FADING HEART: Chapter Twelve, Ladder of Bones

Chapter Twelve: Ladder of Bones

(Mid-Chapter: Reilly and Lottie have begun to climb a ladder at the base of the Cliffs of Black Castle, attempting to reach the top before a storm overtakes them.)

     Lottie gripped the ladder and screamed again. “It’s made of bones … and hair!”

     “Just start climbing, Lottie!”

     The ladder swayed and the bones rattled as they began their ascent. Reilly looked down, and noticed the beach was now covered by the tide.

     They climbed in silence for several minutes, carefully placing their bare feet and grasping each rung. Reilly looked up, but he still could barely see the top of the cliff.

     “Take your time,” he said. “Rest when you need to.”

     She groaned softly, already weary from the climb.

     Reilly felt the bones—some smooth, some knobby—and shuddered at the possibilities that flooded his mind. He couldn’t tell if the bones—or the hair that was used to bind the ladder—were human or not. He hoped Lottie was thinking of something else but didn’t want to engage her in unnecessary conversation. She would need her full strength to reach the top.

     A wind blew in from the coast, swinging the ladder beneath them. Lottie stopped climbing and looked down at Reilly. 

    “Are you okay?” he shouted.

    “Yes, but I’m getting tired.” She titled her head back to look up. “We still have a long way to go.”

    “A storm is coming in. We need to pick up the pace.”

     Lottie started to climb again, moving faster. The wind surged, and Reilly heard the waves crashing against the rocks below. They climbed hard as the ladder began to sway in the approaching storm. The blue sky turned grey, and Reilly began to feel the blackness press in around him. Flashbacks of the storm that took his father’s life flooded his mind. His breathing became shallow as he consciously tried to shake the images from his mind. Lottie continued to climb, but Reilly slowed to a stop. He felt his hands slipping, shook his head to regain his composure, and gripped the rung above him more tightly.

     He looked up and saw that Lottie had climbed further ahead. He shouted for her, but his voice was lost in the whistling wind. A gust blew hard against his back and slapped him against the cliff. He wondered how Lottie could hold on. Struggling to catch up to her, his foot slipped on a moist bone.