Songs are Stories

Help!

Help! I need somebody! Help! Not just anybody! Help! You know I need someone! Heeeeellllpppp!

Johnathon expertly scaled the side of the rock face. He was on a ten-week rock-climbing expedition with seven other people and it was his turn to show what he was made of.

The aim was very simple. All you had to do was climb down to the small flag sticking out the side of the rock face and climb back up.

He could tell that he was by far the best in the group - the others were constantly slipping up. He gripped onto the edge of a small jutting section of rock, dug his feet into a ledge and peered down at the 100ft drop below him.

"Meh." He muttered to himself. It wasn't really a very big drop. He could do so much more. Deciding he had had enough of the view, he clambered back up towards the rest of the group.

"Well done!" Applauded Alice. She was the expedition leader. Personally, Johnathon thought she was a bit full of herself. "Very well done John!" Johnathon felt himself getting annoyed. His name was Johnathon and he didn't know why she insisted on calling him John.

It was something to do with that band she liked, The Beatles. That old band from, like, fifty years ago? Anyway she was totally obsessed with them - she even had a climbing helmet with their logo on it!

"It was very good." She continued "except for when you slipped and paused near the top." Johnathon felt himself go red with humiliation. He hadn't slipped, he was just admiring the view! Grumpily he made his way to join the rest of the group.

"Well done, that was great!" Whispered one member of the group to him. He snorted and gave her a disdainful look. What did she know? She was a terrible climber.

Angrily, he took off his harness and passed it to the next person. He burned with humiliation at being slightly criticised by Alice in front of everyone.

Oh well. There was always the next day to prove his superiority.

*

The next morning when Johnathon woke up he was determined to prove he was better than even snobby Alice.

The group met up ready for the routinely climbing. It was Johnathon's turn to go last this time and he impatiently waited for his turn. When it finally came the person passing him the harness had left it extremely tangled up.

He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds trying to untangle it. "Do you need any he..." started Alice as she walked towards him. "No!" Snapped Johnathon "I'm fine!" He couldn't believe how stupid the others were! They didn't even know how to take a harness off properly! "Are you sure you're okay?" Alice questioned looking concerned.

"I'm absolutely fine!" Johnathon stood there, ridiculously embarrassed, until he finally managed to get one of the straps untangled.

He was so humiliated that he decided one strap would we enough. He had never fallen before and had never had to be hoisted or helped... he would be fine.

He loosely tucked the remaining loose, tangled straps under his belt so they were hidden from Alice and made his way over the rock face as quickly as he could to make sure she didn't see how unsafe he was being.

He could feel his face was still red from the humiliation of standing awkwardly in front of everybody. Angrily, he scrambled downwards as fast as he could. He was determined to show everyone what a skilled, speedy climber he was.

He tried not to think about how only one thin, slightly worn strap was the only thing keeping him from certain death if he slipped or made a mistake.

Suddenly, his foot got caught in something. Panicked, he looked down to see one of the straps that he had tucked into his belt had come loose and had become tangled with his foot. He reached out a hand to try and free himself... but to his horror his watch got caught in the only strap keeping him from falling.

Gently, he pulled his hand away from the strap, hoping the watch would free itself. Instead, to his horror, there was a gentle tearing sound. He panicked and gripped the rock as hard as he could with his one free hand and his one free foot. He could feel his palms sweating and he was certain he would fall.

He gritted his teeth and pulled his hand fully away from the strap, snapping it completely in half. Now there was nothing, nothing at all keeping him from death if he slipped.

He instantly felt his harness go completely slack. Desperately, he tried to scramble back towards the group. He couldn't. His foot was tangled up much too badly.

Johnathon could feel himself losing grip. He wasn't sure how much he could hold on. He gulped. The only way he would make it alive was by swallowing his pride.

He breathed in deeply. "Alice!" He called "I need your help! I'm stuck and my harness has come off!"

Saying the words made him feel so much better and less worried. Why was he so stuck up? He could have just let Alice help in the first place. Then he wouldn't be in this situation. "I'm coming now! Stay calm!"

Johnathon clung onto the rock and peered upwards to see Alice making her way nimbly down the rock side. She was wearing her own harness and had brought down an emergency strap with her.

The Beatles logo on her helmet sparkled in the sunlight as she descended. When she was parallel with Johnathon she attached the emergency strap to his waist and clipped it onto her harness. They climbed back up together.

Johnathon couldn't help admire how fast she was at climbing. There was no way he would ever beat her in a race!

Soon enough they were at the top. After checking Johnathon was completely okay, Alice took the liberty of scolding him for risking his life and potentially endangering hers. However, she did it with a smile.

The End