SWNOVELS Chapter Prologue
Bottled up thoughts
Like how we’ve all been told growing up to listen to our fathers and mothers when they tell us to do something. We should surely pay attention that we won’t end up hurt or in trouble as it was three years to this day; when I, Sara Lane McCray was no more than the age of nine wanting, so wanting to join my brother and his friends once I heard that they were planning to go to the cove.
I try not to intrude on their fun. I just didn’t want to be left alone since my older sister Alana 17, was out with our mom at the market, which left me here with my two brothers and our dad stuck at home.
That’s where my dad called me over, as I quickly jumped to my feet, when I was standing next to my brother with one sundering stare, we then looked up at our dad. Seeing him wait patiently to have both our attentions, he started to tell us while pointing toward his son “you can go to the cove for the afternoon, before dinner”, in the corner of my right eye a slight glimmer of hope. That is until our dad said, “but take your sister along with you” whereas shortly fallowed was a deep grown of sighs. Given that he wasn’t so thrilled of taking his little sister with him along with his friends. Which at that time my brother Mathew 12, started to slowly make his way toward the front door where his two friends Chris, and Jake were waiting.
Shortly turned and looked back at dad and I, at the same time turning the doorknob, sliding back the bolt followed by him saying “well aren’t you coming, sis”, with one look at my dad I soon started to walk away from my dad toward Mathew.
When I felt my dad’s hands on my shoulder then he said
“now Sara you stay close to your brother, and off of the cliff, and Mathew you keep watch over your sister and go to the cove and come back that’s it, I don’t want you in any more trouble, OK”, we both answered “yes father” fallowed by our younger brother Timothy 5, asked, “and what do you want me to do, can I go too” our dad then replied “no son you stay here with me”.
“But why can’t I go with them father”, “well because son you are too young yet to go with them”, without another word he started to stomp away back to his room. Walking out of the house and toward the cove as I was walking slightly behind my brother and two of his friends where we soon met up with his other friend Eric. When we all reached the start of the woods that lies between us and the cove as a wooden sign that had two arrows pointing in opposite directions. One with the name Cherry Drop Cove 1 ½ mile and the other sign was hardly readable do to how it was so weathered.
It was early afternoon where it was at its most packed with people, as in small family’s enjoying this perfect afternoon of sunshine, warm temperatures and cool water to wade in. Though within just a few slight minuets being overwhelmed with such the sight of a compact cove, I soon realized that I didn’t see either my brother or his friends.
Within minutes to hours of searching for them time seem to pass slowly as those who were there soon to depart and go on their way back home or where ever they were going by horse drawn carriage when my father’s voice soon started to repeat what he had told me over and over “stay on the beach, stay away from the cliff”. It was like he was my good conscious. So, try as I could be a good little girl that I am I try to do what I am told as I continued to look for my brother who didn’t fallow our dad’s instructions of looking out for me.
I finally decided to if I could stand on top of the cliff that would be able to see them better than standing on this part of the beach where my height isn’t quiet helping me. I must be careful around an old tree that stood in the center of a cliff that wasn’t too far from a small key inland of a beach that was just not far from the woods that divided the shore line from my family’s property line that it almost took most of the afternoon where our closest neighbor’s house was just shy of half a mile. Anyways; to where my father always forbids us especially me to go because, in his words
‘it wasn’t safe’ as he tried to make up scary stories of how something as big as a dog but light as a weight of an alley cat could be swept up and be carried off the cliff estimated six-foot high.
On this one, typical day in August, I soon found out for myself where it all started when I heard the roaring sound against the edge of the cliff.
That went through so much of the changing of seasons made the outside edge of the cliff unstable, as a few bits of it broke off and began to roll down until it plunged into the unsteady and fierce water raging below.
The vibrations from the waves hitting the front of the cliff, made each piece break away like falling leaves but in clumps of dirt; having a keen sense that I shouldn’t be standing near such an unstable cliff, where which I wore a light daisy yellow dress with stitched flowers quilted by my mother’s hand, with a semi heavy but light over coat that was only a few inches longer than the dress and a hands width from my feet.
Just that as it kept on getting caught on the branches of the tree, whenever I tried to climb upward which it was then my attention seems to have gotten the best of me, I then soon found myself at the edge.
Without hesitation, I took off the coat it was a clever idea being slightly windy and was about to place it down next to the base of the tree. Long before, that came that very moment within a stroke of a certain cold chill in the air that made everyone slowly leave the water. As it even brushed up against me, that’s when a sudden shiver came over me. I only had one of the sleeves of the coat in my left hand and the other partially covered it in the sleeve.
The sound of waves soon became more intense, drowning out the sounds of the barking dogs playing in the water, while the waves through themselves against the shoreline of the beach and against that very cliff that I was on. Became a little more conscientious of my immediate surroundings let alone being only a few feet away from the weakening edge as the off-shore wind started to rustle through the branches of the tall trees of the woods that just lay behind the small beach.
For those who were there still combing the beach, quickly noticed the drastic change and being long time fishermen, they couldn’t help but feel it in their bones that something was making its way across the horizon.
High tide gradually rolled over more of the sandy beach, for greater or less than what concerned about for those who were standing mainly on the beach with them and just for not noticing nor seeing me on the cliff prior to the change in Mother Nature.
By now I was not only fighting to keep my balance was adjustable issue but even keeping a safe distance from the cliffs edge was even greater. Hearing the deep barks of the stranger’s hounds coming from the beach the strong wind shortly steadied itself to a point where everything calmed to a standstill as everything seem to go back to the way it was, with a deepening sigh I still had my left arm still in the sleeve.
Which I then retraced what I did and placed my coat back on, when at that moment, it would all seem to change again as I turned slightly. My back facing toward the edge and as I would be facing toward the old tree that still swayed its half leafless branches side to side which was kind of odd seeing that, where there was not even enough wind let alone a breeze to make it sway like that I must say it looked like as if it was simply waving me bye-bye. Out of the corner of my left eye I saw a one of my much older brother’s friend’s not knowing if he saw me nor I seen him for that brief minute I felt a little better.
Suddenly, from nowhere came this huge rogue wave of wind came by, I am being the weight like the alley cat like my dad would refer to in his stories, had nowhere else to go as I was seemingly caught in the bough (front) of it. Where there was old leaves and twigs as well as patches of dusted sand from the beach, all bunched up together, it took a mirror second and blew against me toward and off the
side of the cliff. Feeling the ground below my feet start to crumble and break within one quick inhale I fell forward to where I struggled by scratching and clawing against with my little hands the ground trying to get a solid grip. I found myself bellow out a loud an innocent scream where at first once I found myself hanging drastically, over the edge. The people didn’t hear it due to it was drowned out by the roar of the waves crashing, but was heard by their dogs who have very sharp hearing; stopped what they were doing as one by one heard me scream which they (the dogs) looked upward and soon saw me hanging off the cliff. Let me tell you right at that moment my father’s words soon rang in my ear telling me that “I am a fighter that I won’t give up no matter what”.
Grabbing onto the side of the cliff for dear life; hanging onto the thin vines of roots and the tips of the patches of crab-grass. Up until I noticed the dogs barking wildly, like they were on the hunt sounding off, where the trail went, which led them to where I was dangling from a vine of an ingrown roots, expanding every minute I hung onto it. I then tried to dig the points of my shoes into the side of the cliff, though the voice of my mother soon rang in my ears telling me not to get them dirty, ‘oh well’ which at that moment I then jabbed with my right foot into to the now soft clay dirt. It wasn’t long for me to notice I felt more dirt under and between my toes than I should have.
I then carefully, and very diligently looked down not toward the water that brushed against the cliff but toward my right foot; coming to realization, I only have on one shoe at that moment.
To that end I saw it floating on the water heading toward the other side of the cliff to where there were boats tied up on shore.
Raising my sights upward I soon was met by a snout of warm wet hound nose which to me still rank. Which in deed let me know that they have found me, as this blood hound was known for having a good nose to sniff out anything, gave me a wet and long lick.