The elevator dinged and the doors opened. The crowd inside of it moved out quickly and scattered to get a good look at the New York skyline. The elevator was left semi-empty as Della didn’t move and continued to clutch the shiny metal railing at the back of the elevator. The elevator dinged again and the doors almost closed but Steve held the doors open and looked at her, saying, “Let’s go!”

She remained frozen as the ding sounded and the doors tried to close again.

“Ma’am, I’ve got to go back down again. Other people need a ride u    p here. Please exit the elevator.” Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Della stepped off but even when the doors had closed behind her and the elevator descended again, she stood still just outside of the shaft.

“I think I’ve changed my mind. I want to go back down.”

“You haven’t even seen the view yet and you’ve got to—“

“I just felt the ground move, why did the ground move? Is the building swaying?” She shut her eyes.

“Don’t worry just listen to the sound of my voice all right? I’ll lead you to where the view is, just hang on to my arm.”

Weaving through the crowd of people, they approached the doors leading to the outside. Upon hearing the whistle of wind rushing through the door, Della opened her eyes and dug her heels into the ground at the doorway.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t go out there.”

“Really?”

She nodded.

His face fell a little but Steve brightened up quickly again. “I’ll go get you a soda then, maybe that’ll help.”

Standing in the doorway alone, she tried hard to steady herself and even out her breathing as she stared out as far over the ledge as she could from where she stood. It wasn’t much of a view after all. The horizon looked flat and unmagnificent. As Della was just beginning to think about the money she’d paid just to be terrified, she was suddenly and unceremoniously pushed off the ledge of the doorway.

She screamed. She screamed as never before for the sudden image she had of falling and falling through the air, the busy street rushing up to meet her.

When she opened her eyes again she was on the tiled ground of the Empire State Building walkway with a lot of people staring at her with concern. When Della looked back towards the doorway, there stood Jennie and Laurie cackling, severely entertained. Meanwhile, Anne approached her with a sheepish smile and helped her to her trembling feet.

“Are you okay Della?”

“Yeah, yeah let me just recover from my ­heart attack!”  She blew a sigh and shook her head. “Thanks Anne, I think I’m—“

She noticed a combination of sensations. The wind was whipping up her hair, the exhilaration of seeing what seemed like the city entire laid out before her and the pictures that conjured up in front of her took her breath away.

She reached for her bag and pulled out her camera, then slowly pointed and shot. Then she continued standing there as Steve Don'tcame up beside her and handed her a cold can of Canada Dry.

“Nice, huh?”

She nodded.

“Not scared?”

She threw a playful, withering glare at her friends but then shook her head and smiled at him, feeling more alive than ever.

--The End--