Mark was climbing the ladder. He could see the roof line above. It was still slippery from earlier rain, and it was starting to sprinkle again, but dammit, he was determined to see this through. He was getting paid for it, after all, and the owner had insisted he work in all kinds of weather.

Mark sighed with relief. He’d finally done it. Now all he needed to do was get his tool belt on the roof so he could get to work…

He’s ten years old, climbing a tree, trying to keep up with his best friend at the time. “Don’t look down!” his friend tells him. But he does anyway, and is scared by how far away the ground is. “Keep climbing!” his friend says. So he shoves his fear deep down and continues until his Mom comes out and tells him to get down.

He’s fifteen, on a hiking trip with other students, tied to a rope and harness. “Don’t look down,” his instructor says, so he doesn’t and focuses on the top of the cliff he’s trying to reach.

He’s twenty-five, on one of his first roofing jobs, working underneath an overcast sky. Don’t look down, Mark tells himself again as he keeps working on removing the old tiles.

He saw a flash of lightning and shrugged. A job was a job.