Tenebrae Secrets -- CindyLu
@ramtiger, @domesticfluffsimulator, @agi92
This…was an undertaking that I wasn’t expecting. I’ve really been looking forward to this one, and I ended up building this whole world and lore that I wasn’t ready for. So, this is more of a pilot run of something that I might turn into a full series if it gets enough positive feedback. I rushed the ending because it’s getting late here and it was getting long, so I’m sorry if it just kind of flops at the end. ^^;;
ANYWAY, I really hope you all enjoy this. I had a lot of fun writing it!
Sunlight beat down the back of Cindy’s neck as she cranked the ratchet, tightening the bolt to the unit behind the lighthouse. She had been outside all morning and well into the afternoon just trying to fix the damn switch that triggered the light, or something like that. Admittedly, she was more handy with cars and other vehicles. Power boxes, well, that was a different story. Not to say she couldn’t do it, but it wasn’t in her main wheelhouse of expertise. Still, she was more than happy to lend a hand to the royal attendants that had recently taken up residence in the house on the other side of the cliff while Paw-paw oversaw repairs on the boat below.
Her vision blurred, and Cindy shook her head, blinking herself back into focus. When was the last time she ate, she wondered? She had definitely skipped lunch, and breakfast, and maybe even dinner the night before? Hell, had she even had anything to eat at all in the last few days? The more she thought about it, the louder her stomach growled, and she felt a wave of nausea crash over her. Oh yeah, it had been a hot minute for sure.
She swiped a gloved hand over her brow, huffing as she sat back on her haunches, looking over her work. No misplaced or extra pieces – that was a good sign – all that was left was to test it. Cindy stood, vowing to eat as soon as she tested the light. Whether it worked or not, well, that was another beast in of itself, but she prayed to the gods that her work was done and she could move on to the next project.
As she turned on her heels, she wavered. The world spiraled, and the sharp lines and edges of shapes blurred into one. Cindy blinked, desperate to regain herself, and she reached a hand out to lean on the wooden fence blocking off the cliff.
There was no way she could have known that that one particular spot was weak, nor any way she could have stopped herself from tripping, one leg over the other as she tried to catch herself. On the way down, she could make out the sound of wind rushing past her ears and she felt the sharp crack of bones as she hit the rocks at the bottom.
She didn’t hear the water enveloping her, or feel the tug of the current pull her out to sea, but she remembered thinking, before she lost cognitive thought, that she should be dead, and that maybe a piece of toast could have saved her life.