Hello folks, hope that all is well, thought it was about time I finally got a new short story online today! You can hear the audio version of this story and others on the audio page or have a look in iTunes, maybe even subscribe, rate, or review! Go on give me some stars: Original Short Stories iTunes Link!

    This one seems to be another rather dark story I’m afraid, maybe you won’t find it to be, we’ll see! We’ll have some more light hearted ones soon though, lest this site become an upsetting place to be! Well without any more wittering from me, lets get on with the story:

Falling

By Daniel .M. Brown

    The ground was rocky and uneven. Tufts of grass grew here and there clumped around sheltered parts of the plain, behind a boulder, in a slight hollow in the ground, wherever the winds couldn’t sweep away at it with all it’s might. The traveller was chilled to his very bones and his teeth chattered. The wind was not to bad at this moment in time, the darkness of the night air itself seemed to be a permeating coolness. His teeth chattered when he did not keep control of them. He pulled his scarf higher up round his neck, to little effect.

    He was attempting to find a spot to camp, the days climb had taken him longer than he had intended so he now found himself still walking upon the awful rocky flats where finding a patch of ground for a tent would be like stumbling across a hotel, unlikely to say the least. The sky was not yet so dark that he couldn’t see, he didn’t need his torch, or at least that’s what he thought.

    Taking a good look in the direction he was heading he continued to walk carelessly amidst the uneven, insecure rocks about his feet. He turned his glance away from the distant direction of his travel and started to investigate what was off to his sides, then just in case he had missed something he turned his attention backwards to where he had been. It was at this point the he took a step backwards. Immediately he knew he was about to fall.

    On placing his foot to where he expected to find the ground his shoe met with nothing and now with his full weight being transferred to this foot he started to tumble backwards. his arms first grabbed wildly at the air in front of him, when this achieved nothing he instinctively reached sideways and backwards at a speed only total natural panic can generate. He braced for impact. It didn’t come, he now realised he was in for a bigger fall than he had expected.

    At this point his arms and legs all struck out as if trying to slow his fall, nature had taken over, he was helpless, awaiting a terrible landing on some dreadful unseen rocks below. This at once seemed to ease him and a sense of acceptance surged through his mind, his limbs became rigid as if to offer some resistance to the landing. He felt dazed by the rapidity at which these feelings had torn through his mind.

    His backpack suddenly rammed into his back jarring him slightly. The breath knocked out of him he took a moment to realise that he’d had hit the ground, looking up all his feelings of terror, acceptance, danger and safety gave way to relief and embarrassment as he looked towards his feet to see that he had fallen all of two feet off a slight overhang in the rocky landscape.

    With a grin he stood up looking down on the slight step in the ground. This grin would not however stop his next fall. That would come sooner than he thought.

The End.

Thanks for reading, make sure you check back tomorrow for the audio,

As always look after yourself and have fun,

dan