Falling

Time seemed to come to a stand still as Matthew watched his two friends tumble off the side of the cliff, the snow under their boots giving way and stealing their balance away from them. Jeremiah attempted to correct his balance, feeling his feet tilting forward as the snow broke, and thus threw his weight backwards, unknowingly sending him further from the edge. Drew dove towards Matthew instead, though his feet had nothing to grip and the motion barely moved him. Matthew could see the two so clearly, suspended in air, falling in different positions at different heights, and he knew that he could save only one of them.

His movement would have to be nearly instantaneous. He was the only one with shoes that had actually had spikes in them, so he would be able to maintain solid footing in the remaining ice before the spot where the snow had broken. Jeremiah had been Matthew's friend since childhood. They had been through everything together. Had helped each other through break ups, court cases, every fear and every triumph. They had been the best man at each other's weddings. But Drew was Matthew's wife's brother. He had been the one to talk her into going through with the wedding. He had loaned them the money to pay off their first mortgage, and he had literally saved her life as a child.

He owed so much to them both. He would be broken to lose either of them. In different ways, the death of either one of them would tear his world apart. And yet he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could not save them both. If he tried to give each one a hand, he would only be dragged down with them, and they would all tumble to their dooms. He could support the weight of one. Not the two.

But there was also another factor. A far more important factor. The one that forced his hand into making a choice, whether he liked it or not.

As time crawled back to life, Matthew was already in motion. He dove forward, dug his heels into the ice, and grabbed Drew's arm, trying his best not to look in Jeremiah's direction. He tried not to think about it. But he couldn't.

But he could actually reach Drew.