Her foot slipped, she started to fall. Nothing that had happened to her throughout her life could match how terrified she was at this very moment. Whatever scared her before, now paled in comparison.
The wind swept in front of her face, as she hurtled towards the ground. In her panic, her mind fluttered to a thought of what her body was rushing to meet at the bottom. Rocks? That would be it for sure. Solid, possibly even sharp, but certainly unyielding. They would destroy her instantly – there was no coming back from that. The sea? A softer landing but a slower more agonizing death. Stinging, burning as the water entered her lungs while she gasped for every breath she had left. Death? It was all she could think of as she dropped faster and faster – impending doom rushing towards her. She began to flap her arms.
What am I doing? She thought to herself. Trying to fly? Am I crazy? I’m not a bird, I won’t suddenly take off and save myself from the pain and torture awaiting me below. The wind beating at her ears broke her train of thought.
Her arms began to tire quickly and fell behind her, only to be pushed back to her sides by the rushing air.
I can’t fight this; her internal dialogue beginning again. But how can I accept that this is it? This is too dramatic a way for everything to be how it all ends. She wanted to cry, tears stinging against her wind-burnt cheeks before being ripped away from her skin by the air that contorted and billowed around her.
The sea was smacking against the rocks below her like an animal licking its lips, eager for its food. It was so close now, she could feel the spray against the back of her neck. She closed her eyes, realising there was nothing that could physically be done to prevent her fate. She succumbed, relaxing – hoping that it would ease some of the pain. But that was when it happened….
It began with a crack. She hit the water, sharp pain shooting through her spine. Her whole body went limp, she could not move a muscle. As one wave would push her back to shore, another would soon come along to drag her away again tossing and turning her in the open water. With each push, she did her best to swim along with it – trying not to lose sight of land. Soon the pulling became more persistent and she began to struggle for energy. She found herself on her back once again, helpless against the undulating water. The further away she got, watching the clouds drifting along, her body began to feel heavier – her clothes taking on more and more water. As it got deeper, the freezing water embracing her throat, it became harder for her to breathe. Gradually, she had begun to find the ability to move. She tried to fight against the tide pulling at her, but instead her struggle started to pull her under. This did not deter her. She pushed against the power the sea pulling her further and further down until her energy began to wane.
For her, it was like falling asleep. The pain she had imagined and feared never came, or at least she never noticed it. Her final thought took her back to the top, her foot slipping and imagining how that fall was easier than what was ahead.
