Chapter 1
Standing in the doorway and looking around the cabin Gladys smiles to herself. How long has it been since she had a place to call her own where she can actually lay her head on a real bed? Too long, it’s time I put the past behind me and live in the present. Walking around the cabin she turns on the hot water at the sink, checks out the bathroom and flops on the bed. God how good it feels. Looking up at the roof she laughs—no more worries about a leaky tent or flood water soaking her bed roll. Bursting out laughing she realizes this could blow her status as the neighborhood bag lady.
Ah well, winter is coming and her age is making it harder and harder to handle sleeping in a tent—even here on the coast where you didn’t have to contend with snow or ice it could get downright uncomfortable. Standing up she walks over to the sink letting the warm water run over her hands. Who would have thought there was so much pleasure in such a simple act? Yes, it’s time to put the past behind her and start living again like a normal person. Goodbye bag lady and hello Gladys.
Slipping on a sweater she heads outside leaving her shopping cart behind. This morning she feels the need to take a walk along the ocean, breath in the fresh sea air and make the adjustment from homeless to having a home. Unable to understand why she can’t shake this feeling of impending doom when her life has taken such and upward swing she strikes out with strong, wide steps taking deep breaths of the cleansing sea air. As the waves roll in and out on the sandy beach she feels her spirits lifting and a smile broadens her face—her attention is soon caught by a group of sea gulls fighting over a bit of fish breakfast. Ah yes, she was beginning to feel a slight gnawing in the pit of her stomach, breakfast sounds like a good idea. Well another half mile or so and she’d treat herself to breakfast at the coffee shop, but first she’d walk up to the point and look at the view before heading back to town.
The beach comes to an end fronting on a formable grouping of rocks, turning she starts up the winding path that leads to the top of the hill to Lookout Point, knowing the view from up there is unbelievable. Walking slowly, taking in the groups of wild flowers and plants that are defying the coming of winter she becomes aware of faint sounds, like screams. Startled she looks around and her eyes are caught by a man and a woman at the top o Lookout Point struggling. Sucking in her breath, dear God they are awfully close to the edge.
Suddenly a very loud scream which sounds like “Daddy…No” echoes from above as the woman falls or is pushed over the side of the cliff. Looking on in pure horror Gladys lets out an involuntary scream of her own and starts rushing up the hill her eyes still on the man standing there. What has she just seen? Had the two of them really been fighting, had the man pushed the woman over the side or bad she stepped back and fallen? What exactly did I see? What did I really hear?
The man appears to be coming out of a trance and looks down at Gladys, hesitates and starts towards the back of the cliff, hesitates again as he looks back at her noting her progress. He seems to make a decision, turns and takes the path going down the other side of the hill. Is he going down to the rocks below to help the young woman? What makes her think it was a young woman. Surely the woman would be dead after a fall like that onto all those rocks. She starts running, ignoring the sharp pain in her side; she can’t stop now she has to get up there to help. Gaining the top of the cliff Gladys stops for a minute before looking over the side of the cliff, hoping against hope she won’t see what she expects—but no such luck, down below on the rocks is the body of the woman. It’s apparent even from up here that the woman is dead; remembering the man she walks over and looks down the other side of the cliff. She had told herself he would be down there trying to get to the woman but there is no sign of him. The man is long gone. Hearing a motor she looks over towards the highway and sees an old pickup truck. Could that be him? Would he just run off and leave the woman without being sure she couldn’t help her? Sucking in a mouthful of air to calm the pain in her side she hesitates knowing she must get back to town and notify the police. The only way to safely get to the woman was by boat, trying to walk over those rocks would be nearly impossible. She starts back towards the side of the hill to make the return trip and remembers the man had looked over at the back of the cliff, started there and then hesitated turning instead and going down the other side of the hill maybe going for help. Was there something or someone back there?
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