Pim’s hand pulled away from hers and she wondered for the hundredth time since entering the world behind the canvas if this was the end. Then the base of the viaduct, attached to the lip of the canyon, appeared through the dust. It held the last few feet of path leading to the grass at the top of the canyon. Claudia fell short. Her upper body slammed into the path, but her feet dangled along the side of the base where the bricks of the massive viaduct had broken away. Her hands frantically scrambled to find purchase on the surface of the path, fingers digging into the crevices between the bricks, armpits pushed painfully against the path’s broken edge. Something smashed into her, grabbing her ankle and yanking her downward. She cried out, digging her fingers harder into the crevices. “Claudia! Hold on!” It was Pim, dangling from her ankle ten stories in the dusty air. She couldn’t answer. She focused every possible ounce of energy on gripping the bricks, willing her fingers not to let go.
