A little something for those who are stuck at home and would like to hear a story. Granted, I'm broke as hell at the moment and without work, but I can't bring myself to charge anyone who is likely in the same boat I am.
That being said, if you like this story and you'd like to help me and support my work, feel free to message me or send any amount of money to my paypal. If you can't spare anything, then an encouraging word or comment of your opinion is just as good. I’d love to hear from you.
Note: I have no professional equipment at home, nor professional recording programs, so the quality of the audio won't be up to par, but I hope you'll forgive me.
Now, on with the show.
The Rocks
The waves broke over sandy beaches and patchwork stones, echoing up the cliff side. The sun had just begun to creep over the horizon, kissing the air with an ancient and all-encompassing call for quiet, and revealing the jagged rocks that dotted the coastline far below.
Megan stood at the edge of the precipice, looking over, swaying in the morning breeze, back and forth.
Back.
Forth.
Back...
Forth...
Back...
She took a deep, unsteady breath.
"I'd aim for the rocks, if I were you," a man's voice spoke from behind. Megan fell backwards with the sudden shock. The shape of a man, burning in the morning light, walked forward and knelt on the very edge of the cliff, sending bits of sandy soil skittering down toward the roaring sea. "I mean, if you don't aim right, you might hit the sandy part down there," the man continued, pointing at a speck far below. "If you hit that from this height, you'd probably break your legs, maybe even puncture a lung. You could spend the next hour gasping for breath as the tide rolls in. Eventually, you'd begin to wonder if you'll drown in water or in air..." He paused, staring off into the dawn sky, then turned to her with the friendliest smile she'd ever seen. "So, I'd certainly aim for the rocks," he continued.
Megan blinked at the stranger, then got up and screamed "Who the hell sneaks up on someone who's standing on the side of a cliff!? I could have fallen off!"
"Was that not the point? I mean, it did look like you were about to... take the plunge, so to speak. I thought it might make more sense to take a chance at stopping you rather than to simply admire the view."
Megan shook her head and turned her back on the stranger. "What the fuck do you know about it?"
"Oh, you'd be amazed," the man replied.
A gust of wind put an end to any reply that Megan may have given. Instead, she turned back to the stranger. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"
"Someone who cares if you aim for the rocks or not," he replied, then smiled again. "What brings a pretty young girl to the edge of a cliff in the pre-dawn light, anyway? Boy troubles?"
Megan gave a look that, should it have had the ability to kill, would not have. Instead, this look would have maimed its intended victim of their dominant hand, broken every joint, added ground glass to their lungs, and seared off their hair with a blowtorch. "You think I'm dumb enough to kill myself over a fucking boy? Really?" she said.
"Girl, then?"
"No!" Megan shouted like a curse.
"Just checking." The man smiled at her once more. Megan seethed. "So, why do you want to jump off a cliff? And don't tell me all your friends were doing it, because despite ages of mothers using that line, I don't think it has ever actually happened."
"I'd bet it has," Megan retorted. "Have you ever heard of cliff jumping with wing-suits?"
"Wing-suits?" the man scoffed. "What, people line up and pretend to be their favorite lemming but decide to be a bird instead?"
"More like a flying squirrel," Megan replied.
"Sounds expensive," the man said, looking at the sea, still confused.
"Incredibly."
"Why do they do it, do you think?" he asked.
Megan looked over the edge of the cliff. "For the thrill," she replied.
"You don't look thrilled to me."
"I'm also not wearing a wing-suit."
The man edged closer to Megan, joining her in her view. He took in the rising sun and the breaking waves, the early-morning birdcalls and the omnipresent rocks below. "I can see why you chose this spot. It's beautiful."
Megan nodded, her eyes locked to a point on the horizon.
"You're not the first, you know," the man said, quickly.
Megan blinked. "To jump off a cliff?"
"No. You're not the first to jump off of this cliff. Hell, you're not even the first person who was interrupted before they could work up the courage."
"Oh, right. I'm sure you've saved dozens of people who come up here to end it all. You're a great, big, fucking hero." Megan shook her head in disgust.
The man sighed. "No. I haven't saved a single one." He glanced down at the beach. "I really would aim for the rocks, if you're serious about this." And with that, the man turned to leave.
He only got a few steps away before he heard Megan behind him. "So what happened?"
The man stopped and turned back. He smiled. "I'll give you the short version. I know you've got things to do..."
Megan smirked.
"It was a few years ago. The morning wasn't nearly this nice. It was cold, it was windy, and clouds covered the sky. You couldn't even tell it was morning, not really. It was just grey. And that's how he felt, I guess – not particularly bad. Not particularly good. Just... grey.
"He hadn't even intended to jump, if you can believe it. When I asked him, when he finally responded to me, he said he had just come out to walk in the rain and to clear his head. I guess the idea of jumping off the cliff came as a bit of a surprise to him, but once the idea made a home in his mind... well..." He gestured at the distant horizon. "It really looks like it might go on forever, doesn't it?"
"I hope not. That sounds awful."
"It does? Why?"
"Because nothing ever changes. It's all shit – all of it. I couldn't stand it going on forever."
The man started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Megan demanded.
"You. I mean, okay, sure, maybe it's all shit right now, but the only way it will stay shit forever is if you step off that cliff. Life is nothing if not ever-changing."
"Are you seriously mocking a girl who's standing on the edge of a cliff?" Megan accused, though not unkindly.
"You asked." The man smiled again.
They stood there in silence for several minutes as the morning sun rose higher in the sky, turning everything from a blazing orange to a muted, misty representation of their true colors. The breeze rustled Megan's hair, sending it flowing out behind her. Without looking over, she asked "So why did he end up jumping? What made him finally decide?"
"I'm not really sure. Just... made up his mind, I guess, and nothing was going to change it for him." He stared at the beach below, remembering. "You're not going to do it, are you?"
Megan closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. She turned away from the cliff and, without another word, walked away.
The man watched her leave, smiling, and turned to watch the sun climb over the horizon. He stood on the very precipice, swaying in the morning breeze.
Back.
Forth.
Back...
Forth...
Back...