(Content Warning: Heights, Falling, Peril)
He had run the scenario in his head for the umpteenth time. The danger was there. The thought of plummeting to his death replayed far more than he was comfortable, but the alternative wasn’t any better. He set to work.
Everything was ready to go, climbing his way through the bars. He had painstakingly shifted to unscrew the bottle lid, careful to save the last bit before all the water spilled from the inside. Not before he was ready. He double-checked, triple-checked the metal strip holding the highest part of the bottle to the cage. Looking as close as he dared to have it without setting off the reaction.
Everything was ready to go. It was time to act or resign to what would await him.
With a loud grunt of effort, he twisted the water bottle and lifted it. Water began to spill from the broken seal, and would soon be gone if he didn’t act quick. He fought against the pressure of the water rushing out to insert himself into the rapidly draining bottle before it slammed back down behind him. Already a quarter of the water was gone, and still draining.
With the second part of his plan in action, he shifted toward the edge of the bottle farthest from the cage. He threw himself as best he could into the edge of the bottle, but couldn’t find enough purchase. His feet fought to find purchase against the other side, his form hunched in the impractical position. Using his legs as leverage, he thrust his body into the bottle beneath his hands, rocking the bottle back and forth. A satisfying pop of metal released the already weakened strap. The bottle tumbled from its perch, spilling more water to the ground. As he plummeted, he hoped against all hope that the water left would hold.
The bottle struck the floor, bouncing a few times, throwing water from the open edge like a hose as it tumbled, until it came to a stop on the chamber floor. With stumbling steps, the tiny man crawled from the open mouth of the bottle. He felt sore, perhaps bruised, but thankfully, nothing was broken. He was forced to stagger a little as he cleared his vision from the plummeting nightmare that just occurred and looked about where to go. He had no way of knowing if the sounds that felt ringing to his ears would have been heard, nor the sound of the bottle dropping, but he wasn’t waiting around to find out. Darting toward a wall, he crossed the open expanse of dark stone floor that looked as if it looked out into outer space, with a crystal sheen across it. It felt cold on his already wet feet, and he only belatedly wondered what he should grab to keep some semblance of warmth.
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