Head Over Heels

Head Over Heels

By Paul McCann

 

Sean was on a hiking holiday in the black forest . With a backpack and some supplies, he ventured into unknown territory . Even though the always liked a challenge he informed the police before he started a hike so they knew his whereabouts should something ever go wrong  .

Equipped with a backpack and some supplies he set off on a track that would take him to about 3 hours . It was his first time in these words but loved the outdoors .

He heard someone calling out for help and walked towards that spot where he found someone him hanging there upside down in a tree . His backpack had saved him from falling to the ground but there he was hanging by a branch that somehow had thread itself between his shoulders and the backpack that left him precariously suspended upside down screaming for help alone in the forest with no one else around . Luckily for him Sean was passing by on a hike through the forest he had never been before in his life ..

He looked at Sean and smiled . Sean said ,

“Well, it could be worse”.

 They  both laughed .

“ Thanks for being here .I’m Owen  . Thing is , earlier I was chased by a bear so I  run up this tree for shelter but then lost my footing and fell head over heels back down luckily my backpack got wedged in between some tree branches , So I’ve been hanging here for a while now “

 

“What happened the bear “?

Sean asked .

“He got tired up waiting for me to fall to the ground and left me here dangling . “

“Well let me see if I can help you ?”

Sean started to climb up through the tree branch to get a closer look at what he could do to assist Owen . When he up to the [lace where Owen was hanging he could see it wasn’t that easy we rescue him as branches of the tree near to where Owen was hanging were tricky to get to and if he tried to get to where he was the main branch holding him could snap under the weight Even if he were to get to the spot if he cut the straps of the backpack with the army knife in his backpack Owen  would probably plummet to the ground where some rocks were and that drop could cause him a head injury . Owen looked at Sean and asked .

“How does it look there Sean ?”

Sean replied ,

“ Owen . Its not as easy as I though it might be .“

The branch that Sean was on snapped causing him to fall to the ground but as he was dropping the bounced from one branch to another and somehow the same situation happed to him with his backpack getting wedged between branches and Sean was flipped head over heels leaving him suspended just like Owen was upside down in the tree .

Owen screamed out .

“Sean are you ok ?”

Sean screamed back .

“Well, I’m in a tricky situation, like yourself Owen .Hanging upside down in this tree “

“That’s a bit awkward Sean “

“ Yeah , and if your branch breaks, you’ll most likely fall on top of me and we’ll both go tumbling to the ground “

Sean said and Owen replied .

“Is there any way you can break free ?”

Sean replied.

“No, I can’t break loose and even if I could I’d have a nasty fall . There are some rocks right below where we are hanging. “

‘Owen said ,

“Now I know what a bat feels like. “

Sean went into a giggle and then Owen started to laugh as well .

The two of them laughed uncontrollably .

Then it went quiet for a little while and Sean said ,

“It could be worse ; we both could have gastro .“

The two of them burst out laughing again .for a little while . 

Then Owen asked 

“Seriously how are we going to get out of this one ?”

Sean replied .

“Don’t stress Owen . I’ve already told the police and local rangers where I would be going and gave them ‘a map of the route I would be going so the estimate time of my arrival and the next check point would be in about a half hour so if I’m not there at that time they’ll soon begin a search .”

Owen shouted aloud .

“Yes , now that’s what I’m talking about . I mean , we are going home tonight . That is just so cool . Amazing I would never have thought about doing that Sean  . “

Sean responded  ,

“Well, I’ve been hiking all over the world so I have learned a few tricks but I’ve never yet ended upside down in a forest with a fellow hiker . That is just something so bizarre Owen “

Owen giggled and then he said ,

“Hey Sean ,  I wonder how I can blow my nose up here . I’m kind of stuffed up a bit “ .

They both started to laugh again .

Sean tried to stop laughing and said .

“We’ve got to stop this laughing Owen  ; I don’t know how much longer these branches can take our weight ? “

Owen replied ,

“I guess we’ll just have to hang around and see .”

.They started laughing again .

Sean said ,

“Want to try something to pass the time while we’re waiting to get rescued.”

“Sure, what do you suggest :

Said Owen  .

“Well let’s make up limericks . I’ll start with the first line and then you do the next line and we’ll keep doing that until our search party gets here “

“Sounds like a plan “

Said Owen

“Ok I’ll start .

“Sure . let’s get this show on the road “

Owen said and Sean said.

 

“There once were two men up a tree”.

Owen said.

“They were both nuts if you ask me “

“Sean said “

“One of the men up there said “

Owen responded.

“What time are the monkeys fed?”

And Sean finished.

“ I hope there’ll be some left for me “

 Now you start Owen and he said . .

“There once was woman made of ice “

Sean continued ‘

“She never knew how to be nice”?

Then Owen said .

“She lived all her life”.

And Sean continued

:”On the edge of a knife “

And Owen finished.

“Cutting herself off from advice “.

 They continued their limericks until the rescue team found them .

The team stood looking and could work out how or why they both had ended up like that up a tree . When they stopped wondering and went into action a helicopter was called in to lower a special while someone assisted from climbing the tree and securing Sean and Owen into harnesses  before removing the backpacks . ‘

They were both winched up into the helicopter and brought back to the safety .

 

The End