Ocean Spray And Salty Rocks, Nothing Can Part Us

• Amelia Siddans, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2021

I could see something below me. The wind blew a lock of hair across my eyebrow, obscuring my vision temporarily. Beside me, the trees whipped wildly, and the leaves were caught up in a vigorous, wild dance. As the harsh wind blew even more knotty hair across my face, I risked another look down. The cliff face, plunging deep down below me, was filled with crumbling rocks and abandoned bird’s nests. My eyes scanned quickly, and as I failed to locate what I spied before, my beating heart rose rapidly. I could see the sea, thrashing and fighting to break the rocks below. The spray was so immense that I could feel the sting of the salt in my eyes, even from the great distance.

My eyes swept the coast, and again a flash of orange caught my eye. My breath hitched, and I quickly brushed the hair out of my eyes, getting a better view. There, between the eerie, looming cave and the jagged rocks. My breath and heart stopped, but my mind was racing a million miles a minute. I needed to get down there, now!

Looking over the edge again, my heart did a skip. The rocks, plunging and diving straight down below. Something deep inside of me churned, and it took all of my willpower to take a step closer. Slowly, ever so slowly, but with the fastest motions possible, I lowered myself to the ground. The smell of dirt mixed with salty rocks, oh how comforting it was. How easy it was to stay here. But no, I was being selfish, I needed to get down there. Tentatively, I lowered myself over the edge, but not before risking another look at the thrashing waves, and searching, again, for the orange speck.

Once I lowered myself over the edge, everything blurred into one. The sting of the salt in my eyes, my heart racing faster and faster. The frantic scramble of the rocks slipping below my feet, and the blood running down my fingers and knees. The wing, threatening to push me off the cliff face. Birds threatened to swoop my head. The loose, jagged rocks threatening to make my feet slip out from underneath them. The lactic acid building in my arms threatening to collapse my stability. It all hurt. I didn’t know how much longer I could carry on, but I was determined. I needed to get down there. Even if it killed me.

Blood swirled around inside my mouth. Strange, I did not remember cutting it. No pain anymore, just the feeling of weariness. Needed to stop, but not knowing how. Hearing jagged breathing, but not knowing who it belonged to. The impatient and powerful waves, so close but so far away. Yet I carried on, putting one foot below the other. Something deep inside of me, something stronger, pulling me to the now larger orange flash.

Without warning, something cut my foot from underneath. In a daze, I peeked a wary glance at the ground, wanting, no, needing to know how far I had left. Instead of a deadly plunge, I was greeted with the sight of the naked, hard rocks below my toes. There was no effort left to release a triumphant cry, instead, I just put one foot in front of the other. Spying the orange shape again, something superhuman inside of me pushed my body over the uncharted rocks, determinedly stumbling over the churning rock pools. Hazily navigating the treacherous waves, I was not aware of what I was doing. I did not know anything except for the orange in front of me.

I felt something run down my face, blood or the salt spray, I didn’t know. It didn’t matter, all that mattered was the ever so close orange life form in front of the leering cave. With a final gasp, I propelled myself towards the shape. Scrambling, I reached out to grasp it, cold blood and fatigue overtaking my body. Numbly, I could feel a cold and clammy t-shirt move into my grasp. I plunged my weary face into the orange fabric, and I pulled the small child’s body closer to my saturated chest. I felt a tiny breath underneath my face, and through a tear-stained face, I saw my son move his body closer to mine.
Nothing could part us, ocean stained and covered in mud and blood. But nothing mattered anymore. My son was finally in my arms. He was home.