J A Whiting [Whiting - Catastrophe Cliff

Bluewater Cove, a seaside town on the North Shore of Massachusetts, was a popular tourist destination with quaint shops and restaurants, a picturesque harbor, beautiful white sand beaches, and a state park with miles and miles of hiking and biking trails.

When their mother passed away, twenty-seven-year old Ellen Nell Finley and her sister, Violet, twenty-eight, moved into the home their parents had owned for decades and where theyd enjoyed long summers together in the pretty oceanside town.

The sun was bright and the early morning air promised another hot August day. Nell and Violet decided to take their dogs, Iris and Oscar, out for a long walk and a swim at a kettle pond before it became too warm for a hike in the state park.

I dont like getting up so early, Violet said, but I like getting out with Iris and Oscar for our walk.

It would be too hot to walk the trails later, Nell agreed. The dogs love the exercise and the four of us love swimming in the lake before our workday starts.

Iris, a light brown, Labradoodle mix, and Oscar, a brown, medium-sized Lab and beagle mix, trotted ahead sniffing along the path and at the base of some of the trees, and they disappeared into the brush at the side of the trail for several minutes at a time.

Nearly a month ago, Nell had a frightening experience in the state park while trying to help a man who was in the federal witness protection program and it had taken her several weeks to shake off the anxiety produced by the event and feel comfortable being in the woods again.

Nell had always loved the peace and quiet of the forest, the shade under the tree canopy, the dappled sunlight, the way the colors of nature harmonized so perfectly together into such a beautiful and tranquil setting.

What are you planning to work on today? Violet asked her sister as they walked along the trail.

Id like to finish the commission of the lighthouse painting and I was going to start a woodland series of small paintings to put up for sale in the shop.

Nell and Violet ran a store out of the front rooms of their house selling Nells artwork and Violets pottery and handcrafted jewelry designs along with other gift items from other Bluewater artists. Nell also did some freelance graphic design work for various clients.

I need to finish some jewelry for my clients in Boston, Violet said. Im behind schedule and need to catch up.

The sisters and the dogs followed the paths heading for the two-hundred-acre kettle pond and its powdery white sand beach. Some trails in the park led down to the rocky cliffs near the ocean and others wound their way to the soaring granite cliffs estimated to be over four million years old rising tall over the landscape. Sections of granite had been quarried years ago and the quarry was now filled with water where some adventurous souls went to swim. The top of the cliffs provided spectacular views of the North Shore beaches, and on clear days, of the Isles of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire to Mount Agamenticus located over eighty miles away in Maine.

Oscar stopped on the trail, looked back at the sisters, and whined.

Whats wrong, boy? Violet asked. Well be at the pond soon and you can jump in and swim.

Nells skin pricked with a sense of tension and unease. Theres some color on Oscar.

Violets green eyes stared at Nell with apprehension. What colors? Is something wrong?

Some orange. Some red. Nell carried a genetic difference that impacted her vision. She had a fourth type of cone in her eyes, and those extra cones allowed her to see many, many more colors than the ordinary person could. People who carry the genetic difference are called tetrachromats.

All of her life, Nell used multi-colors to create her artwork. The sand of a beach would consist of blues, reds, and yellows. The sky wasnt just blue, but was a mixture of gold, silver, pinks, lavenders, and greens. Nell drew and painted the way she did because she was capable of seeing millions more colors than the average person was able to perceive.

She could also sometimes see peoples emotions and intentions as colors and her ophthalmologist held the theory that Nell could see feelings such as danger, love, fear, and rage because those things were given off as energy and her special visual skills allowed her to see the energy as color.

Oh, no. Violet stopped walking and looked around at the woods with apprehension. Orange and red? Those colors stand for anger and a warning right?

I dont know for sure. They might represent something different this time. A chill washed over Nells bare arms as Oscar began to bark.

The dog looked at the sisters and then turned his attention to a trail leading away from the one they were on. He barked again. Iris headed down the trail that branched off the main path and Oscar trotted after her.

What should we do? Violet questioned. Should we go back?

The dogs want us to follow them. Nell took slow steps towards the trail that led to the quarry cliffs. If there was danger lurking, Iris and Oscar would go in the other direction. They wouldnt lead us towards trouble.

Are you sure? Violets voice shook.

The dogs were moving so quickly down the trail that Nell and Violet had to jog to keep up.

I think we should go back, Violet whined. Do you see any more colors?

The same as before. Nell did see another color, but she kept it to herself so as not to frighten her sister. The path ahead shimmered with black particles, and black represented evil, mystery, and death.

The trail now wound its way below the granite cliffs that towered above them. They could hear the dogs barking up ahead.

Stop for a minute, Violet told her sister. Lets approach slowly. Do you hear anything? Footsteps? Movement in the trees? Anything that might signal danger?

The dogs stopped barking, Nell noted. I hear the breeze in the leaves, but nothing else.

Okay. Lets walk. But go slowly, Violet repeated.

As they got closer to where Iris and Oscar were standing, Nell noticed something on the ground. Oh. She jogged forward and stopped short.

Violet let out a gasp when she came up beside her sister.

At the base of the cliff, a young woman lay on her side in the tall grass with her body facing the cliff. Her leg stuck out at an odd angle. Blood covered the side of her head and gashes showed on her arms and legs. Her straight, brown hair was held back in a ponytail with the long strands splayed over her shoulder.

She must have fallen from the cliff. Violet covered her mouth with her hand and looked away. She removed her beach towel from her backpack and passed it to Nell so she could press it against the worst of the lacerations. How long has she been here?

Nell knelt beside the woman, checked for a pulse, and balled up the towel to stop the flow of blood from the young womans thigh. Shes alive. She has a faint pulse. Does your phone have reception?