The sky was dim. Darkness was already beginning to engulf the world, even before suppertime: the tell-tale signs of winter. It was a depressing season, dreary and lifeless. Plants sacrificed their livelihood and stood dark and still against the icy ground. The days shortened, the nights became agonizingly long, and darkness consumed. Darker and darker yet. It was harder to forget her troubles in the winter. Her sneakers squished into the soft earth, smoothing down the dew laced grass. The top of the mountain was already whitening with snow, but despite the cold, and the calendar declaring December started in just three days, the small town surrounding Mt. Ebbot had yet to see a drop of precipitation.
It was one thing she could be grateful for, at least. Her eyes lifted to the mountain. Supposedly, anyone who ventured up there, never returned; this legend had been around forever as far as the townsfolk were concerned. Nobody living remembered a time when their parents or friends had not warned them about this tale, and so, no one had dared even wander near the base of the mountain for many years.
That was alright though. She was okay with never returning. The girl wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, but no tears had formed. They should have. She had lost the ability to cry years ago; she was convinced she had no tears left. All that remained inside of her was a hollow emptiness, numbness, an intangible pain so intense that she felt nothing, and that was much worse than any sorrow she could ever experience.
There seemed to be a path of sorts going up the mountain. It wasn't a difficult climb, save for a few fallen trees from last week's storm that she climbed over. She stayed on this trail until something caught her eye. Her steps were soft as she approached the large hole in the ground, not wanting to get too close and possibly plummet to her death. She was done with her life in the town, and had indeed thought of suicide several times in her life, but she had quickly realized her will was too strong to let her die. She was too determined to live.
It happened too suddenly for her to process. Her boot caught on something, perhaps a root, or maybe she simply tripped over her own feet, but she soon found her face in the floor, and slipping toward the abyss. Panicked, the teenager clawed at the ground but half of her body was already in the hole, and the laws of gravity were not to be defied.
She disappeared into the crater with a sharp and long screech, as darkness embraced her.