spoke in a whisper.
“Wade, do you have any ideas on how we might
be able to get down?”
“I’m happy you mentioned it. I’ve the perfect
solution,” he boasted looking at her. His grin widened by the
second.
“Let me guess; the long pole you brought
along is part of a flying fox?”
“Not quite. Come on, I’ll show you the
contents of the bag.”
He picked up the long rigid canvas bag, took
hold of Anneli’s hand and carefully led the way over the soft mud
to the only patch of grass left on the hillside. Placing the bag on
the ground he set to work.
The long poles were first out of the bag.
“I don’t believe it!” exclaimed Anneli, her
jaw falling open at his secret.
Wade built an aluminum triangular shaped
frame and tightened the joints using wing nuts. He rolled out the
material, clipping the whole sheet across the back of the
structure. Wade unraveled the straps from around the poles. Next he
tied off the harness.
“You’ve been carrying a hang-glider!” Anneli
shrieked.
“It’s our ticket out of here,” answered Wade.
“I’d planned to ask if you were interested in seeing the sights of
Darwin after climbing down from the radio tower. I didn’t plan on a
cyclone or the hang-glider to be used to rescue us.”
“I’d love to go for a scenic flight. Will it
hold both of us?”
“Sure, it’s not a problem.”
Wade lifted the hang-glider into the correct
position then helped Anneli into her harness. “The only thing we
have to do is run down the hill as one. When you feel the front of
the glider start to lift, I’ll signal for you to jump. Once we’re
in the air, push one leg at a time through the strap behind you.
Lying prone will stop the drag on the glider. I’ll steer for the
thermals. If we need the glider to circle to the left or right the
only thing you have to do is move your hands. Don’t panic over
anything, relax and enjoy the flight.”
“This sounds so exciting,” remarked Anneli,
almost breathless. “I have to confess I’ve never done this before.”
She looked sideways at Wade hoping he couldn’t tell she might vomit
at any moment. She felt scared and excited at the same time.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to dam her adrenaline
rush. Keeping her voice in check she said. “How soon can we
start?”
Wade again searched the sky for an updraft.
He pointed to an eagle gliding close to the hill searching for
food. It slowly circled several times before flying off.
“Now seems to be the perfect time. After
we’re airborne we’ll make our way towards Darwin. The bird’s eye
view will give us a great insight into the damage. Once we’ve lost
some height we’ll make our way to the beach so we can land on the
sand.”
They hoisted the glider onto their shoulders.
In unison they started walking downhill. Even though the warm
breeze seemed to be steadily dropping, it was still strong enough
to make the material of the hang glider thrash about. Anneli tried
to analyze how fast the wind might be blowing when she heard Wade’s
voice.
“Start running.”
Anneli’s legs felt like steel. She needed to
use her entire strength to keep her feet moving. The soft
squelching mud underneath her runners acted as a resistance
hindering their velocity. The ground quickly steepened. The
hang-glider seemed to be growing heavier. In a few more seconds the
mud from the avalanche looked too thick to step into. Panic gripped
Anneli’s mind. Her lungs ached from breathing too rapidly. If she
didn’t force herself to relax she’d start to hyperventilate.
Alarming thoughts gripped her mind. ‘What if
they fell into the mud before the hang-glider lifted them off the
ground? What if they were running too slow? What if she did
everything wrong? What will happen if she failed to complete the
few basic instructions Wade said?’ She bit at her bottom lip to
mask her feelings of exhilaration and extreme nervousness. Horror
wrinkled her brow. At this critical point why
“Wade, do you have any ideas on how we might
be able to get down?”
“I’m happy you mentioned it. I’ve the perfect
solution,” he boasted looking at her. His grin widened by the
second.
“Let me guess; the long pole you brought
along is part of a flying fox?”
“Not quite. Come on, I’ll show you the
contents of the bag.”
He picked up the long rigid canvas bag, took
hold of Anneli’s hand and carefully led the way over the soft mud
to the only patch of grass left on the hillside. Placing the bag on
the ground he set to work.
The long poles were first out of the bag.
“I don’t believe it!” exclaimed Anneli, her
jaw falling open at his secret.
Wade built an aluminum triangular shaped
frame and tightened the joints using wing nuts. He rolled out the
material, clipping the whole sheet across the back of the
structure. Wade unraveled the straps from around the poles. Next he
tied off the harness.
“You’ve been carrying a hang-glider!” Anneli
shrieked.
“It’s our ticket out of here,” answered Wade.
“I’d planned to ask if you were interested in seeing the sights of
Darwin after climbing down from the radio tower. I didn’t plan on a
cyclone or the hang-glider to be used to rescue us.”
“I’d love to go for a scenic flight. Will it
hold both of us?”
“Sure, it’s not a problem.”
Wade lifted the hang-glider into the correct
position then helped Anneli into her harness. “The only thing we
have to do is run down the hill as one. When you feel the front of
the glider start to lift, I’ll signal for you to jump. Once we’re
in the air, push one leg at a time through the strap behind you.
Lying prone will stop the drag on the glider. I’ll steer for the
thermals. If we need the glider to circle to the left or right the
only thing you have to do is move your hands. Don’t panic over
anything, relax and enjoy the flight.”
“This sounds so exciting,” remarked Anneli,
almost breathless. “I have to confess I’ve never done this before.”
She looked sideways at Wade hoping he couldn’t tell she might vomit
at any moment. She felt scared and excited at the same time.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to dam her adrenaline
rush. Keeping her voice in check she said. “How soon can we
start?”
Wade again searched the sky for an updraft.
He pointed to an eagle gliding close to the hill searching for
food. It slowly circled several times before flying off.
“Now seems to be the perfect time. After
we’re airborne we’ll make our way towards Darwin. The bird’s eye
view will give us a great insight into the damage. Once we’ve lost
some height we’ll make our way to the beach so we can land on the
sand.”
They hoisted the glider onto their shoulders.
In unison they started walking downhill. Even though the warm
breeze seemed to be steadily dropping, it was still strong enough
to make the material of the hang glider thrash about. Anneli tried
to analyze how fast the wind might be blowing when she heard Wade’s
voice.
“Start running.”
Anneli’s legs felt like steel. She needed to
use her entire strength to keep her feet moving. The soft
squelching mud underneath her runners acted as a resistance
hindering their velocity. The ground quickly steepened. The
hang-glider seemed to be growing heavier. In a few more seconds the
mud from the avalanche looked too thick to step into. Panic gripped
Anneli’s mind. Her lungs ached from breathing too rapidly. If she
didn’t force herself to relax she’d start to hyperventilate.
Alarming thoughts gripped her mind. ‘What if
they fell into the mud before the hang-glider lifted them off the
ground? What if they were running too slow? What if she did
everything wrong? What will happen if she failed to complete the
few basic instructions Wade said?’ She bit at her bottom lip to
mask her feelings of exhilaration and extreme nervousness. Horror
wrinkled her brow. At this critical point why
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