She smiled because she could see the
bottom.
The concrete looked calm from high above,
like a broken wave coating the damp, warm sand.
Crickets sang out through the darkness
but the roaring of the ocean
drowned them out.

It was darker than dark
and quiet enough to breathe.

Perfection.

Her final breath sent her over,
gliding toward the waves
floating on a cloud.

Finally, freedom.
Silence.
Darkness.

As she neared the ground, she reveled in
her weightlessness.
It was joyful, for the first time
since him.
It was riveting, inspiring, unique, unimaginable.

Ending.
It was ending.

The ocean was not giving.
It did not wash her away.
It did not wash away the hurt.

She heard a scream, and footsteps.
Her smile, her joy, her revelation
disappeared.

Why could she still hear the screams?