Exchange

Ocean-coloured swirls oozed across his vision, unfurling in wispy clouds like the slow smoke from a cigarette.
For a while, Sid found it difficult to tell whether he was looking at the sea or the sky. His vision was blurred and he could just as easily have been standing up or lying down.
Gradually, Sid became aware of his surroundings and realised that he was standing in a car park. White lines marked the ground where the car spaces were and a pine wooden fence lined the sides. Beyond it, rolling sand dunes decorated with tufts of grass; faded off into a dusky background.
The car park was empty of cars and Sid noticed that there didn’t seem to be any people about either. At the far end was a gateway with a sign post. Its rectangular shape was framed by a deep orange glow that lit up the sky like a furnace. Beyond the gate, a path wound its way along a peninsula, toward the source of the light.
As Sid watched the smouldering colours blend and burn into one another, he was filled with a great desire to be nearer to their source, as if it held some great secret for him.
No sooner had he thought this, than Sid began to move swiftly in that direction.

The headlights of the police car followed the roadside barrier like a spotlight as it wound its course around the cliff top. Every now and then, gorse bushes and chunks of granite would intersperse with the barrier, rearing up like strange creatures. Beyond this was pitch darkness, tarnished only by the deepest blue glow of the evening on the horizon. Opposite, a high bank of grass and rock rose up into the night sky.
At each turn of the road, officer Longfield would prepare to brake. It was not for oncoming traffic.
After dark, there were seldom any cars on this coastal road. Once sunset had finished, holidaymakers and surfers would leave the viewpoint and head back to town. At this time of night, only the twinkle of long-haul trucks on the carriageway could be seen, far away over the fields.
Longfield had been anticipating a crash. Earlier that evening, there had been a call to the station about a possible drunk driver somewhere along this stretch and Longfield was preparing to find the worst.

The signpost was stuck in the sand. On it read the words ‘Welcome to Ocean Bowl’ and underneath was a painting of a view to the sea, where an angel hovered over the skyline. Below this, it read, ‘Where one journey ends and another begins’ and an arrow pointed in the direction of the path. Sid began to make his way along it.
The path was thin and rocky, with bits of gorse bush growing at the edges. Through the gaps, Sid could see how the path dropped steeply away to the sides. He peered over, expecting to see the sea, but strangely there was only darkness.

As Longfield passed a wide lay-by, he saw that a section of the barrier had been smashed right through. To his horror, he could see the rear lights of a vehicle angled upwards.
Longfield pulled over and got out of the car. Approaching the vehicle, he could see that it was balanced precariously on a piece of rock that jutted out over the cliff edge. The mangled end of the barrier had thankfully caught in the wheel arch of the car and was stopping it from rolling all the way over.
Longfield shone a torch at the car and the light fell on the body of the driver, who was slumped over the steering wheel.

Sid reached the end of the path and was met by a glorious sight.
He stood on a ledge, which overlooked a cavernous ravine. On the other side, the lip of it rose up to meet what was a glorious, fiery-coloured sky. Sid stared, transfixed, for it seemed to burn with an energy that was more than any sun; it was like a life force. And the more Sid looked at it, the more he wanted to get closer to it.
Sid looked back down into the ravine and his eyes searched for a way across.

Longfield had called for an ambulance and a fire truck to haul the vehicle back to safety, but he knew it could take time and was concerned that the barrier could give way soon.
He took a few steps towards the car and the ground began to slope under his feet. Longfield could hear the waves stirring far below and found himself clutching the barrier. If he could just get a little closer, he could probably reach the door…

As he continued to look, Sid found that his eyes adjusted to the dark and he was able to make out the bottom of the chasm. It was rocky and uneven, but in the dim light, he could make out a distinctive curve, like a bowl.
Sid had ridden bowls in skate parks before. It was difficult to recollect a particular occasion right now, but nevertheless, he was adamant that he could do this one. All Sid needed was a skateboard…

The sound of the ambulance siren howled in the distance, echoing out across the bay.
Longfield had reached the car and got the door open. He was yelling at the driver, but the figure remained lifeless, wrapped around the steering wheel like a crumpled doll.
Longfield wanted to reach in and pull him out, but he couldn’t do it without letting go of the barrier with his other hand and risking falling over the edge himself. He looked back to the road, willing the emergency services to arrive.

Rocks and shrubs rushed past Sid in a blur of grey and green. It was like he only had to think of it and there he was, careering down the drop on a board. It was a plain deck, white with black grips, but the wheels were bright, neon green. Sid saw them flash their colour as he swerved expertly round the rocks that were strewn like rubbish across the bottom.

All of a sudden, the car wrenched dramatically to one side as the barrier weakened. Longfield dived for the remainder of the rail and clutched onto it with his arms. A hellish screeching of metal on metal sounded behind him and he twisted round to see the car inching steadily over the precipice.

The ground sloped upwards now and Sid knew that he had almost made it. In a few moments he would be meeting the rays of light and enter into their warmth.
The thought filled Sid with such longing that he couldn’t help but steal a glance upwards. Above him, the wall towered up to a majestic sky; the beams of sunlight spilling out to greet him. It was such a magnificent sight that for a moment, he lost his concentration.

With a final, wrenching scream, the car rolled free of the barrier and over the edge. Longfield cried out in despair, but was helpless to stop it.
There was a brief pause, filled by nothing but the gentle night air, before a horrendous crash followed as the vehicle hit the rocks below. The sound of crunching steel blended with the rushing of savage waves as they rolled in to meet their prey.

All of sudden, Sid felt the board judder under his feet. He tried desperately to control it, but it was already too late.
The skateboard weaved sharply from side to side until his feet were no longer touching it.
Sid fell backwards and for a moment, was suspended in mid air, facing the sky. The rays of golden and orange light seemed to burn even stronger, as if reaching out for him not to go. Sid cried out, flinging his arms towards it.

Moments later, an ambulance and a fire engine arrived, along with other police officers. Longfield was hauled to safety and sat in the back of the ambulance, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
“Witnesses say he was easily doing 50” said an officer, leaning in the door of the ambulance. “It was only a matter of time.” Longfield knew he was trying to make him feel better, but it didn’t make any difference. In his mind, he was replaying the moment the car disappeared over the cliff. Accompanying it was the terrible wrenching sound of the barrier, which echoed incessantly in his ears. “Of course, we’ll need forensics to get down here first” the officer went on, “but it looks like the description matches the guy who took out that kid last month.”

A bright light broke through Sid’s eyelids. For a moment, he thought the sunlight had returned, but this was different; cold and electrical in its glare.
There was noise of people talking all around him and the sound of a trolley running across a bare floor.
Slowly, Sid opened his eyes and realised that he was lying in a bed. He had an oxygen mask on his face and a tube coming out of his arm connected to a drip. His leg was in plaster and was raised off the bed by a sling.
A woman was sitting next to him in a chair. At first, Sid did not recognise her, but she gasped when she saw that he was awake.
“Hello sweetheart. Welcome back.” It was his mother.
She explained how he had been in a coma for several weeks after being knocked off his skateboard by a car. The doctors had had no idea how long he would be like that, or if indeed, he would wake up. ‘It’s like a miracle’ she said, breaking out into a sob.
But Sid was no longer listening. As he lay there staring at the ceiling, one thought filled his mind. It was an image of a burning sunset.