Magic Island: Just Jump!

My heart was pounding in my chest. I looked down at the crystal clear waters and tried to calm myself.

“Jump! Jump! Jump!” a chant started up around me.

Oh god… I turned around to look at the group of spectators edging me on and gave a weak smile.

“Can I just jump from the side?” I asked meekly.

“NO!”

Guess not.

I turned back to the vast emptiness in front of me, with a breathless view I could admire even when my heart was thumping. I looked down again at the inviting waters and tried to clear my head.

Just an hour ago, I’d so readily agreed to jump off the cliff at Magic Island, thinking it’d be a piece of cake. From the side, the 3m board looked so low it seemed as if for toddlers. How hard could it be to just walk off that plank?

I was finding out just how difficult it was right now.

Our friends started pushing WJ to jump with me. He walked down the 5m high plank next to me, confident for a guy not wanting to jump in the first place.

“On the count of 3. 1.. 2.. 3!”

Splash!

But I was still on the plank, having chickened out at the very last second. WJ surfaced from the water to sounds of laughter.

“Oi!”

Whoops, he had to jump with me again.

“On the count of 3 ar! 1.. 2.. 3!”

And this time, I finally jumped.

Salty water gushed into my nose, mouth, ears and eyes. I paddled upwards blindly toward the surface and coughed out seawater.

I did it! I pumped an imaginary fist into the air.

“Want to try the 5m plank?” WJ asked.

NO WAY!

Look at these local kids showing off. Pfft.