One Sunday, Barbara took Helena to a forest to train. She gave her a walkie
talkie and ordered her to run around the hill where they were. The land was
irregular, which provided a good work-out for Helena. The kid finished
almost an hour later. She stopped her chronometer and smiled; it had been a
good time. She looked around for Barbara but she wasn't there.
she heard Barbara's voice on her radio. Helena took it and pressed the button looking for her "Where are you?"
Helena raised her head; Barbara was on the top of the rock; she was amazing, she had climbed up just by using her arms. "Wow!" she said "You've been busy."
"Barbara. it's higher." Helena looked up.
"Barbara whenever we practise I feel like a rabbit"
"I can jump five floors what's the matter with that?"
"Okay, okay, is not necessary to remind me about that moment" Helena remembered the night she had fallen into a trash container when she tried jumping between two buildings.
I Barbara said,
"I still think it's nuts. How you could be so sure?"
Helena sighed "My bones, what's with my bones?"
Barbara answered.
"How high is that Rock?"
"Hey, you are being serious." She put the radio on her waist and jumped up. The first flag proved no problem and she continued trying. She could barely jump to the third flag.
she heard Barbara's voice from the radio.
"I'm still cold." The kid jumped down to try it again.
A half hour later Helena felt tired. She fell next to the 5th flag and rested her back for a few seconds against the rock.
Barbara asked on the radio.
"I'm taking my time" Helena answered taking the radio off her waist.
"Hey, you are not jumping as a nut, it's me. Give me a second. How can you climb this rock just with your hands?"
"I'm tired."
Helena mumbled and took the rope, she started to climb the rock. Barbara was sitting on the edge of the rock with a baseball hat and sunglasses watching the girl climb, she had a bottle of water in her right hand and in her left was the radio.
"Hey, you are worst than a turtle." She put the radio near her mouth smiling. She could hear Helena panting. "Tomorrow we need to change your training, now your physical condition will be our primary objective." She took a drink of water and swallowed loud enough for Helena to hear.
A few meters down Helena put her feet on a hole and stopped climbing to look up, she still needed to climb some meters up. She was sweating, the sun was up and she cleaned her forehead with her arm. She heard the redhead swallowing the water, *She is doing it on purpose* she thought to her self wetting her dry lips with her tongue and continued climbing.
After a few minutes Barbara could hear a noise near her; she looked to her left and saw a hand with a globe grabbing the edge of the rock, later a second hand.
"I thought you'd never do it." Barbara said.
"This is not funny." Helena said.
"It took to you almost 10 minutes to climb up here." Barbara could see at that moment that Helena was covered in sweat. Helena glared at her. Barbara seemed to be enjoying the moment.
"Are you trying to kill me?" the kid asked putting her arms over the rock.
"No, I'm trying test your limits and develop your skills." Barbara drank a bit more of water of her bottle. Helena licked her lips, watching her drink the water and climbed up. She rested her back on the grass tired. "Give a bit of water please."
"In the Hummer."
Helena moved her head and locked her eyes with Barbara's. "Why in the Hummer? You have a bottle."
Barbara showed her the empty bottle. "It's finished, you took so much time to climb here and it's hot."
"Barbara! This is not fair." Helena protested.
Barbara moved next to the rope and took it with her hands. "I'm still thirsty, I'll wait for you at the bottom, but hurry or maybe you won't find any water left." Barbara moved down and before she started to descend she said to the kid "And don't use the rope to descend. Wait until I'm down and untie it."
"And what do you expect I should do?"
"Use your head. and your legs. Flex your knees when you land." Barbara said and disappeared, moving down. Helena rested her back on the grass again. She hated her every time she did things such as this. She stood up and looked down; Barbara was descending at an incredible speed. She was down in just a few minutes. She untied the rope and threw it down. Helena looked down, Barbara told her she could jump from on high, she wasn't sure of that, but at the same time she wanted a bit of water. Barbara never forced her to do something if she wasn't sure.
"I hope you are right Barbara" Helena mumbled to her self and jumped down. Barbara was sitting on the grass busy coiling the rope when she looked up. Suddenly she saw Helena jump; it was amazing, she stopped coiling the rope and opened her mouth. Helena executed an elegant jump, but her landing was a disaster. She fell over some shrubs, many leaves flew about as she rolled over the grass, then she crashed against a bush. Barbara laughed.
"What was that?" she asked.
Helena had difficulty trying to stand up, but as soon as she got it right she start to jump "I did it! I did it!" she shouted with leaves in her hair and clothes scrambled.
"Yes you did it. I told you." Barbara said, still laughing and continued to coil the rope.
Helena stood next to her and looked up "Wow, that was a great jump!"
"And a terrible landing." Barbara raised her brow.
"Well I need to practice a bit more."
"You need trust your self a bit more."
"Can I do it again?" Helena asked enthusiastically.
"I thought you were tired." Barbara joked.
"Not too much, may I?" she looked her hopefully.
"Of course but you need to climb again and the rope is here."
"I can jump."
"Ah, now you can jump. Okay, do it, just be careful with your landings. You need to keep your balance and when you fall to the floor flex your knees. No, let your body fall as if you were sitting down; extend your arms to keep your balance, okay? The balance it's in your arms."
Helena nodded.
"When you jump up use your legs as a spring and raise your body, shoulders back; look where you put our arms, if you moved them you can loose speed and height, use your arms as a plane, remember the aerodynamic theories I taught you? The human body isn't made to fly, so, you need to know how to position your body to improve your jumps and not block the air and stop your speed. You could find those little secrets by paying attention in your self every time you jump. Now go."
Helena nodded again and jumped up. Barbara sat in her wheel chair and watched the girl, she enjoyed seeing Helena having fun and discovering her self. Barbara gave Helena instructions and observations between each jump. They spent almost the whole Sunday there, Barbara had prepared a picnic and they had lunch on the grass. It feeling of freedom that Helena liked so much; she had never felt so free and so proud about what and who she was.
she heard Barbara's voice on her radio. Helena took it and pressed the button looking for her "Where are you?"
Helena raised her head; Barbara was on the top of the rock; she was amazing, she had climbed up just by using her arms. "Wow!" she said "You've been busy."
"Barbara. it's higher." Helena looked up.
"Barbara whenever we practise I feel like a rabbit"
"I can jump five floors what's the matter with that?"
"Okay, okay, is not necessary to remind me about that moment" Helena remembered the night she had fallen into a trash container when she tried jumping between two buildings.
I Barbara said,
"I still think it's nuts. How you could be so sure?"
Helena sighed "My bones, what's with my bones?"
Barbara answered.
"How high is that Rock?"
"Hey, you are being serious." She put the radio on her waist and jumped up. The first flag proved no problem and she continued trying. She could barely jump to the third flag.
she heard Barbara's voice from the radio.
"I'm still cold." The kid jumped down to try it again.
A half hour later Helena felt tired. She fell next to the 5th flag and rested her back for a few seconds against the rock.
Barbara asked on the radio.
"I'm taking my time" Helena answered taking the radio off her waist.
"Hey, you are not jumping as a nut, it's me. Give me a second. How can you climb this rock just with your hands?"
"I'm tired."
Helena mumbled and took the rope, she started to climb the rock. Barbara was sitting on the edge of the rock with a baseball hat and sunglasses watching the girl climb, she had a bottle of water in her right hand and in her left was the radio.
"Hey, you are worst than a turtle." She put the radio near her mouth smiling. She could hear Helena panting. "Tomorrow we need to change your training, now your physical condition will be our primary objective." She took a drink of water and swallowed loud enough for Helena to hear.
A few meters down Helena put her feet on a hole and stopped climbing to look up, she still needed to climb some meters up. She was sweating, the sun was up and she cleaned her forehead with her arm. She heard the redhead swallowing the water, *She is doing it on purpose* she thought to her self wetting her dry lips with her tongue and continued climbing.
After a few minutes Barbara could hear a noise near her; she looked to her left and saw a hand with a globe grabbing the edge of the rock, later a second hand.
"I thought you'd never do it." Barbara said.
"This is not funny." Helena said.
"It took to you almost 10 minutes to climb up here." Barbara could see at that moment that Helena was covered in sweat. Helena glared at her. Barbara seemed to be enjoying the moment.
"Are you trying to kill me?" the kid asked putting her arms over the rock.
"No, I'm trying test your limits and develop your skills." Barbara drank a bit more of water of her bottle. Helena licked her lips, watching her drink the water and climbed up. She rested her back on the grass tired. "Give a bit of water please."
"In the Hummer."
Helena moved her head and locked her eyes with Barbara's. "Why in the Hummer? You have a bottle."
Barbara showed her the empty bottle. "It's finished, you took so much time to climb here and it's hot."
"Barbara! This is not fair." Helena protested.
Barbara moved next to the rope and took it with her hands. "I'm still thirsty, I'll wait for you at the bottom, but hurry or maybe you won't find any water left." Barbara moved down and before she started to descend she said to the kid "And don't use the rope to descend. Wait until I'm down and untie it."
"And what do you expect I should do?"
"Use your head. and your legs. Flex your knees when you land." Barbara said and disappeared, moving down. Helena rested her back on the grass again. She hated her every time she did things such as this. She stood up and looked down; Barbara was descending at an incredible speed. She was down in just a few minutes. She untied the rope and threw it down. Helena looked down, Barbara told her she could jump from on high, she wasn't sure of that, but at the same time she wanted a bit of water. Barbara never forced her to do something if she wasn't sure.
"I hope you are right Barbara" Helena mumbled to her self and jumped down. Barbara was sitting on the grass busy coiling the rope when she looked up. Suddenly she saw Helena jump; it was amazing, she stopped coiling the rope and opened her mouth. Helena executed an elegant jump, but her landing was a disaster. She fell over some shrubs, many leaves flew about as she rolled over the grass, then she crashed against a bush. Barbara laughed.
"What was that?" she asked.
Helena had difficulty trying to stand up, but as soon as she got it right she start to jump "I did it! I did it!" she shouted with leaves in her hair and clothes scrambled.
"Yes you did it. I told you." Barbara said, still laughing and continued to coil the rope.
Helena stood next to her and looked up "Wow, that was a great jump!"
"And a terrible landing." Barbara raised her brow.
"Well I need to practice a bit more."
"You need trust your self a bit more."
"Can I do it again?" Helena asked enthusiastically.
"I thought you were tired." Barbara joked.
"Not too much, may I?" she looked her hopefully.
"Of course but you need to climb again and the rope is here."
"I can jump."
"Ah, now you can jump. Okay, do it, just be careful with your landings. You need to keep your balance and when you fall to the floor flex your knees. No, let your body fall as if you were sitting down; extend your arms to keep your balance, okay? The balance it's in your arms."
Helena nodded.
"When you jump up use your legs as a spring and raise your body, shoulders back; look where you put our arms, if you moved them you can loose speed and height, use your arms as a plane, remember the aerodynamic theories I taught you? The human body isn't made to fly, so, you need to know how to position your body to improve your jumps and not block the air and stop your speed. You could find those little secrets by paying attention in your self every time you jump. Now go."
Helena nodded again and jumped up. Barbara sat in her wheel chair and watched the girl, she enjoyed seeing Helena having fun and discovering her self. Barbara gave Helena instructions and observations between each jump. They spent almost the whole Sunday there, Barbara had prepared a picnic and they had lunch on the grass. It feeling of freedom that Helena liked so much; she had never felt so free and so proud about what and who she was.