Amanda gradually slowed down as she took her last few steps. She placed her hands on her knees as she bent over, body heaving as she regained control of her breathing. The trail to Burtman's Ridge was only two miles long, but the sloped, uneven surface added an extra challenge to the feat. Amanda didn't notice this, however. A thin veil of sweat dampened her skin, adhering her sweatpants and t-shirt to her body. When she caught her breath a little, she unzipped the hoodie to about halfway, letting the crisp, morning, fall air reach her core. She took off the hood and removed her ear-buds.
A water bottle was tucked away in a small drawstring bag that Amanda always carried when she jogged. She took the bottle out and greedily took in a third of the contents. She wiped her mouth on the sleeve of the hoodie. The bag also contained a phone. She pulled it out and the message light was flashing. Probably her boss. His calls had come almost every hour for the last two days. Amanda knew it was because she hadn't shown up at work for the past two days. Work just seemed too unbearable lately, so she quit going. Life, in fact, was unbearable.
The edge of the ridge seemed so inviting to Amanda. She walked over to it, placed her toes over the edge. The view was clear all the way down the quarter-mile drop. A small canyon of rock was home to a trickle of water that used to be a nice-sized river. The river was diverted and a dam put in place so that this was what was left. Still, this place was beautiful. The ridge was the best viewing spot of the sunrise for miles around. A lone picnic table had been placed in the center of the clearing Amanda was now, thought she had never seen anyone use it. This was her favorite jogging spot.
Amanda inched forward, so half of her feet dangled on the ledge. She tottered slightly, shifting her weight from the back of her heels to her soles. Jumping wouldn't be so bad. Who would miss her? Her dead parents? The non-existent sibling? She had no friends of mention, no relationships with anybody really. Nobody would miss her. She decided to jump. She took a deep breath and began counting. One, two... a noise behind her stopped her. A young couple approached the crest with a picnic basket. The man had prepared a surprise breakfast on top of the ridge, to let the new sun be a backdrop to their meal.
Smiling meekly, Amanda stepped away from the edge and took another swig of water before replacing it in her pack.
"Oh, hello," the man greeted. "Beautiful day isn't it? Don't let us disturb you. I just thought it would be fun to surprise my fiancée with a picnic up here. I just love the view."
"Your fine," Amanda replied, not meeting eye contact. "I was just leaving."
She checked her phone again. Another call from her boss. She packed it away and put the pack on. She zipped up the hoodie and replaced the ear-buds. The jog down was always easy and Amanda planned to take her time on this one. Oh, well, she thought, as she jogged away. I think I might just go to work today. Might as well, nothing better to do.
Jon - I was immediately drawn in to the story. Your use of imagery is great and I could picture Amanda jogging along the trail, stopping to rest and breathe and drink water in a lovely setting. I was surprised when she started talking about jumping and not going to work and life wasn't worth it. Why? What happened in the last two days? I know this is "flash fiction", but I want to know more! Given that, I think the ending is too abrupt and out of character with what came before. I enjoyed reading your story! Keep on sending them!
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