Countdown

I can't breathe.

Ten.

I can't see, either. Everything feels a million miles away and is all fuzzy.

Nine.

Okay, for real now, I can't breathe. I feel like my stomach is in my throat and no air can get past it.

Eight.

I can now hear the blood pumping through my brain, so I force a ragged breath in through my lips.

Seven.

Let the breath back out again, listening to the air hiss between my teeth.

Six.

Halfway there, right? Or does five count as halfway there? I've never really been--

Five.

Crap, crap, crap. My heart is racing.

Four.

I can feel a huge grin working its way across my face.

Three.

One more deep breath, all the way in...

Two.

And all the way back out. A slow calm is working its way through my bloodstream.

One.

This. Is. It.

Jump.

Everything falls away from me, which is ironic, because I'm falling. I'm surrounded by nothing and no one, just me and the air. I can feel and hear the air, she's yelling in my ears how crazy I am. I focus and count, remembering how long they said to wait. When I pull on the cord, my body jerks up. Everything slows down and I right myself. Now I can focus on the ground, and see how far away it really is. It gets closer constantly, but it still seems like forever away.

Pure ecstasy is pumping through my veins. This is so awesome. The stunning beauty of the landscape, the sheer thrill of the fall, the pounding adrenaline. I have never felt more alive. I want time to freeze right here and now. I never want to feel anything else, because nothing else will ever compare to way I feel right now.