She was in a different field now.
Only a few paces in front of her was a thousand foot drop into the waters below. Rocks jutted out from the sea foam, piercing and cold. The sea clashed against the rocky face of the cliff, sending spray ten feet into the air to slam into the earth.
If she slipped, the consequences would be devastating. A fall from this height would dash her to bits, force her body into pieces and scatter them in the water. Her head would hit the rocks with a thunk, and her skull would collapse like a cantaloupe against the unmoving earth.
Maybe today was finally the right day.
As she stepped up to the edge, the wind whipping through her hair, something moved at her feet.
A snake in the grass. Twisting its way through the dirt and the rocks at the edge of the cliff. As it saw her, it froze, staring at her. Was she a threat? Was she a danger?
She stared back, both her and the snake unmoving.
Maybe today was not the right day after all.
As she took a step back from the cliff, the sharp wind pushing her hair about her face, she heard a hissing sound, felt something worm beneath her feet.
She had hurt the snake.
As it slithered away as quickly as it had appeared.
There was a long moment of quiet, the only sounds the distant waves below her, the gales ripping across the drop, and her own breath filling her lungs.
Maybe today was the right day after all.
Another few steps forward.
YOU ARE READING
A Martyrs Respite
Short Story"We're allowed to love ourselves, and we're allowed to hate us for it."
