When The Lights Go Out

5. I Would Jump, But I Don't Know How To.

"Death is our friend precisely because it brings us into absolute and passionate presence with all that is here, that is natural, that is love..."

- Rainer Maria Rilke.

"Why is it called The End?" She asked me. Her voice was naturally very commanding, it could take space in the whole room.

"Mainly because it's at the end of this town. But also because it's a waterfall, cliff." I said as I walked beside her, my hands always rotating around the handlebars.

My mind had so many thoughts that sometimes, I didn't know what thought sprung from reality and what sprung from fiction. There had been instances when I had forgotten that and asked my parents or Isaac about something, and they had stared at me and said it had never happened.

My parents had tried to make me see a therapist once. It hadn't worked out, mainly because I refused to talk, but it wasn't my fault. Not really anyway. If I had spoken then, I would have lost Death and I couldn't lose him. He was a constant I needed. An option I didn't want to live without. Literally.

"How can this tiny town have a waterfall cliff?" Cecilia said as she raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"It's my favourite part of the town." I didn't know the answer to her question, so I avoided it. Why acknowledge something you can't do anything about?

"I bet it is. I love the nature." She sounded almost joyous when she spoke. I wondered what her mind was like. I wondered what I sounded like in her head. We never know what we sound like, in other peoples heads.

"How far is it?" She asked.

"Close." I knew I had wanted to make a friend but maybe this was a bad idea. I had already spoken more than I wanted to. I hated speaking. It cut time for my thoughts, and if I didn't think what was I doing.

Besides she would get tired of my behaviour soon enough. I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts.

"You know when you said you didn't speak much I didn't think you meant this little," my grip tightened. I didn't expect that, this soon. I looked at her, and a ghost of a smile was lying on her face.

"I am sorry," I don't know why I apologised. I didn't owe her shit. In fact we had just met.

"Oh don't worry, I can survive in silence, it gives me time to absorb things. I just have never met someone who speaks so little." I internally heaved, heaved, a sigh of relief. Maybe this would last longer than I thought.

"I like to write what I am thinking, I hate speaking." I don't know why I told her that. That was weird. It sounded pathetic. I don't even know why I cared if it sounded pathetic.

"Well we are here." I looked ahead, glad that I had spoken (perhaps for the very first time) before she had had the time to reply to my previous comment.

"Oh it's beautiful." She ran forward, as she shouted.

It was in fact a beautiful space. The trees were off to either side. As if making a way to the clearing. The leaves were all too colourful at this time of the year. It was like walking through an archway. When you did pass through the trees and into the clearing, you could see the pool of water collected in an almost perfect circular shape, as the waterfall gushed into it. I loved the way the water fell off the cliff. Many people would come here in the summer, and jump of the waterfall, it wasn't that high, and into the pool of water down here.

I looked at Cecilia, her blue hair was swishing through the air, cutting it, as she walked near the edge of the water body.I put my cycle down on the side, a little away from the cliff edge, and walked upto her.

"Well do you actually want to see what we came here to see?" I asked her.

She looked at me like I had grown another head.

"What do you mean?" Her voice was incredulous.

I gestured to her with my hand, before gripping my bag's straps tightly. I walked towards the pool of water and jumped on the rock that was there. The edge of the waterbody was covered with walls of earth. People didn't usually come here, they usually went to the waterfall cliff above me and then jumped here, but I liked coming here directly.

I looked back, to see if Cecilia was still following me. We traced the edge of the pool, which was quite shallow so only our shins got wet.

I took out the umbrella from the side pocket of my bag and opened it, into the waterfall. It didn't keep me totally dry but it was the best thing. Behind the waterfall, there was a beautiful cave. I don't think many people knew about it. Atleast, I hadn't seen anybody use this place.

"Well this is the coolest shit I've ever seen." Cecilia gushed. The sound of the waterfall was pretty loud. I switched on the torch light on my phone. I placed my phone on a nook that I had discovered earlier, it lit up the place.

"Do you want to turn on my light too?" She asked as she saw me put up my phone.

"Sure, you can put it over there." I said as I pointed diagonally from me. She place her phone carefully, the cave looked much more brighter.

"You know what you should do?" She asked as I sat down on the floor and took out my black binder.

"What?" She sat opposite me, on the opposite wall, her head leaning back, as she absorbed her surroundings.

"Add the battery fairy lights, it would light up much more."

"Oh! Maybe next time."

"Hey, by the way have you ever jumped of the waterfall?""I don't know how to swim." I lied.

____________________________________

My Instagram: @chaotopedia

My Twitter: @chaotopedia

P.S - If you like it please Vote, Comment and Share.