My eyes trail a small bead of sweat as it drops from my forehead….. It falls for an eternity….. an eternity that lasts short of a second. Its perfect globule hovers over the thick humid air, hits the floor and makes a loud spattering sound, sending waves that echo to my ear. It is the only sound audible to me. More beads of sweat trickle down my face. Each breath I take continues to warm the air around me. Vapors escape my collar and streams of sweat run down my neck and down my torso. I could feel each rivulet running down like rivers of fresh water that seem to wash off some heat and leave subtle sensations that partially cool my skin. I feel the pounding of my pulse from my finger tips, down through my veins and through my ears. I could hear my heartbeat without effort. My fingers look steady but I feel them expanding with each rhythmic pulse. I stare blankly upon my fingers, scanning, but not knowing what to look for. It could perhaps be a clue that could tell me to stop climbing….. There’s none to see. All I see are white fingers, dry and heavily callused. I trace each thumb across my finger tips. What remains unseen surely is felt by my raw sensitive skin. Each tap felt piercing. Even the softest touch left sharp impressions that collapse my morale. The boulder problem comes into focus as I sink my hands into my chalk bag. More of the white powder flies into the air forming a foreground that I walk through to the base of the boulder. I clap the excess chalk off my hands and sit down slowly whilst looking up for the first holds. The touch of the holds triggers subsonic electric impulses that send warning signals across my brain. The pain spirals up as I bear down and lift my feet off the ground. The holds light up. They become vivid and seem to present themselves in crystal clarity. They grow bigger as I continue to move towards each one. My arms cut through the air like hot knife over butter. Each cut parts air and produces an inaudible sound that can be felt. Short powerful burst of air heaves out from my lungs. Breathing becomes heavy and each breath become primal screams for continued existence. Each powerful move numbs my senses for a while. I’m moving and I’m suddenly lost in the flurry of unending energy. The last hold comes into view….. A last full effort consolidates. My feet dig in, my fingers resolve to the pain and an inner core of energy mounts for one more huge move. The mind and the body unwind. Like a spring uncoiled, both feet lets loose, both hands move towards it’s intended destination….. I float into the air, it feels like an eternity….. an eternity that lasts short of a second….. the end doesn’t matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment