Orange Fiery Orb (Part 1)
The orange fiery orb dipped
Relaxedly
Into the sea
I had come up along the coastal path and onto the cliff. My purpose was solely to take photographs of the sunset.
I was not, however, alone. There was another person, a young woman, there too. What was frustrating is that she had taken the best position, right at the top of the cliff. There she would have a clear and uninterrupted view over the sea.
My eyes alternated their gaze between the setting sun and the woman. I was half hoping she would move on and then I could take her place. I did not want to miss the opportunity to get the best shots.
She didn’t seem to show any sign of moving on though. I was not sure quite what she was doing. At one point she seemed to send a message on her phone and she also had a notebook in her backpack. I only noticed this because she had the backpack on the ground beside her feet and at one point she reached down to it. As she did so, I had the raised hope she might pick up the backpack and move on. Instead, she opened it and took out a notebook and a pencil.
From where I was standing and also because I did not want to be staring at her, I could not tell what she was doing with the notebook. She seemed to write, which is not surprising, but she may also have been drawing in it. I will admit that, I now felt more warmly toward the woman; at least she seemed like a creative person.
By this time, the sunset had already started, and I felt I should prepare to take my shots. With a little reluctance, I set up my tripod and positioned the camera. I say ‘reluctance’ because I knew that once the tripod and the camera were set up, there would be little opportunity to change position even if the woman moved on. The time needed to reposition and resetup the equipment would be too long to get the shots before the sun set.
In time, I had taken a few shots, ones which I regarded as preliminary or ‘test’ shots, when from the side of my eye I noticed the woman turn. In fact, she had turned toward me and had put down her notebook and was now looking at me. She stood there, motionless. I looked at her but also tried to keep an eye on the setting sun, looking for a perfect scene or colouring.
Then she did something I did not expect, she started to unbutton her top. This had my attention more, not because I was interested to see how well she was endowed or how far she would go but more because I was wondering what she was doing.
As she unbuttoned her third button, she took a step back. A step which took her toward the cliff edge. I was anxious for her safety but it was only when she took a second step back that I called out “be careful”.
It was too late.
Without a sound, her body stumbled backwards and down the cliff. I rushed to the edge but only to see the dark outline of her body thump onto the rocks below and then be lost in the dusky shadows.
Standing with her backpack on the ground beside me, I called out into the depths below .. “Hellooo … are you okay?” There was no reply. I looked down at the backpack and noticed the notebook placed on top of it. On the cover, I could just make out a name, Bernadette. “Bernadette,” I called, “Can you hear me?”
Again no reply.
I took out my phone and turned on its camera. I moved as close to the cliff edge as I dare and tried to focus the camera down. In the low light, the LED light started to shine. I tried to scan around and also to pinch-zoom on the screen. I was trying to see down as best I could but I still could make nothing out.
Then I turned off the camera and used the phone to call the emergency services.
That could have been the end of the story were it not for the fact that the next step I took was to pick up her notebook. I was hoping to see if there was an address or telephone number for her or a contact. From the cover, I had already discovered that her name was Bernadette. I opened the book and inside the front cover there was a message written in big letters. It read;
“Do Not Call Police or Ambulance”
which is what I had just finished doing.
Underneath this message but written in a smaller style, was another message;
“This notebook is for you, stranger, keep it, read it and tell my story”
Then, on the first page, she had written the words;
“The orange fiery orb dipped
relaxedly
into the sea”
…….. Bernadette Bush
