Jacob knew better than to rock climb alone. His usual partner, Martha, was out of town attending a business meeting with their boss. Jacob couldn’t help but wonder if Martha was banging the boss. He tried to push the thought out of his mind. He didn’t need the distraction, especially since this particular cliff was tricky. Falling was a possibility, even for a climber of his ability.
He found a toe hold sufficient to allow him to continue his ascent when his boss’s image invaded Jacob’s thoughts. He handed Joseph a bundle of papers in an accordion folder. “I’d like you to prepare and deliver a presentation for the senior staff.” Jacob wondered if this was a way for the boss to justify taking Martha with him to Vegas. He decided one decision had nothing to do with the other. Just as he felt more secure, he lost his toehold and began to fall.
He regained his balance and continued his ascent. His mind perked up when he heard a voice. A female. One he thought he knew. Martha? Wishing him luck? Laughing at him?
He looked up for his next perch when the wall groaned and opened a schism in the mountain side. He pushed off to get around the opening, but it moved with him. The gap increased and so did the number of voices, some speaking in languages other than English.
Jacob looked down hoping for a miracle as the wall continued to open so that only his toes were touching the moss-covered rock. He flexed his knees preparing for one last lunge but was sucked inside the wall and held in place until the gap closed.
The interior made Jacob think of a womb, warm, non-threatening. He also saw the source of the voice he’d heard. “Mom?”
“Welcome home.”
