The Passage Above the Falls

The rope bridge was gone when Pilar reached the gorge. In the morning it had hung between two fig trees. Now the near tree lay across the bank, and the river below carried broken branches toward the falls.

Across the gorge, her survey partner waved from the far ledge. Tomas had crossed with the specimen case before the flood rose. Pilar carried the ropes, food, and radio. The storm had drowned the radio's battery. They had enough daylight to try one crossing before the river hid both banks in mist.

Their map showed a shallow ford upstream, but the map was thirty years old. Pilar followed it for half a mile and found a brown current running through the treetops. She returned to the gorge and shouted what she had seen. Tomas pointed toward the specimen case, then toward a high branch that reached partway across the gap.

Inside the case were thin aluminum frames holding the plants they had collected over four weeks. The frames could be joined into a long pole. Tomas opened the case. Even from the opposite bank, Pilar could see him hesitate over each pressed sheet.

The expedition had cost him two years of grant applications. Several samples might establish that a plant recorded as extinct still survived in the valley. Pilar understood why he placed the first sheet beneath a stone, trying to save it from the wind.

“Leave the papers!” she shouted.

He shook his head and carried them into the shelter of an overhang. Then he lashed the frames together. The pole bent beneath its own weight but reached the high branch. He hooked a narrow cord over it and let the free end swing toward Pilar.

She caught it on the third attempt. They used the cord to haul a climbing rope across the branch and back. Pilar anchored both ends around a standing tree. Tomas tied himself into the loop and pulled above the river, moving hand over hand while she kept the rope clear of the rock.

Halfway across, the specimen case slipped from his shoulder. He grabbed for it. The rope twisted, turning him over the water.

“Let it go,” Pilar said. This time she spoke quietly enough that he had to listen.

He released the strap. The case struck the river and vanished.

They reached camp after dark. For three days Tomas said little. On the fourth, he opened a fresh notebook and began drawing every plant he could remember. Pilar sat opposite him and added the locations. The evidence would have to be collected again. This time, their first line on the map was a safer route home.