Sleep Peacefully Read Online Free Page B

earth.
    The
icy wind whips through my loose hair and bites sharply into my exposed skin. I
wrap my heavy woollen cardigan around myself tighter and fold my arms across my
chest, trying to restrain my uncontrollable shivering. My eyes are raw and
swollen from crying, blurring my vision, and my throat is dry. I have a
headache that is gradually exploding towards the back of my skull, and my limbs
feel stiff.
    I
glance around the expanse of the cliff top. I know the place well, and tonight
it looks beautiful, delicately lit by the white haze of light from the almost
full moon above. Further back on the cliff top stands a large solitary tree
with a wooden park style bench beneath it. The leaves on the tree are long
gone, its branches bare, spreading out wildly into the night sky, illuminated
in orange by a nearby street lamp. The grass here glistens with a thickening
layer of frost, as I walk closer to the cliff’s edge. There isn’t a soul
around. Then again, it’s bitterly cold and the winter nights are now firmly
settled in. Why would any sane person want to be up here? There are tiny rows
of light from nearby houses in the far distance. I imagine the people in them
getting on with their regular nightly routine, maybe having supper or cosied up
in front of the television, with their fires blazing. The faint smell of a wood
burning fire hangs in the air, it reminds me of home.
    I
hold my breath, fighting back yet another episode of tears as I look down at my
feet, unwillingly guiding me closer to the edge. I feel so alone and empty. I
no longer have any dreams or aspirations. I've no job, and now no husband, all
because of my own stupid actions. There is no purpose in fighting anymore. The
pain I feel inside is so intense I can barely breathe, I’m not sure I can cope,
I don’t have the strength. My stomach is in knots. What have I done?
    The
grass is slightly damp from an earlier rain as I near the edge of the cliff face.
I can smell the salt in the air from the sea raging beneath me. I peer down to
the isolated beach so far below. The tide is out, and the waves crash roughly
against the sandy beach. Once a bustling place of fun, love and memories for
me, it is now a deserted piece of land that I no longer wish to relate to. I
stand teetering on the edge, feeling a sensation of freedom that I have not
felt for a very long time. It’s so peaceful up here, it always has been, but
tonight the quiet is deafening me. I look up to the cloudless night sky and
then back down to the shoreline that now feels closer, somehow. I close my eyes
tightly and take a deep breath. Slowly I unfold my arms from across my torso,
letting them hang loosely at my sides. And then, everything becomes dark.

Chapter 4
     

 
    I
awake in a darkened room, unsure of where I am. I quickly take in my
surroundings, studying the bedroom carefully. The heavy rain has not subsided
and it lashes angrily at the bedroom window. Shadows from the branches of the
trees outside sway in the forceful wind, creating sharp-edged patterns against
the bedroom wall. I am hot, sweltering, and my brow and back are both damp. My
hair is stuck to the back of my neck, my mouth is dry, and my lips feel chapped
and flaky. I put a hand to my forehead where beads of sweat have gathered
across my hairline and wipe at it. I’m so fed up with this.
    Dan
is sleeping soundly next to me. I can hear him breathing, and vaguely make out his
silhouette in the dark room, his chest rising and falling in a slow, hypnotic
rhythm. His arm is slung heavily across my stomach, and his legs entwine with
mine as if trying to hold me down, to protect me. Usually, during these dreams,
I thrash around. I’m glad Dan’s here tonight, his presence helps me to remember
where I am, who I am.
    I
slowly get up, gently untangling my body from Dan’s grip and quietly leave the
room, to head downstairs. While on my way to the kitchen I try desperately to
shake off the images that I can still see flashing