Angel Falls by Kathryn Casey

Author:Kathryn Casey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9798988247708
Publisher: Kathryn Casey
Published: 2023-07-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Caracas, Venezuela

October 1947

A few weeks after my encounter with Jimmie, I ran into Charlie Baughan, a big guy with a Fu Manchu mustache that drooped past his chin and a breezy, carefree manner. “Hey, Charlie!” I shouted when I spotted him on the street. We’d met a few times, introduced by mutual friends, but never had a real talk. “Where are you off to next?”

We spent the next half hour sitting on a sidewalk bench enjoying the good weather and chatting about his travels, ferrying in supplies to the oil camps. I was almost afraid to bring it up, assuming I’d hear another warning about my foolishness, but I asked, “You know, I’ve been trying to get a look at Angel Falls from the air. I want to take some photos. Any chance you know how to find it?”

Instead of a turndown, to my amazement he said, “Sure, I know where Angel Falls is. I’ve flown over it a few times, just to see it for myself. Beautiful sight. I don’t know that it’s as high as Jimmie says, but it’s tall, that’s for sure. If you want, I can fly you there.”

“You will?” My pulse picked up speed, and I couldn’t believe my good luck. “Jimmie told me that the only way to see it is to go early in the morning, to get there before the clouds collect.”

“He’s right. That’s when I’ve seen it.”

“You’re okay with me bringing my camera, shooting some photos? Spending a little time there?”

“You bet, Ruth. That’s no problem.”

That settled, I thought about what I’d been considering for months, the best way to set up a shot that would show the falls in all its glory. “Charlie, for me to get what I need on film, we’ll have to fly in low and look up at the falls, really swoop down, so I can shoot up at it. Otherwise, folks won’t be able to get a sense of the height. You okay with that?”

I waited while Charlie mulled it over. When he finally started talking, he described the gorge the falls were in, the way the mountain loomed in the distance on both sides, and how the crevice culminated in a steep cliff. “Going in low? It’s dangerous. The waterfall is near the end of the canyon. Once we pass it, we might not have enough time to climb out.”

“Show me,” I said, and I gave him a notebook and pencil out of my bag. As I watched, Charlie sketched the canyon. He put an X for the falls and another marking the steep cliff.

“There’s not much room there. Not much at all.” Charlie shook his head as if for emphasis.

That didn’t sound good. I looked at the sketch and had to admit that, based on what he’d drawn, it did look tight. I couldn’t ask Charlie to risk his life. If it was impossible, that was it. But then again, I couldn’t help thinking that there was almost always a way. “I

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.