Gone

She fell, tumbling down the scree of the quarry like a rag doll. Except rag dolls don't scream and go silent suddenly and they don't thud or crack, or sink when they hit water.

*

Laney had been outfoxing them, her swiftness beating them every time. Frustration was starting to show for the boys. Luke wanted to go but he knew his friends, especially Mark. He wouldn't be happy until Laney lost. And they were getting closer to catching her with each renewed foray, to within a whisker.

Luke had never seen her laugh so hard.

*

"Laney?"

Mark and Matt were at the edge of the quarry, looking down. They were still. Staring. Luke was puffing. He'd tried to keep up and had dived for Laney when she'd come close but he was tired and had felt himself flagging. He came over to where his friends stood and looked.

Had she hurt herself? Where was she? There was no sign of her, the only movement being the wind stirring the grasses and weeds sprouting through the stones, and the small splashes at the water's edge.

"Where's Laney?" Luke said, but Mark and Matt remained quiet. "Where's she gone?"

Mark was white, his eyes moist and his bottom lip was trembling. Luke remembered thinking "Mark never cries" and wanting to say something to taunt but in his gut, he knew that there was a reason, a very good reason because of its strangeness.

"Is she hiding?"

It was Matt that broke the silence, turning to look at Luke, anger on his face.

"Shut up, Luke," he said, growling at his friend.

Luke flinched at his friend's aggression and then saw that Matt had tears in his eyes too. He didn't get it. He could see something was wrong but what? He wished one of them would just tell him.

"She's gone," Matt said.

"Why? Why did she go? Was it because we almost got her?"

Matt shook his head. "God, you're stupid, Luke."

Luke shrank back again and looked to Mark for support but he was still just staring, down at the water, down into its depths and suddenly, Luke knew, knew exactly where Laney had gone.

***

365 words

A continuation of those that have gone before although they all stand alone, just like the boys at the edge of that quarry.

If you would like to read the others linked to this one, if you haven't already, here they are in order:

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