Sally Jansen walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down.
The sun glinted merrily off the crashing waves below her as she, silent and unseeing, wiped a single tear from her clenched jawline just before it fell.
She’d been coming to this place every day for as long as she could remember. Or perhaps she'd simply forgotten a life before here. Every day after an avoided breakfast and a too late lunch. Later in the afternoon than was warm enough to be comfortable and just before the shadows after sunset made it difficult to find a way back.
Every day the same, regardless of the weather and despite the gulls that cried overhead, or the ships that called faintly in the misty distance to let passers-by know of a change of direction.
Every day the same, Sally Jansen would walk slowly to the cliff edge and sit for a while, calmly wiping a quiet tear from her face as she waited.
The routine was so reliably executed, it seemed as though she’d been waiting forever and a day without expectation of any kind of return. But in truth it had only been some years, or a bit more or less of them. A mere blip on the cosmic scanner, in the circle of life and time... and the ebb and flow of both as they came to pass and return.
Again and again.
After she'd wept, Sally Jansen would sit on the grass near the edge of the cliff for a while and wait some more.
After still more of a while after this, she would slowly push herself up with one hand, sighing heavily as though the weight of the whole world was holding her down and rise to stand again, wobbling ever so slightly as she lifted herself straight. As though the slightest breeze might blow her keen over.
When she had steadied herself, she would begin to put one foot in front of the other without much intention…and in doing so, Sally Jansen would slowly make her way home again with hardly a thought at all. Until the sun rose on another new day and she would find herself putting on her walking boots in the late afternoon and just before sunset.
Again.
Today was not unlike any other day.
As another liquid golden globe, magical in its brilliance, sank towards the endless shining horizon, Sally turned away from the sun and followed her long shadow as it beckoned her back to the darkened house near the edge of the cliff.
Nobody visited the house near the edge of the cliff anymore.
Well meaning but uninvited guests were infrequent enough for it to seem more like a house at the edge of the world, than a house near a small village, close to a cliff with unending views of the horizon.
Sally Jansen was a quiet sort of person and nobody in the village knew more than this. Nobody knew more of Sally than a few small facts.
That she came in to the market on a Wednesday, to stock up for the week ahead. That she always kept a good supply of candles. That she only very occasionally allowed herself a small cake, or neat packet of biscuits, when the weather was greyer and the wind more cold than usual.
Other than this her shopping list remained the same each market day. And Sally Jansen avoided the town, and the people in it, on every other day of the week.
Nobody knew where she had come from either.
Or what she was doing in the house at the edge of the world, near the cliff with the unending horizon. The folk in the town had long since stopped inviting her to events, social occasions or town hall meetings. And the neighbourly gifts of home made breads and bakes had dried up even a while back before then.
People had accepted the stranger as well as they could, had let things be and had gotten on with the business of living without further curiosity or resentment. Perhaps when life is more simple, people and their ways are able to remain so more easily as well.
Four long summers and three longer winters passed before the routine of Sally Jansen changed even slightly one bit. And when it did, Sally Jansen wasn’t even the first person to realise it had happened.
Or to fully understand how things eventually changed at all.
Part 1 of the 3 Part Fiction Series Scholar&Scribe / DreemPort Challenge
Congratulations @nickydee! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):
Your next target is to reach 1000 comments.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Love it Hivebuzz and your ongoing work and encouragement for all of us. Tnx! ❤️🙏
Totally enthralling and absolutely brilliantly executed. Portentous, chilling and mesmerizing all in one. 🤗❤️💕❤️❤️🤗🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂
You should consider writing for The Ink Well.
Lovely. Lovely
Thank you. How wonderful :)
I have the Ink Well on my radar and have for a while! I'm just such a procrastinator... you know how it goes I'm sure!
These challenges really help to force the writing to happen... I have a thing developing for the Ink Well and will reach out when it's ready.
Thanks so much for the encouragement! ❤️😊
HURRY TIME, Post part 2 and 3 RIGHT NOW!
What happened to her? What changed? Will she find light and happiness soon?
😁
Awesome!
I'm not even totally sure yet... this sort of happened organically and I'm busy working it out as I wander around.
Thanks so much for your enthusiasm. Makes me want to write more right now ❤️
You write.
I read.
done deal...
I'm in... but only if you write and I read too 😉👍
LOL!!!!
Well... you know..
Like that! 😆
This is so good. The character development is so tight and efficient. I am eager to know more about this Sally, that seems so mysterious. I am curious to know what, or who, and why she goes to the cliff everyday and why she chooses to stay so far off from people. Did she lose someone? I'll find out next week...
Thank you Olujay :)
Really appreciate you connecting and your great comment!
More to follow... working on it! ❤️
Yay! 🤗
Your content has been boosted with Ecency Points, by @itsostylish.
Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!
Support Ecency
Vote for new Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more
Glad to see the muse visited. 💛
I was enthralled from the beginning to the end of Part 1. Now, I have the unenviable task of waiting. Waiting. I might have to walk to the edge of a cliff and look out at the sea. Perhaps a tear will trickle down to my jawline as I wait.
It's good to have a muse... as long as it doesn't stop progress ;)
No tears for you, please, beautiful woman. Only joy for the next bit ❤️
Tears of joy only. Right. Got you. 👌
That photograph its a piece of art. Nice picture, great post
Thank you, Octia :)
I can't take credit for the picture, but it's a great shot... yeah.
Thanks for reading and your precious time. I really appreciate it! ❤️
This was simply transcendent, Nicky. Gorgeously written - it tugged at every string in my heart. I want to reach out and hug Sally Jansen for as long as it takes for those tears to stop flowing 💗 I very much look forward to following her journey over the next couple of weeks... I'm holding out for hope, healing, and love to return to her life. !LUV !ALIVE
@nickydee! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (5/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
@samsmith1971(4/5) gave you LUV.
tools | wallet | discord | community | <><
HiveBuzz.me NFT for Peace
Wow, Sam :) Thank you!
I really appreciate the encouragement. I rarely write fiction and am suddenly keen to try more. You guys! ❤️
Loved the prompt and it does keep us at the keyboard. We need you!
Well, I cannot wait for part 2!!! Let's go... haha🙌
😁
Awesome! Let's go!
Also... today is reading all of you guys day so... ;)
I'll be back! <3
OOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo! I can not wait to read more!!
Bravo!
Aw... you.
You've been in my thoughts. Really. I hope you're finding some peace!
Love that word "Bravo". Thank you! You make my heart happy and my fingers itch to tap away at this keyboard a bit more ❤️
That story reminds me of a song called "La loca ded San Blas", who was waiting for years on a dock for the arrival of a lost love. Will it be the case of Sally Jansen? I will wait for the next edition to know a little more 😎😉
Thanks for your reading time 😊
And for the sharing. I'm going to look that song up! ❤️
Thanks to you 🤩. Have a nice day 🤗
Same to you, sister :) ❤️
You're a good writer 😍
Aw... thanks! :)
So are you! And your photos are super good! Really...
Happy I found you today. 😁
Thank you 😍😍😍😍😍 I am happy to meet you too. I am 9 years old and there are a few good people I met here. Some are very nice, some are rude and mean 🤣
Well... you are more of an old timer on here than I am. I'm a Noob!
I hope your mom is keeping an eye on you on here too. Right?
I felt like I'm reading me or a part of me and then more, living like that at the edge of a cliff with great view or not necessarily a cliff but far from the crowd and more of nature.
Oh yeah... me too!
Just not so far that we don't get to connect with each other anymore please ❤️
I'm sure we'll still find that connection if that happens :D
Yep. 😁
People are not so good in asking questions about new faces they just saw in the environment. While we should be accomodative., we should also try to know those that just joined the community.
We will see how it unfolds eventually.
yeah... I think people are all just fighting their own battles and trying to get on with survival.
It's not even anything personal :)
Thanks for connecting and stopping by to say hello
My pleasure please
Is Sally more of an introvert or circumstances made it that way? Perhaps I could say her lifestyle is a simple one with no chaos or disturbances around her. I came through Dreemport 🤗
We will have to see :)
Welcome fellow Dreemer. Thanks for saying hello ❤️
Oh @nickydee where have you been this whole time?!!! I love your fiction writing art, it's so skillful... I felt like I was the main character trying to spell out why I really do visit there 😅
But honestly, I'm so curious right now... Where is all this leading to? Why does she go there? I'll wait to find out.
Got here from @dreemport ❤️
Awesome :)
Dreemport sending cool humans my way! Love it.
Let's see what happens next... still working it out myself!
Haha work it out well 🥲😅
You present the character's story in a magical way. ❤️❤️❤️ With that kind of writing, I think you'll be a famous writer someday.
I kind of feel like she's a witch... a witch who lost her beloved one or Time Witch (cause of the candles) 😁
Oh! I like your spin on this 😁
I think you may be the famous writer one day with that imagination!
Thanks for the awesome comment 💥
We might both become famous. More likely you. 🤣🤣🤣
I'm more famous, for crazy imagination and wild nature - if you ask my friends.
No problemo!
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
― Rob Siltanen
😁
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Amen!
But probably will not be able to change the world. I tried 🤣🤣🤣 it's to big for me 😂😂
Well yeah... there's that! And it's stubborn too!!! 😆
It sounds like she was really sad, despite living in a beautiful place. I wonder who she is waiting for?
This post has been manually curated by the VYB curation project
Sally is probably on her point where she is questioning herself and life. Maybe she's looking deeper about the world.
And I think it's a good sign of maturity:)
I like your spin on this immensely!
Thanks for sharing that and taking the time to connect :)
There may be more material here because of it!
And you're spot on. About maturity
Nicely said :)
What a beautiful writing, very well done and with a charming style, which invites you to continue reading. You manage to make me want to discover more about the character, to know his story behind each of his walks towards the cliff. To think, what is going through Sally's head. Excellent writing.
Wow
Thanks for the inspiring comment! 😊
I have an ending planned and it's a bit cheeky so...
😬
We will see how it works out!
I'm wondering what changed this time, I'll be sure to read the second part.
You write so well, feels like one of those novels
Hey
I'm coming to find you but you found me first.
Thanks for the lovely compliment! :)
I'm really just a beginner but I hope I do manage to write a few novels one day. Hive and you people in the community are really helping me grow towards that dream
Thanks!
And see you soon! ;)
Hehe, I caught you first.
Really? It doesn't look that way. Keep it up and who knows you'll have enough material to make your own novel.
Thank you :)
With encouragement like that I will definitely keep it up!
hehehehe I missed this last week - but now I'm coming for part 2 and of course - I needed part 1!!!! LOL
and this is beautiful. somber. desperately lonely. I love how the lines are rhythmic and desolate and repetitive... giving us the exact feel of her hopelessness.
I felt the weight of the world as she pushed herself up to stumble off... truly. when you were talking about how she was walking away, I was sitting here - leaning over my bed, and started to flex my legs! hahaha as if I was going to will some strength into her...
runnnig to part 2 - and since I missed the upvote - I'm sending a tip! hehehe
🥰❤
I came to read part one before I start part two. So, Sally is a soft mystery... Lemm hurry and read two now. You write so beautifully well too.
Thank you :)
I just came and found you! And yours... reading now but must first grab coffee so my brain is alert. 🙃
Hahha. I can imagine
Absorbing stuff, Sally Sally what are you going to do!
Oops
I maybe said too much already
jeje nah not really ;)