The Jetty Jump

I felt as if my heartbeat is loud enough for everyone to hear. Where has my excitement gone? It was all gone in seconds, conveniently taking away my courage as well.

Thump, thump. I grasped the grass beside me.

Thump, thump. I breathed in the air sharply.

Thump, thump. I heard muffled voices.

My eyes shot open.


My body is numb and dazed. Cold and frozen. Shaking and quavering. I stood upon the towering cliff. My every breath cutted my nose and throat. The muffled, echoed shouts and excited screams came from the the deep pit.

The place I’m going to leap into

The darkness I’m going to stumble into.

The silence I’m going to fall into.

Then, I looked down. It was a mistake. My heart jumped out of my mouth as the flowing, beautiful but fearful river came into sight. Standing on the edge, with rocks and grass around my feet, I can see my shaking feet in my blue and grey water shoes. And even farther away, down, down, down, into the dark river. The muffled laughs and screams seems to be teasing me, daring me to jump in there. I looked back at the long queue behind me, with people laughing and chatting excitedly.


Thump, thump. There’s no turning back now.

Thump, thump. I squeezed my orange life jacket tightly.

Thump, thump. Don’t. Look. Down.

Thump, thump. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Thump, thump.


Then, I jumped.


Did I… Jump? I screamed silently.

The wind ruffled my hair in the wet helmet.

It blew through my life jacket and onto my face.

It swooshed into my shoes and through my body.

It was unbelievable. I didn’t dare open my eyes


I can feel the air flowing around me.

I can hear soothing sounds of the wind by my ears.

I can taste the tiny droplets of water in the air.

I can smell the fresh water of the river.


It all ended in seconds.

A silent splash. A sudden chill. A bizarre silence. An incredible ambience.


Thump, thump. The icy cold water trickled and seeped through me as I went underwater.

Thump, thump. Sinking and sinking…

Thump, thump. Pressure pressing on me, I can feel myself floating upwards.


Faster and faster, I burst through the surface.

Catching for breath, I breathed like never before.

Nothing else mattered at that time.

I broke through the surface.

I broke through my fear.

I took the risk.

I did it. I jumped.



I beamed.