Page 61 of Reinventing Cato
More instructions to listen to, a demo high up by the experts and it was time for the group on the ground to have a go. Kip had stayed in the rigging, waiting for them to climb the ladder. No other way up. Cato sighed.
“Any volunteers?” Tess asked.
When no one spoke, Vigge stepped forward.
“I’ve really enjoyed knowing you,” Cato whispered.
He could hardly bear to look, but he couldn’t bear to not look. He started to take pictures. Vigge swiftly climbed the ladder in his socks and within seconds was on the platform. He held the pole behind him with his left hand, his right reaching for the bar held by Kip whose other hand was on the safety belt around Vigge’s waist. Alvo was on the ground with the safety rope so he could slow their descent if any of them fell and also make the trapeze swing if you were a wimp, like Cato. Alvo was also shouting instructions.
Vigge bent his knees, jumped from the platform holding the bar and on his first swing managed to get his legs over and hook his knees in place. When he let go, and hung from just his knees, Cato audibly gulped, but Vigge reached up, grabbed the bar again, unhooked his legs, swung forward and did a perfect backflip onto the netting.
“Excellent,” Tess shouted. “Who’s next?”
Cato slipped his phone back with his belongings and bent to scratch a non-existent itch on his ankle so he could hide behind one of the teenagers.
Vigge came back to his side. “That was incredible.”
His face was flushed. Probably from hanging upside down but he looked so happy. Cato kissed him without thinking. Just a quick kiss on the lips, but Vigge jerked back, his smile gone.
Damn.Cato stepped forward to go next. Rather that, than deal with Vigge’s… whatever.
As he climbed the ladder, his palms immediately started to sweat and his mouth went dry. Cato avoided heights. He hated edges. His stomach fluttered and he felt sick even watching a video clip on YouTube of some guy posing in a precarious position at the top of a building or peering over a big drop. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he didn’t want to let Vigge down, he wouldn’t be doing this.How long is this damn ladder?
When he stepped onto the very narrow platform, his knees were shaking. He was going to plunge to his death and he didn’t have life insurance. Though it would solve the problem of the NASA job. Forty feet was a long way to fall. The safety rope would break. He knew it.Safety rope, my arse!This was more like eighty feet. Or a hundred. He didn’t even want to fling himself off anything ten feet from the ground.
“Okay?” Kip asked.
Do not chicken out.“Fine.”
Cato stood right at the edge of the platform. He knew Kip was holding him and all he had to do was grab the trapeze bar, obey the commandhepand jump. Or he could change his mind. But he’d still have to jump or climb back down the ladder. Neither of which appealed.
“Ready,” Kip said.
Do not hesitate.Cato closed his eyes, heard the word, “Hep!” and he launched himself off the platform.
When he landed on the netting and bounced, he remembered he needed to breathe.Oh God, did I fuck that up? Just jump and let go?He hadn’t heard Alvo or Kip shouting anything, or the sound of hysterical teenage laughter.
“Well done,” Tess called and he made his way back to Vigge with shaking legs.
“You were brilliant,” Vigge said.
“Was I?”I think I had my eyes closed the whole time.
“Look.” Vigge passed over his phone.
Was that him?
“You did a perfect backflip and we get to do the next trick because we hooked our legs over first time.”
Bloody hell.“Great!”
Chapter Ten
Vigge wasn’t fooled. He’d thought Cato would enjoy this and maybe he had, but it was enjoyment tinged with terror. Vigge hadn’t needed to zoom in to see the fear on Cato’s face. Fear laced with grim determination. Only four of them were deemed good enough to continue to the next part and he suspected Cato’s competitive spirit had kicked in, despite his anxiety.
Tess ran through what they had to do. “Kip will be on the catch bar. He’s going to be swinging upside down ready to grab your wrists. Alvo will be up on the platform with you to make sure you jump at the right time. Do just what you did before to hang by your legs. Look for your catcher as you swing back, then reach out and he’ll grab your wrists. Don’t try to catch him. He’ll catch you. Like this.”
She demonstrated with each of them. “Fingers ready like crab claws. Once he has you, let your legs straighten off the bar and you’ll be flying. Who’d like to go first?”
