"Yessir. That's one of the wonders of the world." said my guide. He attracted my attention to the waterfall.
"It's nice," I said. I was a bit preoccupied. Actually, with a view like that I had to be a lot preoccupied.
"Nice? You sir are looking at what most of the world agrees is one of THE things to see before you die!"
"Precisely."
"You don't mean..." he said, leaving the sentence unfinished. "Sorry."
"It's ok. I'm looking forward to it." Now the guide looked at me funny. In all honesty, I was really scared, but I saw no point in spreading misery any more than what I had already. "Show me more of this marvel," I said.
He lead me across the bridge and on to the giant lake. "Lake Clemenita is fed by the snow from Mt. Anderson; you can see the ice caps up there." He pointed up the mountain. "The lake is actually an extinct volcano, like that one in Washington State."
"I know the one," I lied. I saw no point in bothering with obscure facts.
"The summer melt from the mountain fills the lake to overflowing and produces one of the marvels of the world."
"The Reichenbach Falls," I interrupted.
"That's right sir. And let me say that it's lucky you came now. This week is when the Falls are the most spectacular.
Spectacular wasn't the word for it. It sounded a little cheap. I would use something more along the lines of awesome, awe-inspiring, or humbling. Lake Clementia is a couple thousand feet up, and fills an area of a couple square miles. It has a few small islands on it, some with people's houses. The water falls on all sides. Close to one of the edges seems like the edge of the world. Maybe that's where the ancients got the idea.
When I first learned that my days were a precious few, I decided that I wanted to do something spectacular before I went. I had heard of the Falls, and after careful consideration, decided that I wanted to see them before I died. And so here I am.
"Here comes the boat" said the guide. Our ferry was a small motorboat, capable of carrying a half dozen people. We climbed inside, and took off.
The lake was magnificent. Away from the turbulence of the falls, the water was crystal clear. I could see huge dark colored fish swim around the abundant plant life underwater.
"Beautiful, ain't it?"
"It's lovely."
"And fishing is prohibited. Too bad. That would be some easy game."
"Oh well. But I didn't come here just to see fish."
"Yes sir. We'll get you close to the edge. Just as soon as we anchor onto something secure."
Now I was getting a little nervous. You see, I came here to do more than just look at the falls. I figured that I was going to die anyway, so why not.
I was going to go over the edge.
"We got something sir. We'll be secure in just a moment. The guide helped the boat pilot with the rope. Once they were satisfied, the pilot took the motor out of gear, we started moving toward the edge. As we got closer, I took in the view. I could see vapor rising up from under the boat. The countryside stretched on for miles. I could see distant mountains, rising up from the earth. The sky was a deep blue, like looking into the eyes of God. I felt calm and at peace with myself. Now was the time.
"Gentlemen, thank you for all you have done for me today. I can leave this place with peace in my heart." I tipped each of them a silver dollar from my collection. Then I jumped over the edge.