Canopy by D.M. Darroch

Author:D.M. Darroch
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781890797218
Publisher: D.M. Darroch

Chapter Nineteen

Above me, the sky burned blue and bright. Squinting into the sunlight, I laughed out loud. I’d never climbed this high. I was well above everyone I knew, all the climbers, the entire world. Mangrove was quivering in fear many feet below me.

I could push off this branch now, dive into the abyss, crash into the earth and disappear forever. But no, I’d rather float above the canopy with my arms spread wide, catching the updrafts, soaring among the eagles, eyes scanning the horizon. And what would I see? All the busy workers below, building bridges, weaving cedar bark, tying on bandages, growing vegetables. Working, working, working until the day their pathetic lives ended. And then feeding the Great Ones, the trees that jailed generations to come.

Better for me to climb the trees like the squirrels who jumped from branch to branch, gathering what was edible and moving on. Or to perch on the branches and rest for a while before being spirited away again on a breeze, like the crows. Far above the other climbers, and yet still belonging to them, I was burdened with responsibilities not of my choosing, weighed down by the expectations of countless others. I belonged to everyone but myself. My lungs could barely take in the oxygen required to push the weight of others off my chest.

I clung to the branch with my feet, curling my toes around the living wood, and released my hand grip. Balancing carefully, I raised my body high, spread my arms wide, and closed my eyes. A warm breeze caressed my face and blew the loose hair around my head. I imagined wings ruffling my biceps and triceps, lightening my load. I opened my eyes slowly and descended again, gripping the limb with my powerful fingers.

I glimpsed the tops of the conifers to the west. Several feet below me, limbs thrust out across the abyss reaching toward the Great One that cradled me. If I descended and crept toward the west, I might be able to catch a limb from the neighboring tree, pull it over the scorched gap, and tie it off to create a treacherous crossing. It would not be a crossing approved by the Council of Maestros or the builders. Not even Mangrove would dare use it. But it was the only way I would be able to return to my special place, my gingko forest. And I needed that putrid air before I suffocated in the clear air of the canopy.

I made my way back down several feet, the distance I’d estimated from above. Now I could hear Mangrove’s voice, shrill and worried, carried on a breeze. He sounded farther away than I’d thought he was. I ignored him and climbed sideways, pushing low-hanging needles from my face and peering through the dense growth. I glimpsed the gaping drop to the forest floor and directly across from me, the tip of the neighboring tree. Crawling forward as far as I dared, I wrapped my legs around the limb for balance and reached for my satchel.

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