The cove was the quietest place on earth. No telephone. No family.
Only the hush-hush-hushing of the waves and the cry of the gulls. Only the scribble on the sand drawn by the feet of birds, and the ripples and sweeps etched by the ebbing tide. Only the moss and lichen and old hanging stones of the quiet cave.
Fay sat inside the still cave, away from the summer’s heat for a few minutes. Inside the cave was almost complete silence. A fragrant mossy nest, like sitting on a tombstone in winter. Quietude, as well as quiet. Fay reassured herself that death would be like this – calm, and pleasant loneliness. No telephones. No family. No outside world.
After a little, she emerged from the cold into the blinding sunlight. Fay spread her arms wide to welcome in the warmth of the afternoon. Gradu
