13.Ada Falls Today, on the final day of summer camp, Ada and Lilly stand below the Bear Crawl , the camp's highest, hardest rope course. They watch the rope ladder, with its wooden rungs (阶梯) and rope sides, sway (摇摆) in the wind between two tall pines.
Ada feels very (1)
, but she can breathe again to hear Lilly volunteer to go first. The camp teacher, Mark, nods and helps Lilly get ready. Then Lilly begins her frightening crawl across the rope ladder. The wind blows and the ladder sways, but she holds tight.
"Go, Lilly, go! You're a champion. You've got this!" Ada cheers from below. When Lilly (2)
the challenge, Ada feels relieved for her friend but also nervous, it is her (3)
now. Mark checks Ada's helmet and harness, and he lifts Ada up to the platform.
On the platform, Ada looks down at the whole camp. Lilly and Mark are so tiny! Ada stretches her arms out to the first rung on the rope ladder. Her arms feel shaky as she feels the ladder turn left or right under her weight. She carefully (4)
her hands forward to the next rung. About halfway across the Bear Crawl, Ada is starting to feel a little more confident. With every rung, she is getting closer to the opposite platform. She can do this!
Suddenly a stronger wind makes the rope ladder sway, Ada's hand does not (5)
the wood rung. Instead, her body falls downward. Almost immediately, the harness catches her.
Mark slowly lowers Ada to the ground. Ada can see all the other kids staring up at her, she is embarrassed.
"Can I try again?" Ada says in a low voice, trying to hold back tears.
Mark looks at his watch. "I'm sorry, Ada, we don't have time."
Ada's body feels slow and heavy as the bus leaves camp. Beside her, Lilly sits silent and thoughtful.
"Hey Ada?" Lilly says. "I couldn't (6)
without you. I got so frightened in the middle, but then you shouted my name and I kept going."
"You got scared?"
Lilly nods and says softly, "Super scared. I'm (7)
I didn't faint (晕倒) or throw up on everybody below. You were just unlucky such a big wind came up. It felt like a hurricane or something. I thought all the trees were going to fall over and squish (压扁) us like pancakes."
Ada smiles. She knows her friend was just trying to cheer her up, but suddenly falling off the ladder does not seem so important any more. Having good (8)
is more important.