Heller’s Decision Read Online Free Page A

one they sent out to
coax people down from high ledges. “Lean down and grasp the ladder
with your left hand. When you’ve done that, reach out your right
hand to me. I’m going to hold it and help it to the ladder too. You
won’t fall because you’ll have hold of the ladder and I’ll be
holding your other hand. Do you understand what I’m
saying?”
    I nodded, barely able to articulate even a
squeak.
    “ Okay, so when you’re safely holding
the ladder and your
other hand is in mine, you’re going to unwrap your right leg from
the beam and I’ll assist you to the ladder with it as well.
Remember you’ll be holding on to something at all times, so don’t
be afraid. You won’t fall. But you have to keep your foot on the
rung at all times.”
    “ Are you sure about this?” I asked faintly, perturbed. Frankly, it
all sounded a little too complicated, coordinated and acrobatic for
me to ever accomplish successfully.
    He didn’t respond, not pandering to my well-deserved doubts.
But then he didn’t know my limits as well as I did. I hung down,
stretching out my hand towards the ladder, my fingers eventually
closing around the rusting metal of its strut, my right arm and leg
still slung over the beam. I felt as though I was being ripped in
half between the ladder and the beam. The view of me from the
ground must have been unedifying for everyone.
    In the next terrifying part of his plan, I
released my hold on the beam to squeeze his huge hand in a death
grip that would probably leave it aching for an hour. Having successfully completely
those two manoeuvres without killing myself or anyone else, my
confidence rose a smidge. This might just work , I thought with grateful surprise.
    But of course, it didn’t.
    Pei Pei chose that exact moment to spring from the beam
directly on to Warren’s face, wrapping her limbs around it like the
creature from Alien .
    “ Bloody hell! Get off me!” he spluttered,
releasing my hand to pull her off his face. “I’m being smothered by
a monkey!”
    “ No,” I panicked, having already unfurled
my leg from the beam and left holding on to the ladder with only
one hand and one foot. Without my other hand supported by his, I
swung wildly on the strut of the ladder until I managed to plant my
second foot on the same rung as my first. It promptly collapsed
under my full weight and I crashed downwards on to Warren, sprawled
across his shoulders.
    “ God, what’s happening?” he yelped, trying
to dislodge Pei Pei with his one free hand, his other clinging to
the ladder, unexpectedly forced to now support both our
weights.
    “ Pei Pei, I have your favourite treat,”
cajoled Julian in desperation, holding up some melon. “Yummy,
yummy.” She climbed off Warren back on to the ladder and peeked
down at Julian. “But you have to come to me to have it.” She
disdained his offer, climbing up to the beam again where she
perched, shrieking shrilly at him.
    And that was when Warren, straining under
my weight and struggling to maintain his grasp on the ladder and
his balance, made his unwise crack about me being rather hefty. I
tried to accommodate him by wriggling around and distributing my
weight more evenly. As soon as he felt more stable he told me he’d
make his slow, careful way down the rungs with me draped over his
shoulders. It seemed like a good plan to me, as it meant I’d soon
be on solid ground again. I decided that Pei Pei could just look
after herself from now on. I’d done what I could.
    Creaking unpromisingly under our combined weight, the rung
on which Warren stood, that in a fair world would have held up for
just five more measly minutes, buckled and broke. So did the next
one, and the next one, Warren dropping through the air so rapidly
that I overbalanced on his shoulders and fell off him. I headed
into a frightening free fall only to be pulled up sharply by the
harness. That set off an uncontrollable pendulum effect, the
harness cutting into my groin and