When You Were Young

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

                The waves of the ocean clashed against the cliff rocks, shooting up towards the sky. My hair side swept from the wind, the cool breeze blowing it to the left. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, sat on the edge and swung my legs back and forth. It wasn’t a rational idea at all, no, but every time I would come here it would help me relax and clear off depressing and sad thoughts of my life. The cliff of this beach was like a sanctuary to me; it was peaceful with only the sounds of the calming waves and seagulls passing by. Sometimes a few people would come around here to take pictures, but they never involved me in anything.

                “What are you doing?”A girl’s voice called out from afar, startling me. I opened my eyes and slightly turned my body towards her. There stood a cute little girl with long and wavy brown hair, pink shorts and a white tank top. She must not have been more than ten years old. “Why are you swinging your legs on the edge of a cliff?” The curious girl sat down a couple of feet behind me with a confused look. It was a wonder that she wasn’t afraid of me possibly falling down, breaking my bones, and drowning to death.

                “It helps to calm me of my thoughts,” I shrugged, staring faraway into the distance of the ocean. The sun was setting, no clouds. It would be a perfect and romantic sight for couples to gaze and take pictures of the scenery. View of the ocean and the beach was quite a sight; a perk for being on the cliff.

                “My name is Amber. Oh, and um, sorry if I disturbed you,” she blushed.

                “It’s okay, Amber. I’m Ariel. Not to be rude, but, what’s a little girl like you doing here near the edge of a cliff?”

                “My brother said he was going to ‘breathe some fresh air,’” she air-quoted, “or smoke. He told me I should just take a walk away from him,” as she said the last part, she frowned. “We never talk or play anymore,” Amber said sadly, looking up at me with her big blue eyes. I have always wanted a big brother. Someone to play around with, protect me, someone to talk to when I wasn’t at school or with Marc and Jason. It was sad that Amber’s brother was distancing himself away from her; I would be devastated if I were her.

                “Do you have any common interests with each other? Maybe you guys can do something together if you had one,” I wouldn’t think so, but it was possible. Amber seemed very nice and smart for such a girl her age.

                “We both like sunglasses and Monopoly,” her mouth pulled up into a sad smile, knowing that it wasn’t enough to get along with her brother much anymore.

                “At least you both like two things. How old is your brother?” I said, trying to look at the bright side. I’m sure her brother was eighteen or older because she mentioned that he smokes.

                “Err, he’s twenty-five. He’s way older than me.”

                “Oh,” was the only response I could even think of. She looked at the ocean, zoning out. I looked down at my feet and at the huge drop to the bottom. Is it rocky down there? Maybe. Would it kill me? Nah, people cliff-jump all the time. But it is possible…

                “What’s your favorite color?” Amber asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

                “I’ve always liked blue, but I also like black, gray, red, sometimes green and purple,” I shrugged. “You?”