Member-only story
Boot and All
As an avid skydiver, this piece of fiction highlights the fear I had when I first started learning and the dangers that come with skydiving.
The bus creaked to a stop on the loose gravel. The twelve passengers eagerly filed off the bus, rigs properly stored on their backs. The air was cold, biting at those unfortunate enough to have more than an inch or two of exposed skin, though most didn’t seem to notice the chill. Adrenaline was pumping through the veins of almost everyone.
Raina was the last off the bus. She was hesitant, and nervous as usual about jumping. She did a thousand practice touches on the ground and adjusted her altimeter until it felt just right as the group was standing around talking feverishly while waiting for the plane to arrive. Her coach, Luke, came over during her practice touches and proceeded to give her a gear check. “I’m going to touch your handles, now,” he commented absentmindedly as he made sure the handles were securely in place.
Luke then walked behind her and yanked the rig’s flaps, ensuring everything was in order and packed how it was supposed to be. “How’re you feeling?”
Raina took a deep breath before answering, “I’m nervous. I know I’ve already done this and I know I can do it again . . . I just have so much anxiety on the plane.”
