the slim and small black and red snake lay, the tour guide pushing it away with a hiking stick.“Ooh, It’s going to bite you!” I grinned at him as he shrieked and turned his head behind him to see it.“Ughh, I’m so hot.” Natalie groaned, complaining in the background. “Yeah, same.” Alex and I both agreed, walking over to her. 

Chapter 4: What It Feels Like To Fly

After a bit more hiking, we finally reached an open platform on top of a big bushy, rocky hill with many trees. To get on top, we had to climb up huge slippery boulders and rocks. It was very steep, and the cliffside was carved into small holes and caves within the rocks. There was an amazing view at the top. On the cliff, there was a small platform with a line attached, which was the zipline. There were also wood bars around it so you don’t fall. I could see the beautiful rainforest in the distance. Unfortunately, it was high. Very high. And we were at the front of the line. “That looks steep.” I stuttered, I looked down the cliffside, butterflies were now filling up my stomach and making me feel sick. I felt like I wanted to just run back to the beach at our vacation house downtown. “Who wants to go first?” My dad cheerfully asked us, standing near the main tour guide. But we all backed away when one tour guide tried to strap my harness to a rope. “One of you has to do it.” My mom said with an impatient but calm voice, then added, “Hurry up and choose, because we are holding up the line.” She looked at us with a serious face. “Uhm…” Natalie stood frozen. “I don’t want to go first!” Alex started to cry. We all huddled together at the edge of the back of the platform, leaning against the wood railings. “You’re taking up too much time.” My mom started to get angry. “I…Don’t want to go first either.” I shook my head, grabbing onto the wood railings of the platform. My sister and brother did the same. “Jane, why don’t you go?” My dad tried to encourage me. “Come on, it isn’t scary.” He told me nicely, trying to gently push me to the edge of the platform so they could strap me. No! Not ever! I waited for all my siblings to go first. After they went, I still refused to go. “Wait!” I hesitated, panicking, but it was too late, they already strapped my harness to the rope. For a second it felt like the world had paused, I was looking down at the trenching cliff, wondering if I was about to fall to death. I thought about all the times I was too scared to go on a zipline, too scared to even go past tree level at camp. Too scared to even make an effort in doing it, and even trying. The next thing I know, I was squeezing my eyes closed as the tour guide pushed me off the platform. I felt so tense, I thought I was going to fall. I went down super fast, the wind brushing through my hair. It felt weird, for a second I wondered if I was falling, but it felt different. There was a feeling that felt good, I felt free, not hot and nauseous anymore. I peaked my eyes open to see I was holding onto the rope, and I wasn’t falling till my debts, I was flying. Zip Lining. I gazed around me, watching as the thin line brought me through the air, turns, down, and up, over what is now a beautiful forest green rainforest and ferns, flowers, and the highest trees I’ve ever seen. I passed rivers, beautiful, and peaceful wildlife. I could see high mountains in the distance, I could hear birds chirping and the sounds of the rainforest. “Woohoo!” I yelled out and stopped holding onto the rope, it was the best feeling ever. A big smile formed on my face.

I looked back at the platform on the cliff in the distance, then turned my head back. The zipline slowly took me through the wind and over the peaceful rainforest. I reached my foot out as it brushed against the top of a huge tree. I looked into the distance at the setting sun and the pink and orange cloudy sky. It was so peaceful, such a special feeling. closed my eyes and thought for a moment. I wasn’t scared. And this isn’t scary. I am not scared. And I will never be scared. I slowly closed my eyes as the soft breeze brushed against me. I wasn’t falling, I wasn’t dying, I wasn’t scared.I am not falling, I am not dying, I am not scared, and now, I am not scared of ziplining. Not now, not ever. It was like my fears were left behind me, or left on the ground as I soar up and through the sky.