Standing at the precipice, the chasm wasn’t nearly as wide as at appeared from a distance, nor as deep. Traversing this should be no problem. He was appropriately geared up – his footing was tightly secured, and although they made his center of balance much lower than he was used to, his guides assured him that he would adjust.

Dah, the tallest of his two guides, made the first leap over the canyon with nary a hesitation – clearly he had done this hundreds, if not thousands of times. Looking back with a smile, Dah gestured to him, saying something only half-recognizable in his sing-song voice. Must be my turn to go.

Looking down at his feet, he slowly lifted one foot, truly noticing for the first time just how heavy his legs now felt. He hesitated slightly – for a moment, he thought he couldn’t do it – but before he knew what was happening, he was landing safely on the other side, both feet on solid ground.

The sidewalk crack had been conquered.