The waves bombarded into the rocky cliff. White chunks of stone were sent tumbling down the side, crashing into the churning water, lost forever. The grass was like a soft green carpet beneath my muddy shoes. Kids laughed and played on the sandy beach below me, their cries of glee harmonizing with the seagulls’. A soft warm breeze blows across my face, tickling my cheeks as it goes. Kites fly in the sky, dancing beside one another.

I wipe my long mousy brown hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. My green eyes swivel to the left, following the long dirt road that leads back to town. I remember playing on the little swing set we had in our back yard, pushing my little sister higher and higher, her laughs echoing into the still morning air. Our Mum came out with fresh banana bread, steam rising, swirling and curling, disappearing in the light of the early sun. I remember, when I was young, my Mum used to read me bedtime stories until I fell into a deep, calm sleep.

The wind will always blow. The waves will always crash into this cliff, taking white chunks of stone with it. The kids won’t always play though.

I slip my dirty sneakers off, one bare foot hits the ground, then the other. They sink into the soft squishy soil, my toes wrapping around the grass. I remember the time me and my sister had a picnic up here. It was a special moment. We chatted, I did my history assignment as she read a book. We ate cheese and biscuits, my sister getting crumbs all over her happy face.

As I wrapped my cardigan around me, I took one step forward, leaving my shoes behind me. As the clouds slowly passed by me and a storm could be seen up ahead, the families on the beach slowly packed away their belongings and started to head home, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I took one more step forward, closer to the edge of the cliff. I remember the time my family went to the beach, the waves slapping the golden shore, my Mum and sister talking while I dashed into the sea, tumbling around like I was in a washing machine. I remember coming down here alone, reading a book and trying to forget what had just happened at my home.

I take another step, so close to the edge of the cliff, I could feel the sea spitting at my face, creating fake tears to slide down to my chin. I didn’t know which ones were tears of my own or the sea’s spray as I stepped off the cliff edge.

The wind slammed into my face making my eyes dry like a desert. My ears blasted with a cacophony of noise. My heart thumped a million miles an hour. Memories flashed before my eyes. I didn’t know why I felt no fear as I fell towards my death. I didn’t know where my tears had gone. I didn’t know why my dad had murdered my sister and my mother. But I did know that I wanted to be with them. I slammed into the water, my bones breaking on impact. As I sunk to the bottom of the ocean floor and thunder clapped in the sky, I smiled for the first time in years. I ran out of breath and the world went black around me.

No one saw the girl jump. No one saw her fall. No one saw the way she smiled when she hit the water, disappearing, lost forever. No one saw her and yet everyone heard of the disappearance the week after. The wind continued to blow. The waves continued to bombard the rocky cliff. The kids did not, however, continue to play.