“The one that Terry used to get down here. It’s our only hope.”
“But I don’t see any tree. If there is one, how is it going to help us?”
Bill took her hand and gave it a little pat.
“Come over here with me,” he said, and led the way toward the spot where he had been standing.
“But Bill—there’s no tree up there—”
“Wait until I get the light on it. There you are!”
And there was a tree, after all. But instead of pointing toward the heavens like any other tree she had ever seen, this Colorado spruce grew sideways out from the top of the cliff. With the exception of a few tufts on the top, its branches grew only on the upper side of the horizontal trunk, giving it more the appearance of a ragged hedge than an honest-to-goodness tree.
“I get you,” she said slowly. “The tree—and the rope.”
“Aha! young lady, you’re not so dumb as you’d sometimes like people to think!”
“But is the rope long enough?”