Like a rope of jewels the gorge spread beneath him, purple, sapphire blue, yellow and pinkish white, a rich and variegated wooded land and disappearing, reappearing, ubiquitous water.
Found in Out of the Silent Planet, authored by .
The gorge yawned wide before Aaron. In reality it was no further across than the river he jumped in the meadow back home, but if he made a mistake the consequences weren't just soaked clothes and a bruised ego. The walls were sheer rock, coarse and unforgiving; undulating with overhangs and ledges. And if by luck he didn't break all his bones on their craggy surface the impact of a three kilometre fall onto water would kill him in anyway. This wasn't the meadow and he only had one shot. He backed up so that he could gather speed before the leap, then closed his eyes and thought of Miranda. If he made it she'd get the medicine in time, if not they would re-unite in the here-after. He took the ampule from the bag he'd hung around his neck, kissed it once and tucked it back into his shirt. Gaunt, without a trace of a smile, he launched into a sprint...