She stands there staring into the distance, searching desperately to find the point where the deep velvet sky meets the solid black curve of water. The wind whips around her, blowing hair across her face, but she doesn't care. Far below, the sounds of waves lapping against the rocks provide an almost comforting backdrop for her, mirroring the erratic beating of her heart. She feels so much at peace now. A laugh escapes her lips and echoes off the nothingness that surrounds her, and a hand rises unconsciously, as if to attempt to stifle the unnatural sound. Around her, the darkness closes in tighter as black billowing clouds sweep into place, hiding the moon. She is glad. Tonight is a blood-moon, filtered by the polluted atmosphere, and she is afraid of it. Now it is hidden, there is nothing left to be frightened of. Nothing but herself.

A snap of twig directly behind her. Even before she turns, she knows that no-one is there. She catches her breath and sucks it between her teeth, feeling so very small beneath this big, black quilt of darkness. If only the stars were out, perhaps she would not feel so alone, but she knows that they will not shine tonight. They are all gone, winked out by the eclipse that has fallen over her. All but one lone twinkle, far on the edge of the horizon. And tonight she shall join them.

Her senses feel keen, as if for the first time she can hear the very essence of life around her - the trees which creak as they grow, the leaves rustling in the wind; She can taste the salt in the air and smell the earthy scent beneath her feet; And she can touch - she can touch everything around her. She grasps forward, as if trying to touch the breeze itself, making it solid and real, but her fingers pass through nothingness. It does not matter, there is only one thing left she wants now, and soon she shall have it. She wants to taste the Horizon, and she will tonight. It is fated.

Stepping forward, she loosens the clasp of her dress and it slips silently to the floor. She cannot feel the cold, she can only hear the call that she has followed all her life. The clouds part briefly, and for a moment she is pale and beautiful in the moonlight.

Deep breath.

She steps forward and as her feet leave the cliff-edge behind, she opens her arms to the closing darkness, which beckons her forward. There is no hope; there is no fear, only the endlessness of that last step, as she hails her fate with open mind and heart. For here is the end of pain. Here is the end of the tortured twisting she has suffered her whole life, as the last leaf being torn brutally from the topmost branch of a solid oak, wretchedly wrenched by the cruel wind. Now is the end of every worry and every care she has dreamt. The fall is pure pleasure, and she knows an ecstasy awaits when she meets her destiny. There is no bad end to her story, only a Heaven of release. Her body curves down and the rocks beneath rise up to meet her.

The last star winks out.