* * *
Ring, ring! I jumped as the sound of the phone in the hall pulled me back from my inner thoughts. “Hello?” I grabbed the phone and ran to my room.
“Are you ready for the big climb today, Mandy?”
I sighed with relief at the sound of Dana’s voice on the other end of the line. “I don’t see how we’ll be able to do it since it’s raining. To tell you the truth, I’m as nervous as a cat! I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Well, the fact that it’s raining here doesn’t mean it’ll be raining up there. I’ll be climbing ahead of you to warn you of any danger. Hey, by the way, is Julie coming with us?”
“As far as I know she is, but she won’t climb with us. She’ll stay at the foot of the mountain in case there’s any trouble. By the way, we’ll pick you up in an hour.”
“Okay, see you then.” I hung up the phone, swung my backpack onto my shoulders, and sauntered downstairs to the kitchen, where Julie was making breakfast. “Do you want to drive your truck, or go in mine?”
“We’ll ride in your truck, to save on gas.” Julie stared at me for a long moment. “Mandy, what’s wrong? You look a little green around the gills.”
“Well Sis, I am a bit nervous, that’s all.”
“Honey, you’ll be just fine. I know that fall scared you, but you can’t let that keep you from doing the thing you love to do most in the world. I’ll pray with you every step of the way.” My sister gave me a quick hug.