Running Leap

“Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?”

The man peering down the chasm smiled, waving his arms over his head. He glanced down at a collection of stones, and knocked them off the ledge, watching them plummet toward the lake. When the rocks plunged into the tranquil water, ripples spread across the surface. He turned around and scampered to his friend, resting his cast on the guy’s back. “Ethan, why are you worried?”

“Daniel, you broke your arm the last time you tried making that jump!”

Daniel pulled Ethan closer, smirking as he nudged his friend’s shoulder. “You make it sound so unpleasant.”

Ethan pushed Daniel away, as he thrust his hand toward the far side of the gorge. “That gap’s over ten feet wide, and I’ll remind you of two things. First, your earlier try came up short and second you almost killed yourself when you plummeted thirty feet into the lake.”

“Bah,” Daniel waved his cast over his head as he hustled back to the gap and peered into the calm water. “I can see the rock outcropping that gave me this lovely billy club.” He turned, waving Ethan over to the ledge as he pointed at the still lake. “To avoid a similar mishap, I’ll jump over the darkest patch of water...