Flash Fiction 06 - Testing a Theory

 Testing a Theory

It had taken more than 30 years of travel to reach the end of the world. As he stood with his toes at the cliff's edge he wondered if that had been long enough?

He stepped his left foot back and leaned forward to put all his weight on his right. He squinted against the wind rushing up the rocky precipice to push tears from his eyes. Far below the ocean hurled itself angrily against the unyielding crag.

There was no beach to ease the transition or be littered with the skeletons of his predecessors.

"Go on," his intrusive thoughts urged. "The wind is strong enough." His thoughts wanted him to believe he would fly.

He wanted to believe his intrusive thoughts.

He closed his eyes and imagined how it would feel to plunge down. Would he hit the rocky face on the way down or freefall unimpeded to the icy torrent below? Would the impact with the water kill him, or would he face the terror of drowning?

His intrusive thoughts were silent on the subject.

He opened his eyes. The sun broke from behind the clouds. A sudden gust hurled him backward.

He smiled, and started the long journey home.