I AM · Daring 50 ml

— No, I won’t be there.

— No, you’ll manage without me.

— No, I won’t say.

She said all this while sitting in a kayak wearing a wetsuit. The meeting was in a week, and she still didn’t feel confident navigating the river rapids. The current rocked the boat, but she sat so calm and poised, as if she weren’t even talking on the phone with her colleagues. When she hung up, she tossed the phone onto the pile of clothes she’d left on the bank.

Here by the river, she was alone. It was ten in the morning, but it felt as though the sun had just risen. It was cool, damp, and almost windless; the scent of river daffodils drifted in from afar.

The ultimate plan was to train to cover the distance and then paddle (actually jump) with the kayak into the waterfall. It wasn’t very high—just a meter—but it was a challenge with a twist. No one at the office knew about it. Why bother them? She was sure she wouldn’t get a single scratch, and by tomorrow, no one would have a clue what obstacle she’d overcome or that she’d conquered her fear.