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Description
Twilight Rocks
Prompt #5
10/21/12

The prospect of imminent death was oddly exhilarating.

Four hundred feet from the ground and counting, she definitely had a death wish. No harnesses to break her fall- no ropes to catch her tumble.

She loved it.

Tyla was a die-hard rock climber. No mountain peak or jagged cliff could intimidate her. Rough callouses printed stories on the palms of her hands, telling tales of epic falls, broken bones, and glorious victories. They also served as extra protection against the sharp stones that threatened to break her skin as she trekked higher.

The teen had done worse climbs than this, of course. Though to most, even this attempt would be insane. It was a soaring cliff near the edge of her hometown- The Devil's Tower. Many had tried- and failed- to reach its highest point, even with ropes and pulleys, which aided the climber along.  Only a select few had succeeded in their daring ambitions.

Tyla was exhausted. In some of her expeditions, gravity had helped her, when the face had been on a level or slightly downward tilt. The force would keep her easily pinned to the side. But The Devil's Tower leaned the opposite way- casting a shadow upon itself when the sun was overhead. She had to work twice as hard to keep herself touching the rock. Muscles burned, and cold sweat trickled down her back. She could stop at any moment. Simply say that it was too much.

But that would be quitting. And Tyla didn't quit.

She pulled herself forward, making progress with each finger twitch and muscle movement. She didn't look up- only down. Tyla had an odd reverse logic. Look up, you only look at how much ground you have to cover. Look down, you feel the satisfaction of what you have already done.

That's when she lost her grip.

Before she could even gasp, the adrenaline was shooting through her veins, causing her heart to jump. In an eerie slow-motion, the small ledge of rock she had been grasping simply shattered into thousands of pieces. Her other hand had been occupied with trying to find the next hold and was hovering, useless, in the air beside her.

She started to fall.

The earth seemed to drop farther away from her, only highlighting the fact that she would be good as dead when she hit the ground.  Panic bloomed through her chest as she wildly scrabbled at the quickly retreating rock face.

Where was the rock? The stone? The cliff?

Her hands found something- solid, cool, comforting. It was a complete miracle. Desperate, Tyla let out a half-grunt, half relieved gasp as she hauled herself onto the stone shelf she had found.  Crushing her sweaty back against the cliff, she tried to pull herself together.

Pulse? A little fast, but still there. Limbs? All present. Blood? Just rushing through her ears, aside from the small amount smeared on her fingers.

That was too close.

But what did she do? She kept climbing.

Oh, no. You thought she would give up? Only quitters relented. Tyla kept going.
Taking a breath, the slightly shaken teenager turned her attention back to the task at hand. Placing her palms on the cool surface above her head, she dug her finger nails in and resumed her journey to the top.

* * *

A pair of bloodied hands suddenly materialized, popping into existence as they were thrown over the edge of the platform. Moments later a head appeared, dark hair flipping about in the wind. Eyes glittering with pure determination, the girl hauled the rest of her body onto the rock.

This was the top.

Tyla rested, blinking at the sky above her. It was dark. Not black or nighttime purple, but a very soft, violet-blue color. Squinting, the girl shoved some hair out of her face and propped herself onto her elbows, glancing around.

Then she gasped.

Quickly as possible, Tyla scrambled to her feet and crossed to the lip of the cliff, staring out with a simply awe-struck look.

Twilight had fallen on the city. Purple-painted mountains were the backdrop against the fuzzy sky, guarding the sunken sun as if a sentry. Golden light leaked between the peaks, ever so gently stroking the town below in an unearthly, beautiful color. Darkness surrounded the outer edge of the civilization, creating the environment for twinkling lights to flicker in a light-show. Cars moved between the buildings like little bugs through stalks of grass. It was brilliant.

No climb she had completed had a reward quite such as this. The view. It was something that not even a legendary painter could capture on canvas. It would fade too quickly- too soon. Or perhaps it was just too much beauty to fit in.

Tyla didn't know how long she stood there, frozen to the ground. She couldn't tear her eyes away. If only she had her camera- but somehow, that small thought was comforting. This was her memory- her discovery. Nobody else would see such a side of the earth. It was gorgeous, striking, simply otherworldly.

Sha watched for as long as she could.

But within minutes, the light had faded to black, and the image had vanished.

© Sunshockk.deviantart.com 2012

Description
Twilight Rocks
Prompt #5
10/21/12

The prospect of imminent death was oddly exhilarating.

Four hundred feet from the ground and counting, she definitely had a death wish. No harnesses to break her fall- no ropes to catch her tumble.

She loved it.

Tyla was a die-hard rock climber. No mountain peak or jagged cliff could intimidate her. Rough callouses printed stories on the palms of her hands, telling tales of epic falls, broken bones, and glorious victories. They also served as extra protection against the sharp stones that threatened to break her skin as she trekked higher.

The teen had done worse climbs than this, of course. Though to most, even this attempt would be insane. It was a soaring cliff near the edge of her hometown- The Devil's Tower. Many had tried- and failed- to reach its highest point, even with ropes and pulleys, which aided the climber along.  Only a select few had succeeded in their daring ambitions.

Tyla was exhausted. In some of her expeditions, gravity had helped her, when the face had been on a level or slightly downward tilt. The force would keep her easily pinned to the side. But The Devil's Tower leaned the opposite way- casting a shadow upon itself when the sun was overhead. She had to work twice as hard to keep herself touching the rock. Muscles burned, and cold sweat trickled down her back. She could stop at any moment. Simply say that it was too much.

But that would be quitting. And Tyla didn't quit.

She pulled herself forward, making progress with each finger twitch and muscle movement. She didn't look up- only down. Tyla had an odd reverse logic. Look up, you only look at how much ground you have to cover. Look down, you feel the satisfaction of what you have already done.

That's when she lost her grip.

Before she could even gasp, the adrenaline was shooting through her veins, causing her heart to jump. In an eerie slow-motion, the small ledge of rock she had been grasping simply shattered into thousands of pieces. Her other hand had been occupied with trying to find the next hold and was hovering, useless, in the air beside her.

She started to fall.

The earth seemed to drop farther away from her, only highlighting the fact that she would be good as dead when she hit the ground.  Panic bloomed through her chest as she wildly scrabbled at the quickly retreating rock face.

Where was the rock? The stone? The cliff?

Her hands found something- solid, cool, comforting. It was a complete miracle. Desperate, Tyla let out a half-grunt, half relieved gasp as she hauled herself onto the stone shelf she had found.  Crushing her sweaty back against the cliff, she tried to pull herself together.

Pulse? A little fast, but still there. Limbs? All present. Blood? Just rushing through her ears, aside from the small amount smeared on her fingers.

That was too close.

But what did she do? She kept climbing.

Oh, no. You thought she would give up? Only quitters relented. Tyla kept going.
Taking a breath, the slightly shaken teenager turned her attention back to the task at hand. Placing her palms on the cool surface above her head, she dug her finger nails in and resumed her journey to the top.

* * *

A pair of bloodied hands suddenly materialized, popping into existence as they were thrown over the edge of the platform. Moments later a head appeared, dark hair flipping about in the wind. Eyes glittering with pure determination, the girl hauled the rest of her body onto the rock.

This was the top.

Tyla rested, blinking at the sky above her. It was dark. Not black or nighttime purple, but a very soft, violet-blue color. Squinting, the girl shoved some hair out of her face and propped herself onto her elbows, glancing around.

Then she gasped.

Quickly as possible, Tyla scrambled to her feet and crossed to the lip of the cliff, staring out with a simply awe-struck look.

Twilight had fallen on the city. Purple-painted mountains were the backdrop against the fuzzy sky, guarding the sunken sun as if a sentry. Golden light leaked between the peaks, ever so gently stroking the town below in an unearthly, beautiful color. Darkness surrounded the outer edge of the civilization, creating the environment for twinkling lights to flicker in a light-show. Cars moved between the buildings like little bugs through stalks of grass. It was brilliant.

No climb she had completed had a reward quite such as this. The view. It was something that not even a legendary painter could capture on canvas. It would fade too quickly- too soon. Or perhaps it was just too much beauty to fit in.

Tyla didn't know how long she stood there, frozen to the ground. She couldn't tear her eyes away. If only she had her camera- but somehow, that small thought was comforting. This was her memory- her discovery. Nobody else would see such a side of the earth. It was gorgeous, striking, simply otherworldly.

Sha watched for as long as she could.

But within minutes, the light had faded to black, and the image had vanished.

© Sunshockk.deviantart.com 2012