Chapter 1 Clarissa
“Come on, it’ll be fun!” 23 year old Jordan teased as his girlfriend sat on the rocks staring at the crimson sky as the sun slowly set into the horizon. Jordan and his girlfriend 21 year old Melanie had spent the day with friends walking around and taking in the sights of Newport. A popular attraction for tourists and home to some of the most magnificent and opulent mansions in the New England area. Some of the more notable residents of this quaint city have been the Vanderbilts, John Jacob Astor, President Eisenhower and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, just to name a few.
A hidden diamond nestled along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
Jordan, Melanie and their group of friends had spent a perfect day together, and as the evening hours crept in they made their way along the famous Cliff Walk.
In 1975 The Cliff walk was designated as a National Recreation Trail, the 65th in the United States and the very first in New England. The Cliff Walk spans three and a half miles of which two thirds of the walk is in easy walking condition. However there are parts of the walk that are rough trail over the natural rugged New England shoreline in which those who dare to traverse this path are cautioned to be extremely alert in these challenging areas. Walking this section of trail, is not for the faint of heart. There are no protective fences and the brave souls who dare to take this path are met with jagged rocks, and should some poor unfortunate soul lose their footing, they face hitting the rocks below from heights upwards of 40 feet.
For Jordan and his group this challenge lent itself to the mystery and adventure of this famous tourist attraction.
“So you gonna do it or what?” Jordan looked into Melanie’s eyes as they sat on the rocks. Melanie found Jordan’s daredevil side exciting and was one of the traits that attracted her to him. His ‘live for the moment’ attitude was a breath of fresh air in her somewhat sheltered suburban life.
“I’m not sure Jordan, we’re pretty high up.” Melanie replied as she glanced down at the water below. The sun was slowly setting and the darkness was slowing taking its place. The group of friends quickly shed their clothes and Jordan, without a care, from his position on the ledge jumped into the waves. Losing all inhibitions Melanie and the remaining members of the group all followed suit. As the darkness set in the group of friends began to gather their things and started making their way back to paved path on the cliff walk. As Melanie stood up to leave she happened to glance over to her right and saw the silhouette of what appeared to be a woman standing on the rocky ledge frantically pointing into the darkness of the Atlantic Ocean. “There’s someone over there!” She said, trying to get the attention of her friends. “Look! She’s over there. What’s she pointing at?” Jordan turned around and tried to focus his vision into the darkness. What he saw in the distance was a figure that appeared to be standing on the ledge, and although there wasn’t so much as a gentle breeze her long flowing hair was moving as if being moved by a fierce wind. “Who is that?” Jordan quietly asked, the figure on the ledge paced back and forth, steadily gazing into the blackness. Suddenly everyone’s attention was drawn to the sound of something crashing into the rocks below, as they all looked down, Jordan used his cell phone to try and illuminate the darkness that enveloped the shore line. Unable to see anything, they didn’t notice that Melanie began to walk toward the figure in the distance. As Jordan looked up he saw Melanie’s silhouette moving further into the darkness. “Melanie!” he shouted, his voice piercing the silence and startling her back into reality. She turns around and makes her way back toward the group when she hears the deafening sound of a woman’s screams. She turns around and is now face to face with the ghostly figure of a woman, whose eyes looked right into her soul and saw her fear. The woman moved on Melanie as she screamed into the night, Jordan began to make his way toward his girlfriend, as her screams became more and more frantic.
Melanie felt alone and her fear consumed her as she tried to slowly move away from the image she saw before her. The more she backed away the closer the ghostly figure got to her. She suddenly remembered her cellphone in her pocket and reached for it in an effort to use the light of the screen to light her path. As she illuminated the screen the image before her was now gone. She turned and began to crawl back toward Jordan when she felt someone in her way. She used the light from her cellphone to help her see and as she slowly raised the light from the ground what she saw paralyzed her with fear. Before her stood a woman, long flowing wind swept hair, dressed in an evening gown that appeared to be soaking wet. The higher up she shone the light she began to realize that what was now before her was the woman that she had seen in the distance. As the light reached the woman’s face she turned toward Melanie and screamed, a scream so loud and so frightening that Melanie scurried backward not realizing that she was close to the edge and before she knew what was happening the next thing she felt was the wind on her back as she tumbled over the ledge and fell, hitting the rocks below with a sickening thud. Jordan made his way to where Melanie was and the only thing he found was her cellphone.
He frantically called for her but received no response.
Fifty feet below on the rocks the waves crashed upon a lifeless body and slowly pushed it into the bubbling cauldron.
The figure that stood on the ledge slowly moved away and blended into the darkness.
