Enar's Vacation - Open Beta

Chapter 27

3604 Words

This is a beta version of Enar's Vacation. Changes can - and probably will - be made as a result of reader feedback. I hope you'll enjoy it and I hope you'll take the time to give me some feedback. It will help me make this story the best it can be.

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Soon he'd forgotten all about Amanda, and safety precautions, and whatever else might have been worrying him.

He just climbed.

The tree welcomed him into its arms, creating a tunnel of leaves and branches, through which he kept climbing. Everything was green. Shafts of light came through from outside and made the dust in the air shimmer. Sun cats skittered up and down the trunk as the wind played through the greenery.

He'd entered a different world. Breathless, he climbed on.

The stair wound back and forth through the canopy. Now and then he had to walk along a branch to get from where one stair ended to where another began. Once, he even had to walk dow several steps before his path continued upwards. He passed two platforms with chairs on them but both times he kept going. It was just him here, he could go as high as he wanted, without having to worry about disturbing anyone else.

Finally, he reached the top and stopped to have a look around. He stood in the middle of a large, green, space - leafs to all sides, above and below. A suspension bridge of ropes and planks lead from where he stood to his destination - a small platform resting in the grip of an enormous trunk coming up from somewhere far below he couldn't see.

He grabbed hold of the railing and put one foot down on the bridge. It moved under his weight. The lines grew taut but didn't give way. The bridge held. He shifted his weight over and set down the other foot on the bridge too. Still safe - swaying, but safe. Step by step he moved across the bridge, and as he walked he got more used to its movements. It always shifted a little whenever he set down a foot, but he learned to compensate for it. When he reached the other end, he turned and walked back, just to feel the bridge swaying under his feet some more, a big childish smile on his face. Then he walked over to have a look at the platform.

A low railing surrounded a square wooden floor, and a high-backed wickerwork arm-chair took up most of the space on it. Just one chair, but wide enough to seat two people - provided they were good friends. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, but raised a mental eyebrow anyway.

As he sat down, the chair groaned and shifted under him, but once he'd settled he found the seat quite welcoming. He could even put his feet up on the the railing. Perhaps spending a night in the tree might not be such a crazy idea after all. Not that he would - he had a perfectly fine bed to sleep in - but he could see how it might be nice. He took off his cap, dropped it on the floor beside the chair, and relaxed.

The bridge behind him rattled, and he turned to see Amanda standing with one foot on the the first plank and one foot on the stair. She didn't look at him. Instead, just like he had, she focused her attention on the bridge. Just like him, she took her time about it - making sure she had her balance and a good grip on the ropes.

Enar smiled to himself where he sat watching her. He wouldn't have been surprised at all had she skipped over in three big leaps. It was kind of satisfying that she didn't.

For a moment he pondered whether to stand up and give her a hand on to the platform. He could, but it might be awkward. There wasn't much room with the chair and the railing and all. Better sit still and not accidentally push her over the edge. He didn't want to test what Elsie had said about no one getting killed from falling out of the tree. You couldn't even see the ground from up here.