"C'mon daddy, you can do it."

Said a little girl as she lead her hesitant father towards the steps. His stare was frozen to the structure above the staircase, his mouth wide open.

"C'mon daddy. Don't be afraid. You can do it."

I waited a few moments, waving my hand to show the father that could walk on ahead of me. But the daughter was unsuccessful. He didn't move. So I climbed up the steps, leaving the frightened father and disappointed little girl below.

My mouth was dry. I poked my tongue into every crevice of my mouth but found no moisture. The beating in my chest grew in strength. My temples echoed the thumping. I almost wished I had a little girl encouraging me to go on.

The steps were the daunting kind; there was only a thin, flat metal piece in which your foot could step on. There was no vertical piece, so you could look right past the step itself and see the ground below. And even worse—there were no walls, merely metal bars crisscrossing here and there.

My chest was in pain. The beating of my heart grew more and more intense. THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP. It rang in my ears. THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP.

At the eighth story was another man sitting quietly on the steps. When he saw me, he slid over to the side to allow me to pass. I smiled at him and received a return smile. As I climbed past him, I heard him panting heavily.

I could discern my lungs gasping for air. I was panting heavily too. Air wheezed in and out of my chest. Each breath was a short, quick and painful burst.

I finally reached the top. There were four planks jutting out from each side of the square structure. Two of the planks were closed off. One had a woman standing at the edge of the plank. She was crying. An attendant stood near her, trying to calm her down.

"I can't do it. I can't do it." She sobbed. The attendant unhooked the woman from her vest and slowly led her off the plank. "I can't do it. I just can't do it."

I blinked. My eyes grew arid. I blinked again. My contacts felt parched. I blinked once more, trying desperately to stir up some tears.

I walked to the other plank. The attendant there welcomed me with a scowl. It was late and she didn't seem pleased to see more jumpers.

"Hi" I greeted. She replied with a sigh and quickly threw a vest on me.

"Turn around" she ordered. I turned around. She secured the vest and attached a thick bungee cord on me. "Walk to the edge." I swung my head around and took a few steps backwards.

The beating of my heart was insane now. Like an epileptic rabbit, it thumped sharply against my chest. My lungs hurt like my chest. And my mouth and eyes were devoid of moisture.

I looked back at her one last time. She looked impatient. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My blood was rushing wildly through my body. Then I opened my eyes again and leaned backwards.

. . .

Ever bungee jump?