|
Looking for a Way Out
of a Cave
"The fresh air is definitely coming from
up there," Tas announced, though, in truth, he couldn't really tell much
difference. He wanted to take Tika's mind off her troubles. "Maybe if we
climbed onto that cat walk, we'd find a door or something. Do you have
any rope?"
"You know perfectly well I don't have any
rope," returned Tika, and she sighed again. "It's hopeless."
"No, it's not!" Tas cried. He peered
overhead, twisting his neck to see. "I think that if you stood on this
column then hoisted me on top your shoulders, I could reach the bottom
of the cat walk. You know what I mean?" He looked back at Tika. "Like
those tumblers we saw at the faire last year. There was the guy who tied
himself in a knot and--"
"We're not tumblers," Tika pointed out.
"We'd likely break our necks."
"You were just saying you wanted to break
your neck," Tas said. "Come on, Tika, we can at least try!"
Tika shook her head.
Tas shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to
go back and tell Caramon we failed."
Tika mulled things over. "Do you really
think we could do it?"
"Of course, we can!" Tas balanced the
torch on a rock, carefully, so as not to put it out. "You stand here.
Brace your feet. Hold very still. I'm going to climb up your back onto
your shoulders. Oops, wait! You should take off your sword. . . ."
Tika unbuckled hew sword belt and set it
down on the rock beside the torch. She and Tas tried several different
ways of hoisting the kender onto her shoulders, but climbing a person
turned out not to be as easy as the tumblers had made it look. After a
few failed attempts, Tas finally figured out how to do it.
"Fortunately you've got big hips," he
told Tika.
"Thanks a bunch," she said bitterly.
Planting one foot on her hip, Tas hoisted
himself up. He put his other foot on her shoulder, brought up his other
foot, then he had both feet on both of Tika's shoulders. Slowly,
teetering a little, keeping his hands on the top of Tika's head, he
straightened.
"I didn't think you were this heavy!"
Tika gasped. "You'd better . . . hurry!"
"Hold onto my ankles!" Tas instructed. He
reached up and grasped two of the iron railings.
"You can let loose now!"
Tas swung his right leg up, trying to
connect with the balcony. After two tries, he finally made it. He slid
one leg through the railings then didn't know what to do with the other
leg. He hung there for a moment in an extremely awkward, uncomfortable,
and precarious position.
Tika, looking up, put her hands over her
mouth, terrified Tas would fall.
|
