Questions, feedback, or comments? I'd love to hear from you! Please allow 24-48 hours to get a response.

• Home

Synopsis: A woman, whose patience and hope have run out, has a day that doesn't end exactly as planned.Word Count: 970Reading Time: ~4 minWarning: Suicidal ideation, death/murder, dark themes. Do not read if you are sensitive to any of these topics.Author’s Note: This is a sad story that ends even worse, so don't read it if you're not in the right mindset.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it to the phone! Just leave a voicemail, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” BEEP!Thea threw her head back. “Uh! Dammit, June! The one time you don’t pick up…” This wasn’t going as smoothly as she’d liked, just like everything else. So, her sister not answering her phone call shouldn’t have been surprising. “Ignore the first part of that message. Just know that I love you and that I’ll miss you. No need to call me back. Goodbye, June.”Thea placed her phone in her pocket, zipped it closed, and unzipped her other pocket. She studied a small notecard with her name, two emergency contacts, and “I’m sorry,” written on it. With a single nod, she replaced the notecard and zipped the pocket closed. Then, she gulped down the rest of her water and headed towards the cliff.At the cliff’s edge, Thea admired the bright sky, lush trees, and the valley below. This was only her second visit to Old Rag. On her first visit, she was accompanied by a handsome gentleman who’d been there before. Unfortunately, he turned out to be a douchebag, but thankfully, their shared experience didn’t ruin her opinion of the place. She loved how beautiful and serene the mountain was, which was why she decided to do it here.Although Thea didn’t know exactly where she was, she knew she’d stumbled onto the perfect spot when she ventured off the path about 100 meters back and found a significant drop. Maybe 24 meters down. She couldn’t quite tell with the treetops covering the valley floor. After admiring the scenery for a bit, an attempt to calm her nerves, she took a small step forward and looked over the cliff.“Excuse me, miss!”Thea yelped, turning around to find a tall ginger man several meters behind her.“Oh, haha! I scared you. Wasn’t my intention,” said the ginger man apologetically, with his hands up. “You’re standing awfully close to the edge. That’s pretty dangerous. You should—”“Yeah, I know perfectly well what I’m doing, thank you!” Thea cut him off.He stared at Thea, a bit stunned for a moment. As his eyes raked over her, he noticed the only thing she carried was a canteen strapped over her shoulder. No backpack, walking stick, or even a phone in sight. “Maybe she lives nearby,” he thought momentarily, but his intuition was telling him otherwise. So, he asked, “Are you a local?”Thea exhaled frustratingly. “What’s it matter to you? Please just go away!” She turned back to the edge.“Wait! Are you about to…?” the man asked, walking slowly toward Thea.“Goddammit! What’s it matter to you?!” Thea questioned again without looking back. “Just go away! I want to be alone!” Then, as if she were talking to herself, she stated quietly, “I need to be alone.”“Whoa, wait, wait! Why are you—are you actually going to jump?!” the ginger man asked with an awkward smile and outstretched arms.Thea looked over her shoulder. “Mind your fucking business! God! Why can’t anyone ever leave me alone? ‘Thea this! Thea that!’ I’m never going to find peace here. I just need some peace.”“Thea, wait! Hold on a sec!” The ginger man inched his way closer to her. “Thea’s your name, right? Why are you doing this?”Thea shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Shouldn’t matter to you anyway. You’re just some damn stranger trying to distract me. Just please—”“I’m not trying to distract you! Promise! I’m…I’m just curious,” he said.“Curious about what?”“Why here? Why now?”Thea took a few seconds to think. “Because it’s what I want, that’s why.”“Did something happen? Someone hurt you?” The ginger man took a few more steps forward.“That’s nothing I want to disclose,” Thea answered. “Now, can you go away? I just want to be alone.”“I don’t think I can do that,” the ginger man answered, now directly behind her.Thea sighed as her shoulders dropped. “Yes, you can.” She turned to face him.The ginger man shook his head. “I honestly don’t think I can.”Thea huffed. “Why’s that? You trying to do a good deed by saving me? Just—”“No,” he interrupted. Then, grinning, he said, “I just wanted to be the one to do it.”Thea’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. All of a sudden, the man’s palms were flat on her chest, forcing her backward over the cliff. “AHH!” Her arms and legs flailed as if she were trying to catch herself midair. There was impact, then nothing at all.The tall ginger man had immediately crouched to the ground, watching Thea plummet through the treetops, colliding with a branch or two, then ultimately to the ground. His heart raced as he stared and searched for what he hoped was her lifeless body, but the trees blocked his view. Quickly, he backed away from the edge and stood once he was a safe distance away. He released the breath he’d been holding and hurried back onto the forested path, happy that he didn’t have to search very long for his next victim.“I found one rather quickly,” he thought to himself. “Perhaps I can find another, and just maybe they’ll have a little fight in them. I love a good fight.”

You have reached 804-337-7777. No one is available to take your call. After the tone, please record your message. BEEP!“Thea!” June’s voice hitched. “Call me back! Your message was gloomy as hell. The way you said goodbye…just let me know you’re okay. Call me back.”June ended the call. After a few minutes of uneasiness and intrusive thoughts, she remembered that her sister always shared her location.“Old Rag? What are you doing there?”

• Home