Amour Ch. 01

Tienna always watched her feet as she walked. Today she was in a particular hurry as she walked briskly, bumping into people to her left and right along the narrow sidewalk. She didn't care about them as she struggled to keep up her fast pace, her breathing began to become laboured under the effort. The air was getting colder as a stiff breeze swept across her face, cooling the sweat. The sunlight was quickly fading, the sun receding in the distance as it succumbed to the night. Relief fell upon her face as her feet touched the still warm sand. A ghost of a smile creeping across her lips as she set out with renewed vigour, setting out towards the cliffs.

People were gone, the cold bite of the night forcing them to retire to their warm protected houses. Tienna looked out along the beach, it had changed a lot; her favourite place. Empty beer cans littered the sand as she trudged up the narrow path that led to the cliff, pieces of disused paper adhered onto the bushes like a fungus as she walked among them avoiding their entangling branches. Tienna sighed deeply, now feeling depressed at the loss of her own private Idaho.

She made her way to the edge of the cliff, letting go of her towel as she stood at the edge. A roughly constructed wooden fence signified the end of the safety margin, a point of no return if ignored. She stood for awhile, the wind blowing through her long dark hair as the voice of the ocean swept through her, calming her. She had no idea how long she was going to stay there, some days she stayed for ten minutes as she watched the sunset retreat behind the waves before leaving to go back to the hellhole which she had dubbed her home. Today felt different though. It was as if time had no meaning, as she looked down at the waves crashing against the cliff face. The beautiful colours of the sunset blazed red, as if they were taunting her, she was captivated by its beauty yet could sense its malice. The waves continued to crash against the cliff face, a small cave on the edge of the cliff became submerged underneath the large swell. Tienna looked around the shoreline. A lone couple strode along the wet sand, their feet leaving imprints behind them before it disappeared underneath the rising tide. They looked happy as they strode confidently along, their arms around each other as they stopped to embrace. He reminded her of someone she once knew. She shook her head, clearing it of these thoughts. It seemed that everything reminded her of that same someone.

Standing up and straightening her dress, Tienna smiled at the bewitchingly malevolent sun as she jumped off the cliff. The rush of the wind filled her ears as her stomach rose threateningly. She could taste the bile at the back of her throat as the ocean hit her. The sudden cold impact, causing all the air to rush out of her lungs as she rose to the surface gasping. The cold tranquil ocean flowing through her body, cleansing her soul as she made her way towards the shoreline, her sleek body cutting through the strong current with ease. The sun had set now as twilight began to creep through the sky. Enveloping it and everything with its darkness. Tienna looked around her, it was completely dark, and everything was black. She couldn't see the waves, or the shoreline for that matter. She felt something brush against her leg underneath her. Panicking, Tienna swam quickly in a random direction as her head filled with disturbing images of what may have brushed against her foot. She had seen too many Jaws movies, and although she had laughed at the cheap special effects at that time, now she could feel her heart thud inside her head as she struck out to what she hoped was the shoreline.

All of a sudden she was it by a wave in front of her as its undertow dragged her under, she clawed her way to the surface, her lungs burning in agony at the lack of air as she finally broke the surface gasping, only to be hit by a second wave. She was unprepared for this wave as she swallowed the seawater, her head swimming due to the lack of oxygen as she felt herself fall down, peacefully sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Enveloped by the inky blackness around her, she felt something-large brush against her. She did not care anymore though her soul was cleansed and free from thoughts. Free from pain, free from the countless nights sobbing at what once was. Free from this world and its constant tests of pain. As she felt herself slip into the inevitable darkness of peace she heard the lyrics of 'Mad World' by Gary Jules flow through her subconscious mind.

"I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad, the dreams of which I'm dieing are the best I've ever had."

The sounds of the waves crashing against the cliff woke Tienna up. She looked around startled. She was in a cave of sorts, the sunlight peering through the small entrance of the cave, lighting up the meagre space of the cave. She heard a large splash to the right of the entrance. Looking up she saw through the dim light the outline of a woman. But what an exquisite sight she was Tienna thought to herself as this woman approached her slowly and warily, only to stop a mere 5ft away. Tienna studied the woman with interest. The stranger had red flowing hair, dark in colour that curled in large circlets as it splayed across her chest. The hair was decorated with an assortment of tiny sea shells that shined in the pale light of the cave. The stranger's untamed green eye's stared at Tienna with caution. Brilliantly vivid in comparison to her milky pale skin, which strangely reminded Tienna of full cream milk. The strange woman standing before Tienna was also topless as her small pink nipples stood erect in the cold unforgiving water of the ocean. Below that was the water, which hid any other nakedness, which this woman may have been hiding from Tienna. Tienna was the first to talk.

"Did you save me?"

The woman listened carefully then nodded, grinning. Her pearly white teeth shining brilliantly in the pale light of the cave.

"Why?"

The woman cocked her head to the side, looking at Tienna curiously. Her green eye's staring at Tienna deplorably. Tienna smiled.

"What is your name? My name is Tienna."

The woman looked at Tienna and smiled knowingly as if already knowing that that was her name.

"...My name is Aria."

Aria's voice with heavy with an accent that Tienna had not heard of before, as her tongue rolled around her vowels tentatively. Her voice was light and slightly musical, one might even go so far as to describe it bubbly.

"Thankyou... Aria."

Aria smiled cheekily and nodded. Waving briefly she dived back underneath the surface, her silver tail flicking briefly in the light before disappearing underneath the ocean without so much as a ripple. Tienna stood for some time, looking at the lapping water at her feet. Had she really seen what to her looked like a fish tail? This was crazy she berated herself. Mermaids aren't real. They are fairy tales told to children to put them to bed. But despite her arguments Tienna still had that flicker of doubt playing at the back of her head as she swam out to shore and drove home. Were mermaids really a myth? Were they all as beautiful as Aria? Am I hallucinating after drinking all that seawater? Is this all a strange twisted dream? Tienna pinched herself hard, causing her to yelp in pain as her car swerved, almost hitting an oncoming car as it blared its horn angrily at her. At least she knew that it wasn't a dream Tienna thought to herself as she rubbed her sore arm...