The sky above contorts into a menacing blob of brown, green, yellow, and red; I almost turn around and hurl. It’s creepy, ugly, and completely disgusting. Perhaps a hint at what my life will soon be like once I step off into the nothingness below me.


“Gracie?”

I turn to see Blaine, Blaine Balkan, standing near me with an outstretched hand. His eyes are wide and his grin is wider. He’s trying to get me away from the cliff’s edge—using his charm and way with words.

“Gracie, what are you doing?” he asks. His hand brushes my side. I flutter inside and grow immensely happy. I’d love to feel his touch again, even if just one last time.

“Blaine, stay away from me.” It’s a gentle order, something I feel isn’t mean. I mean, I hope it’s not mean. I hope it didn’t come out in a mean manner.

“Gracie, you don’t know what you’re doing,” Blaine says. He really wants me back. Oh, the joy. But not enough. Not nearly enough.

Will there ever be enough?

“Gracie, please. Babe, you don’t know what you’re doing.” He really seems concerned now, and his eyes—oh, his eyes—the bright green of his irises are so blinding I feel as if they’ll sweep me into their glittery ways.

And he called me babe. Haven’t heard that in a while.

“Blaine, I love you too much to stay here on this planet. You’ll be better off without me.” I hope I sound sincere. I am sincere. Does he notice, though? Can he tell? Or does he think these are just practiced lies to soothe our mutual pain?

“Blaine, babe,” I continue, the second word’s resonance stinging my tongue, “I need to go. Now. Like I said, you’ll be better off without me. I’ve thought this over, and our love...it’s better if we’re apart. For good.”

He’s crying, now. His tears are heavy and are splashing onto the cracked dirt below our feet. He jumps forward and grabs my forearm...

I didn’t realize I was so quick and agile. Must’ve turned really quick, grabbed Blaine, and...

Blaine plummets from the cliff’s edge into the oblivion below. His scream is throaty and deep; his figure is flailing and his hair is swinging around his face in rapid fashions.

I turn and walk into the distance. Find myself, moments later, falling toward the cracked dirt below.

“Ouch!” I screech as I slam into the warm ground. Ugh. I’m an utter klutz.

It’s then that I stand to find myself standing back in the same position I was in moments ago—I standing on the cliff’s edge, Blaine assumingly behind me about to say my name...

“Gracie?”

I turn to see Blaine standing near me with an outstretched hand. His eyes are wide and his grin is wider. He’s trying to get me away from the cliff’s edge—using his charm and way with words.

“Gracie, what are you doing?” he asks. His hand brushes my side. I flutter inside and grow immensely happy. I’d love to feel his touch again, even if just one last time.

Wait! This just happened! I just did this! What in the world...

Well, however this happened doesn’t matter much anymore; the fact of the matter is that I’m back here, where I want to be. A second chance. A second chance to leave him. As I’d planned.

“No, Blaine,” I say slowly. “I’m not coming with you. I’m not leaving this cliff’s edge with you.”

His smile falls. “Baby, no. No.”

I lower my head. “Okay, fine. I’ll leave the cliff’s edge.”

Predictability can hurt.

I step from the cliff’s edge and watch as Blaine rockets toward me. His eyes are wide and his open mouth of shock is wider. He leans over the edge of the cliff on his knees, reaching out toward me...

But it’s far too late. I’ve fallen.

I slam into the ground and am thrust forward. My eyes—which I shut before slamming into the ground—open. I’m standing behind Blaine who’s leaning over the edge of the cliff, sobbing.

“Blaine?” I whisper.

He turns. “Gracie, how are you not dea—”

I shove my index finger upon his lips. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

And then we realize the bottom of the cliff is a time-whisker. Something we—I—should’ve foreseen before attempting suicide and leaving my place here on Earth.

“It’s a time-whisker,” we mumble simultaneously.

Should’ve known. It’s 3090 here in Arizona. Time and technology has progressed quite rapidly since my birth.

Then Blaine and I kiss and it seems as if the world vanishes for a moment, leaving us alone in a romantic bind.

Well, the world should vanish. We deserve a quiet, peaceful place to enjoy each other’s precense. I mean, we fell for each other to get here.