Antonios Vitalis, Year 12
They had made it to the top, together.
Holding her hand Johnny savoured the moment; breathing it in. It had been a tough track, his feet were sore, calves burning, but here they were. They approached the edge of the tall cliff and sat. Cara sat crossed legged across from him, wiping off the dust of the track from her thighs. Johnny took off his backpack and unzipped it on his lap. He rummaged through the contents of the bag, before whipping the object he had been searching for out in a single action.
“Would you like some water babe?” Extending his right arm that clutched a cold 250 ml bottle.
She looked at him, her blue eyes shining as the midday sun focused on them. They smiled at each other until she laughed softly. Shaking her head gently.
“I’m ok. Thanks. If I have any more I’m going to need to pee!”
It was his turn to laugh, flashing his teeth as he did so. “Suit yourself,” he said before undoing the lid and taking a sip. She moved next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. He knelt his head on hers and gazed at the view of the forest before them. It was an incredible sight.
The green scenery buzzed with the noises of insects, chirpy birds, beetles, and the white water rapids that surged at the bottom of the cliff. She asked him:
“How are you feeling?”
“What do you mean?” He replied lifting his head to meet hers.
“I just worry that these things we do bore you. That you don’t enjoy them as much as you let on.”
He shifted his body slightly so that he was now directly in front of her. She had her face down at this point, avoiding his gaze. He gently caressed her right cheek with his left hand and smiled.
“Hey, this right here is something I won’t forget for a very long time for all the right reasons. I love this.” He said pointing at the view of the forest from the edge of the cliff. “I love you. There’s no need to doubt it anymore.”
She kissed him.
He held her tightly, gently tracing his index finger around her ear. Oh how much she meant to him. How much he wished they could live here, just them. Away from the cities, the complexities of life, to enjoy only the simplicities that Mother Nature could provide.
Around an hour later she was napping next to him, on the thin blue outdoor blanket that he had carried for her during their hike up here. As the late sunlight started to falter he rose, quietly so as to not disturb her and walked to the edge of the cliff. He pulled out his phone to take a photo of this moment. Not only did he want to remember this moment the way it was with a simple click of his phone, but it was also to show his family that spending his time with Cara wasn’t as bad as they thought.
He approached the edge cautiously, he had a fear heights that still devastated him. Looking across rather than below, he aimed his phone and clicked to capture. He smiled at the result.
Mum would love it if she came here, he thought to himself.
He heard footsteps approaching him and knew it was just Cara coming to him. He was about to turn when before he knew it he was falling.
Gravity was now in motion as he sailed through the air, his hair blowing out, and his shorts inflated and deflated as the forced air entered the ends of his shorts. He hurtled towards the water, but at the last minute shifted his body into a diving position to reduce impact. If the water had been shallow, Johnny’s efforts would have failed miserably. Thankfully the river was significantly deep, enough for him to submerge under the water, only to emerge like a panicked monkey experiencing his first swim.
He gasped for air before the water rapids blew him in the direction of the river. Johnny crashed around helplessly, feeling his skin pull from his muscle. He lifted his head momentarily inhaled and then went under water, immediately grabbing hold of a boulder stuck on the floor of the outer edge of the river. He clung on.
As the rapids continued down their path, Johnny used the boulder as a shield clambering to the edge of the river. Each step progress was made, as the rapids weakened until no pressure was left to prevent Johnny from escaping the river. He collapsed from exhaustion against a nearby tree, gasping for air. What just happened? Who had pushed him? Was Cara alright? Questions ran through his mind as Johnny stumbled to regain his balance. Before long he turned to the track leading to the cliff and ran.
He was a fit boy, an army cadet, so running up this mild track wasn’t going to be too hard for him, especially with this sudden surge of adrenaline pumping through his veins. He grunted as he pushed his feet past the uneven surfaces of the track, feeling the gravel beneath him roll over as he pushed on. Whoever had pushed him could have hurt Cara by now, or worse, so it was important he got there as soon as he did. Thankfully there was only one way up the cliff and only one way down, and since he’d only been in the water for several minutes, whoever had done this hadn’t escaped yet. That meant Cara was still there to be saved.
Johnny ran on before he reached the top. Panting he paused, leaning against a nearby rock, inhaled and exhaled. He was ready to save her. Johnny walked to the cliff, tense and ready to fight. But Cara was fine.
Johnny froze.
“What the fuck is this?” He whispered in shock.
Cara stopped and looked at him in shock. The man she was with got up and held Cara close, she clutched to him tightly.
“What is this?” Johnny repeated.
Cara and the man looked at each other as Johnny, still frozen with shock, waited for an answer.
“How are you alive?” Cara finally asked.
“I… I don’t know” Johnny replied quietly.
“Johnny this is Michael. My lover. I was going to tell you but…”
“But decided to try and kill me instead. Make it seem like an accident.” Johnny interjected, anger rising at him now he understood the situation better.
“It was an accident, John,” Michael said, cooly.
Johnny turned to look at the man. He was reasonably tall, a few inches shorter than him. Lean, like him, but thinner looking. Who the fuck did he think he was.
“Cara, this better be a prank. This better not be happening.” Before pausing to ask “What is happening?”
“Johnny I just haven’t been feeling the same way, it’s been difficult for me. I….”
Johnny ignored it. Staring at the ground. Why? Why had him? Why did this have to happen to him? What had he done to deserve this?
So many questions, so little answers.
“Michael understands me, Johnny. I’m sorry but it’s the truth. I didn’t know how to tell you.”
Johnny turned to Michael. He winked at Johnny before returning to act sincerely. Johnny snapped. He approached Michael and swung a right hook to the bastard’s jaw. The crunch was satisfying, to say the least. Michael collapsed to the ground taken by surprise. Johnny climbed on top of him and proceeded to beat the guy hard until Cara screamed him to stop. He turned to see her crying, standing at the edge of the cliff. He stopped punching Michael and tried to approach her, ask her why. Why had she done this? He never got to ask her, as Michael rose and pushed Johnny off the cliff for the last time.
They had made it to the top, together. Now he had fallen, alone.
