Falling In Out Short Story

Falling

In, out. In, out. My lungs fill with the crisp, salty air. Sometimes it feels like this simple motion is all that is left of me. I am a shell, a mere shadow of who I used to be. I look down at the foaming, wild ocean, thrashing against the foot of the cliff with all its might. The brooding clouds fight to be seen against the dark sky and a sea eagle soars effortlessly. But none of this affects me. I am empty. This place used to make me feel alive, but now it only serves as a reminder of what I have lost. Once, I stood on the edge of these cliffs, hair swept back by the wind, revelling in the power of the ocean. Knowing that I could jump made me want to live. Now, I simply feel numb. The sky opens, torrents of rain drowning out everything and everyone. The streaks of water down my face mask my tears. Shaking, I take another step towards the edge.

Boom, rumble, boom. Thunder reverberates through my body, shaking me to the core. The deep voice of the sky, it rages against being contained for so long. And its partner – lightning. The electric flash illuminates my hooded eyes and hollowed out

I cannot afford to lose consciousness again. Fire burns through my leg, but this time I welcome the pain and the lucidity it brings. Dark shapes begin to separate themselves from the darkness. Long, twisted limbs reaching for me. A sprawling web of tangled branches. Clumps of lichen, warts protruding from an old beast. The smell of rotting wood fills my nose, sickly sweet. Gradually, I begin to fill in the blanks. Bits and pieces are slowly revealing themselves to me; a flash of light, the crack of something centuries old finally succumbing to the elements. The unyielding pressure on my leg, the vast contorted tree blocking out the little moonlight there is; none of this bodes well for me. I move my leg marginally, and instantly pay for it. The fog is clouding over me – fighting it is