Summary: “Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down…” I repeated the phrase over and over again under my breath, as I took another careful step forward. A Little Joe story. (Written for the February 2015 Chaps and Spurs challenge)

 Rating: K+ for mild swearing and angst   Word Count: 1,476

 

Where Spiders Fear to Tread

“Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down…” I repeated the phrase over and over again under my breath, as I took another careful step forward. A mixture of dirt and loose pebbles crunched under my boot-heels and rolled off of the rocky shelf, but I dared not glance downward into the abyss to my right.

I. Hate. Heights. It’s as simple as that. Usually nothing in the world would move me to do what I was in the process of doing, but then I had to go and open my big, fat mouth. What was it Pa used to lecture me about? Something to do with silence sometimes being the best answer…I think. Well, I had really and truly put my foot in it this time, and now I was paying for it in the worst possible way imaginable.

I would have given anything to be up at the top of the ravine, standing next to my older brother. Glancing upwards, I caught sight of the tip of Hoss’s white, ten-gallon hat as he leaned over the edge in order to keep an eye on my progress. I would have smiled up at him if my face muscles hadn’t frozen in place from the fear that was coursing through my veins. All I was able to do at the moment was breathe, and even that was a bit difficult to do when I thought about the hundreds of feet that lay between my perch and the ground below.

I took another tiny step, and the rock crumbled beneath me, forcing me to press myself against the wall of the cliff. For a split second, I stared down into the depths of the canyon, and I instantly regretted it. My vision swam as the world began to spin out of control and my breathing became rapid and shallow.

Damn! Damn! Damn! I cursed inwardly, slamming my eyes closed. My stomach lurched within me and I felt the blood draining from my face.

“Joe?” Hoss called to me and my name echoed off of the stone. I couldn’t move or speak, the terror of falling was far too great. I knew that if I took a header off of the cliff that would be the end, and just like Humpty Dumpty, no one would be able to put me back together again—or, indeed, find all the pieces of me that I would be sure to lose on the way down.

Don’t think about it! My brain shouted at me, so instead, I focused all of my attention on filling and emptying my lungs of air until I was able to take a full breath without feeling like I was breathing through mud.

“Little Joe!” Hoss cried again. I had just opened my mouth to answer him when something small and hard hit me on the shoulder. When I peered up once more, I could see the sole of one of his boots as he dangled one leg over the edge, prepared to come down and get me if I was in trouble. The thought of my much heavier older brother landing on the tiny ledge I was now standing on sent me into another mini panic attack and I lifted one hand in an attempt to get him to stop.

“No!” The word came out in a whisper and I cleared my throat. “Hoss, don’t! Get back up there, I can do this.” When he turned his head and looked at me, I hoped that he couldn’t see the anxiety on my face. He must not have, for in the next instant, he hoisted himself back onto the solid ground and I sighed in relief.

Taking another deep breath, I refocused on the whole reason I was now doing an impression of a spider crawling on a wall. A few yards ahead of me, standing on a small, rocky ledge, was a calf. The animal was a cute little thing and couldn’t have been more than a couple of weeks old. How it ended up all the way down the side of the cliff, I would never know. When Hoss and I had heard its’ pitiful cries only fifteen minutes earlier, we both knew there was no way that we were going to leave the critter down there to die. Now that I was closer to the animal, I could tell that not only was it—she—stuck on the stoney shelf, but she had an injured leg as well. She was a pretty thing, coal black with a tiny, white star on her forehead; she stared at me with a pair of sad, brown eyes and let out a mournful bawl.

“I know, I know, I’m comin’ as fast as I can.” I murmured, trying to reassure the beast and keep her as calm as possible. I inched myself further along until I was almost within touching distance of the calf.

Then it happened. The ground under my feet suddenly gave way and I was falling! In a last ditch effort to save myself, I reached my arms up and the fingers of my left hand just managed to grab a hold of the rocky place where the calf was standing. My heart beat a mile a minute at the thought that my life had almost come to an abrupt end. For a moment, all I could do was cling to the stone.

“Joe!” Hoss shouted, and I could hear the fear in his voice, but I was too busy trying to claw my way back up onto solid ground again to answer him. I got a knee over and then the rest of me. I sat there next to the beast, and when I finally caught my breath, I let Hoss know that I was fine. I ran a hand through my hair and noticed that I had lost my hat, but right then I could have cared less. I was alive, and that was enough.

“Go ahead and toss me that rope, why dontcha!” I called to my brother as I slowly regained my feet. Something nudged at my waist and I nearly went over the edge again, but a wild grab for the rocky wall behind me kept me from falling. Turning my head, I looked down into the baleful eyes of the calf and I rubbed a shaking hand over her head. “All right, girl, it’s time to get you out of this sorry mess.” I said, and she lowed in agreement.

The coil of rope soon dropped my way, and in no time, I had it lassoed around the critter. “Pull!” Every so slowly, the beast rose into the air, its cries of alarm rang out and it flailed its legs a bit, but Hoss soon had the creature safely on firm ground again. The rope was then tossed back down to me, and I swiftly knotted it about my waist—more than ready to be shut of the tiny shelf. I helped Hoss out as much as I could by using both hands and feet to get me over some of the tougher spots on the way up. It seemed to take no time at all before I was over the edge of the precipice.

I nearly got down on my knees and kissed the earth, but I resisted the urge…barely.

“Well, little brother, you must be shot full of luck. For a moment there I thought for sure ya were a goner!” Hoss exclaimed, patting me on the back so hard that I had to take a few steps forward to keep my balance.

“I am…never, ever going to…do something like that…ever again.” I said between pants, and I leaned over, resting my hands on my thighs.

“Why not? I thought you said you was up ta doin’ anythin’  fun just a few minutes ago.” He said in a tone of false surprise and I shoved his shoulder.

“Well, you can just go climbing down there and see how much ‘fun’ it really is!” I replied, and watched as he effortlessly lifted the calf up, settling the beast in front of his saddle horn.

“Naw! I figure I’ll just leave all that rock climbin’ to you and the spiders.” He said, giving me a sly grin and I rolled my eyes at him.

“Well this spider is done scaling sheer cliffs from now on.” I said, and then touched his arm. “Do me a favor, okay? Next time I say that I’m ready for anything, punch me, will ya, Hoss?” He shook his head at me and pulled himself up onto Chubb’s back.

“Whatever you say little brother. Now, we best get on home; this here calf needs her leg tended to afore I can give her back to her momma, and Hop Sing’s cookin’ is callin’ my name….”

*The End*

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

 

Tags:  Angst, Hoss Cartwright, Joe / Little Joe Cartwright