A Frightful Lesson

A Frightful Lesson is Chapter 7 of How I Met My Echo On Big Wolf Cliff

Liz panics, her eyes darting from Jenny to the churning stream below. Her hand shoots from her throat to the bubble’s wall. What’s happening? They’re going to crash into the rocks. Jenny’s firm grip on her hand is the only thing keeping her from spiraling into a full-blown anxiety attack.

“We will not fall, Liz.”

“How do you know?”

“I do this all the time.”

Liz glances back at the raging rapids.

“Why do you do this?”

“You don’t find it enlightening?”

“Enlightening?! No, it’s terrifying.”

“Terrifying? I am sorry. I did not realize you were afraid of heights.”

“I’m not afraid of heights. I’m afraid of falling. I’ve no problem looking down from the top of Big Wolf. I don’t like being in a bubble looming above a rushing rock-filled creek.”

“I do not understand.”

“Bubbles burst, Jenny.”

“Oh. This one will not burst until we are finished with it.”

“Well, that’s good to know, but I’d prefer to go down now—please.”

“Of course, my dear friend.”

Jenny closes her eyes, and her hair rises like Liz’s had when the bubble formed. Jenny’s eyes flick open. She lifts both hands to the top of the bubble. They descend very slowly.

“How are you doing that?”

“It is easy. I can teach you.”

“Yes, please,” Liz replies, her fright forgotten.

“Do you still feel the warmth in your belly?”

“I do, but it feels a little sore, like I’m going to be sick.”

Jenny laughs. “Yes, it does feel like that, too. Close your eyes and see if you can focus on that heat and bring it into your chest.”

Liz closes her eyes, directing her attention to the hot stirring in her digestive track.

“Do you feel it?”

“Yes.”

“Put your hand on your body where it is warm.”

“Okay.”

“That heat is the energy of the stream that you swallowed. You need to let it out very slowly.”

“How do I do that?”

“You could try burping.”

“You want me to burp?”

“Yes, that is how you learn to release it. I do it differently now, but burping is the easiest way to learn how to move the energy out.”

“It’s much lower than my stomach. A burp won’t bring it out.”

“Trust me.”

Liz forces out a small burp, but the hot lump stays put. “See, it isn’t going to work.”

“Feel this.” Jenny places Liz’s hand on her belly. “Do you feel the stirring?”

“Yes.”

Jenny releases a huge burp, and the stirring disappears. They drop five feet, then ten, twenty; they are not slowing.

Liz screams and gulps down a huge breath.

They stop.

“There, you have it.”

“Have what?!”

“If you push that heat down, we will float up. If you release it, we will drop. Okay, Lizzy, now it is your turn.”

“I’m not doing that. We almost crashed onto the rocks!”

“It will not do that with the energy you carry. You are not as strong as me.”

“No? Are you sure?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Okay, then.”

Liz pushes a small pop of air out. They glide down a couple of feet.

“There, you have it.”

She does it again, and they slip a few more feet.

“Focus on the amount of air coming up. Put your hand back on your stomach.”

Liz pushes from her belly, and the hot stirring moves, rising slightly above her belly button. Her hair lifts as the bubble floats down gently, like an elevator.

“Good job. Keep going.”

She clenches her stomach muscles hard; the air shoots up her throat and out through pursed lips. The bubble jolts right, pushed by her sharp breath. Liz’s eyes widen. What did she do? She looks to Jenny, who doesn’t look surprised at all. She looks angry.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“It is fine, Liz,” Jenny replies sharply. Her eyes brighten, but her smile is forced, not comforting.

Somehow, Liz messed up.

“I’m so sorry, Jenny.”

“It is fine. I will bring us down.”

Her eyelids close for only a second, and the bubble wafts down, as gentle as a falling leaf. They land on a flat rock near the creek, and the bubble pops. Jenny steps away, wiping her hands on her shirt.

She is definitely miffed.

Liz asks apprehensively, “Maybe we can try it again sometime?”

“Maybe.”

“I really am sorry.”

“I know, Lizzy. Do not worry about it.”

“Okay, I won’t,” Liz replies, her downcast eyes fixed on her feet. Did she ruin her chance of being invited back?

“You should probably get back to your cousins,” Jenny says in a cheery tone that almost sounds sincere, then steps onto a path where Liz had been sure there was a boulder.

“Yeah, I guess we should,” Liz replies, jogging to catch up. She takes Jenny’s hand. Her fingers are icy, not warm and comforting like before. Liz holds tight, afraid Jenny may dissolve like the mists that lifted them.

They turn a corner and are already at the cabin. She spins around, and the creek is gone, the path erased by a wall of thick spruce trees.

Jenny throws open the door, but Liz pulls her back.

“Can I still return?”

“Yes, of course,” Jenny speaks warmly, seeming to have recovered from Liz’s bubble blunder. Her posture is relaxed, shoulders at ease.

“Really?”

Jenny nods. Her eyes flick above Liz’s head for a second. When they return to Liz, her smile has tightened. Liz glances over her shoulder but sees only the breathing, pulsing forest.

“Perhaps it is best not to tell your cousins.”

“No? They knew my plan to find you. It won’t shock them.”

“Yes, but Lilah may find out and not let you return.”

“True.”

“Will you come back soon?” Jenny asks.

“Yes, if you want me to.”

“Oh, yes, please. I was starting to worry it was too much for you, like it was for your mom.”

“Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t that scared,” Liz lies. “I will try to come back tomorrow.”

“I would like that. I have not had a friend forever. I am so glad you finally visited,” Jenny hums joyfully, taking Liz’s hands and smiling. They’re no longer ice cold. Maybe she hadn’t been angry—perhaps Liz’s bubble mishap had scared her, too. She’ll need to be more careful when visiting Liz’s world.

They step through the door but not into Jenny’s quaint cabin. Liz turns, finding herself alone in the mossy glade. She swivels, searching for any sign of Jenny or the cabin—no flattened moss, no broken twig. No wonder most people never see it. When Jenny wants it hidden, it’s gone.

Though their visit ended with some uncertainty, Liz will return tomorrow. She can’t wait to explore Jenny’s strange world again. She’ll be brave—and more careful.