You Can't Fall if You Don't Climb

[Miranda Florin]

Miranda dropped her bag onto a bench before turning to face the wall in front of her, and to her sides, considering that most of this room in the gym had some form of rock-climbing path on it. After opening her chalk bag and placing it on the ground near the section that she was planning on playing with for the day, she started by walking around, looking at the assorted tapes and finding the dual-colored ones that denoted bouldering routes.

After finding one that seemed interesting, she followed it to the yellow line, going over the moves that she would have to go through, some more complex, others easier, before returning to her chalk bag. After her hands were covered in a fine layer of magnesium carbonate, she returned to her route, reading the label once more to make sure that she didn't break any of its specifications, then settled herself against the wall, placing first her hands, then her feet.

It was all going well, certainly, until she reached a pocket in the wall that asked for her to stretch out nearly horizontally to reach the next handhold. After finding a decent foothold, she stretched out with her free hand, her fingers brushing the surface of the sloper, before she could feel her other hand slipping from its hold. A moment of falling, and then she landed on the mat with a thud that knocked the air out of her. Stretching out across the mat, Miranda looked up at the wall, considering what had gone wrong, although she made no move to get up as she mulled over how she would change her approach.

[Deleted]

    Kate usually made a beeline for the dance studio when in the gym, but she'd decided on a different destination today. She didn't know how she'd gotten through years at Blue Ridge without knowing that they had indoor climbing walls, but she had, and now she absolutely couldn't help trying them out. Dressed in leggings and a tank top, her hair wrapped into a ponytail, she'd found the room and entered, stopping as soon as she stepped inside. There, on the floor, lay a girl motionless. Now, Kate had read the sign noting that climbers should always have a partner, and she'd hoped that she'd find someone there to make sure she didn't die. Hopefully, this girl wasn't already dead. 

    Dropping her bag in its proper area, she nearly tip-toed over to the other girl, peering down. She was alive. "Are you okay?" Kate asked, a little hesitant, a little worried. This was definitely not the way she wanted to end her ballet and equestrian careers. Perhaps she should head back to her room to change into her leotard and tights for her standard pointe workout. Looking around the room, she was impressed by how many options there were, and reassured by the safety equipment she found. Kate had climbed a little bit before, so she soon realized that the girl was climbing one of the routes that didn't require a belayer, which accounted for the lack of a harness.      

[Miranda Florin]

Miranda could hear the door opening, but didn't bother moving, her eyes tracing the route as she envisioned the moves that she made. Perhaps if she just pushed herself against the sloper, rather than trying to grab it? As she heard a voice, she turned her head, smiling at the girl, touched that she had bothered, although she wanted to reply pithily that of course she was fine. However, there was no way that this girl could know how many times she'd fallen and been fine, so she just pushed herself up, still smiling, "I'm perfectly okay, thanks. Sorry for scaring you." She stretched her arms above her head, looking up at the wall, "That stupid pocket, though."

She went through her plan again, then realized that the other girl had come in alone as well. Turning back to her, she asked, "Were you planning on bouldering or toproping?" Sure, she might enjoy climbing, but the least she could do for the girl's concern was to help her out in return, and belaying wasn't so very bad, it gave you more time to think about the chosen route from a different perspective. As she started working her shoulders, making sure that she hadn't landed too strangely, she was pleased to find that nothing was sore... Or at least, not too much in pain.