“No. I don’t want to.”
“At least try it, Khushi. How do you know it won’t be fun?”
“Daddy, I just know. I might slip and fall and break my head. It’s too dangerous. I am not going up that waterfall.”
“Oh, come on, please; I’ll be holding your hand all the way up. Nothing is going to happen to my little princess, OK?”
I glanced at the waterfall and winced at the sight of the boulder-like, jagged rocks sticking out of the ground like spikes. However, the one thing I feared more than the rocks was the overwhelming white water that seemed to be gushing down from every direction. I turned my attention to the group of sixty-one people that were anxiously waiting for my decision. I came this far, I couldn’t go back now.
“Fine,” I finally reluctantly whispered, “I’ll do it.”
First, the instructor arranged us into a human chain, strongest to weakest, meaning I was last. My father had to give up his position in the front, to fulfill his promise. The instructor then explained to us that the point of being in a chain was so we didn’t fall, but that didn’t make me feel any better.
“This was a mistake,” I groaned when the instructor gave us the signal to climb.
I struggled up the soapy rocks, slipping almost every second, while the force of the water hit my face, and my heart raced like it never did before. Then, I questioned myself about why I was in Jamaica climbing this monstrous waterfall in the first place. Well, if I remembered right… Thankfully fifth grade was over and now it was summer. July to be specific. My family was determined to find the perfect vacation before I went to middle school. Of course we also went to celebrate my brother’s birthday and my sixty-one family members came along too. Fortunately, we ended up going on a cruise. My first cruise. Unfortunately, this particular cruise went to Great Kamon and Jamaica, which brought me here- also known as my doom.
Just then, my thoughts were shattered by my slipping foot. Before I realized it, I was falling. I helplessly shrieked and flung my arms about, hoping, no, praying that they would grab onto something, anything. I shut my eyes tightly, trying hard to forget the glistening water and “spikes” that lay just below me. This is it. I’m gonna die. I’m gonna hit that water and those rocks and die. Goodbye world. Suddenly, I felt strong arms swoop me up. I thought I had died, and it was an angel taking me to heaven, but to my surprise when I opened my eyes, it was my father.
“Daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved my life!” I gave him a big hug.
“You only fell less than two feet. Try not to overreact next time,” he replied annoyed.
“Oh.” I said sheepishly, my face red with embarrassment.
I must try harder, I must climb this waterfall, I must conquer my fears. I advanced higher, and as I did, climbing became easier, or at least it seemed easier with my sudden burst of confidence. I realized ascending wasn’t very hard at all. In fact it was even… kind of fun. Climbing the waterfall reminded me of hiking, which I absolutely LOVED. I easily found grips on the rocks for my hands, placed my feet in a groove, and simply pulled myself up. There was nothing to it. Climbing the waterfall gave me the sense of adventure, and excitement swelled up inside of me as the group neared the top of the fall. I did it; I actually did it! I thought. Little did I know, a surprise awaited me at the top. Little pools had been formed by rocks shaped by glaciers. They were just a little more than four feet deep, but they were only wide enough to fit one person. I glared at a little rock pool, deciding if I should go in it or not. There was a chance I could drown being the short child I was. However, if I climbed a waterfall, this should be no problem. I slid in and relaxed. Turns out Daddy was right; this was the most fun I've ever had. If only I knew climbing a waterfall would be so fun before I jumped to conclusions.
My little adventure gave me more than I ever thought it would. It gave me something I will never forget; it taught me a lesson to try things before I reacted negatively to them. The way I lived my life has changed since that cruise, because now I give everything a chance. I might miss out on something super fun like climbing a waterfall if I run away from opportunities. I will always keep in mind it’s okay to try new things and make the opportunities I get in my life worthwhile. I may never get those same opportunities ever again. I also learned to be daring and take risks, because I never know where it could get me. So far, by following what I had learned from climbing the fall, I have had amazing experiences like hiking on ice, zip lining, and white water rafting. I was able to accomplish these incredible things because I was daring and not afraid to take risks. To put it simply, climbing that waterfall in Jamaica made me realize it’s okay to try new things and make opportunities worthwhile. Besides, “You only live once.”