The basketball seamlessly fell through the metal hoop, right back into her hands. Then again. Swish. Over and over, one perfect shot after the other. She couldn't believe it. She looked down at her hands, examining them, turning them back to front and back again. She ran back, as far as the court would allow her, closed her eyes, and released the ball. Swish. “No way,” she said out loud. She ran quickly back to the house and picked up her 4/4 Yamaha violin, stuck it under her chin and took a deep breath. What followed was a flawless rendition of Niccolo Paganini's Caprices number 24. Her eyes were wide, and her heart was racing. She played it again, at twice the speed. Flawless. Impossible, she thought. She ran back outside, got into her car, and started the engine. Pressing down on the gas, she accelerated through traffic past the 100 mph mark, weaving in and out between cars, over hills, and dodging pedestrians, like an experienced F-1 racer. She looked out the window, “This is it,” she said to herself. Stepping out of the car she bent her neck up, to face the towering vertical wall of El Capitan. She removed her shoes, and barefoot, began to ascend the rock face. Up and up she went with impeccable error-free movement, like a spider up a wall, she broke the record to the top in less than an hour. The sun beamed down on her, radiating her smile, as she let out a powerful, “I can do anything!” The sound bounced back from the mountains, as she watched a Stellar Jay flapping its wings in front of her. An idea struck her, and without hesitation, she took three steps back, and ran full speed, off the edge of the cliff.

Beginnings