The Free Fall

While visiting Canberra in Australian Capital Territory, my husband, Normie, and I visited Questacon, the science center. Facing Your Fears was the theme of the year. When we stepped through the door, we noticed the Free Fall attraction first off.

I stood by the fence and surveyed the height of the slide. At the highest point was a metal bar and sitting on the platform was a woman in a coverall jumpsuit. She was trying to make up her mind whether to try the fall or not. It looked like a frightening thing to do, and just as I was about to walk away, the woman running the show asked Normie and I if we wanted a go.

With great jubilation and a sense of excitement, Normie shouted yes and grabbed a pair of coveralls and promptly began to slip them on over his jeans. Not to be outdone, of course, but with much less enthusiasm and plenty of apprehension, I reached for a pair of my own.

Without waiting for me, Normie turned and galloped up the stairs that led to the top of the attraction. I turned to follow, then stopped dead in my tracks and decided to wait at the bottom. If Normie actually went through with the fall, then, and only then, I would climb the stairs and give it a go.

I watched him take the seat, legs dangling, his fists gripping the bar. I wanted to see him go through with the fall, and mentally cheered him on. He had been so excited about trying this experiment; I truly wanted to see him succeed. Much to my disappointment, however, he pulled his legs up, turned around, and backed away from his seat on the platform.

From my spot on the ground I glanced at the slide and measured its height. I imagined myself free-falling from the top and what it might feel like. It didn't look that difficult from where I stood, so with every intention of making the fall, I tromped up the stairs to the top. I rounded the corner and came up behind a group of people who were milling around, dressed in coveralls. I immediately put two and two together and realized these people were just like Normie, who had come up to try their hand at free-falling, only to chicken out at the last minute. They were hanging around, trying to get their initial courage back up.

Quietly, I asked Normie if he had chickened out. He admitted that he had. I was wondering if I'd suffer the same fate, so I stepped forward and decided I'd at least sit down on the platform and see what it felt like from there. Since I had had every intention of doing the free-fall when I climbed up the stairs, I wanted to see if I still had the same commitment.

I sat down on the platform as everyone else who was standing behind me probably had before me. I grabbed the metal bar. My legs dangled far above the slide which looked awfully steep from where I sat. Again, I imagined myself taking the plunge. My stomach promptly rose to my throat. I shuddered involuntarily. What's the worse that could happen, I asked myself. At that thought, my heart went up to my throat and trembled there.

There was one thing I knew for sure, I consoled myself; I was certain I wasn't going to die. The staff member who stood beside me, tried hard to reassure me that I would not hurt myself. Then I knew that I was going to follow through with it, it was just a matter of when. I didn't want to take too long for fear that I would change my mind, so I held my breath and said "I'm going to do it."

Suddenly, there was complete silence from the handful of people who were waiting behind me. I closed my eyes and slipped off the platform, still holding onto the bar with both fists, my legs dangling in the air. The staff member said "okay", and I let go. I screamed all the way down. Only when I got to the end, and took note that my body was still intact, did I smile. I turned my beaming face to look at Normie and gave him the thumbs up.

I moved off the floor, out of the way, and looked back up again. There was Normie, throwing his legs over the platform, holding onto the metal bar, dangling, letting go, and free-falling right behind me. Before I was out of my coveralls, another person took the plunge, and then another, and another, until everyone who had been shaking with fear up there at the top of the attraction, had come sliding down.

I was proud of myself for facing my fears and for reasoning with myself in such a way that it affected the decisions of others. Normie was proud of me, too.