The sheer drop is at once both frightening and exhilirating. It is the first time the boy has ever seen anything so large or ever been standing up so high. He peers over the edge as far he dares and wonders what it is like to fly. He notices a loose pebble beneath his shoe and kicks it over the precipice. A chilly late autumn gust bounces it against the canyon wall as it falls. The boy's father has been helping his younger brother search for his lost mitten and just now notices how far he has ventured and calls out to him sharply. The boy is startled and for the slightest moment he thinks he is going over the edge. But in freezing, he realizes he is still on sure footing and takes a step back. His father pulls him away roughly and begins lecturing on the dangers of falling. Behind him, the pebble still tumbles to the canyon floor.