Mountainside

Mountainside was a good one to write, as it made me put myself in someone's shoes.

A crash of thunder and light flashed across the sky. A thick wad of grey clouds hid the moon from the view of all below. A heavy rain beat down on to the already sodden earth.

No grass covered these saturated slopes, resulting in them being deathly mudslides that run down into a valley which traps all that dares try to tackle them.

Many freelancing mountain climbers have been swallowed up in the most recent mudslide,  ripped from life in seconds. Police worked to find them and give them the opportunity for a proper burial. 

One such officer, Jessie Richmond, stood outside her mother's house. The door was strong oak and painted an uplifting blue; the paint was flaking from the rain and would need going over after storm season. 

Using the psychiatrist's advice, Jessie took three deep breaths and counted to ten before she politely rapped against the wood, stepping back from the door, almost bumping into her co-worker and cousin, Lily. Lily smiled reassuringly, her young face radiant to the older woman's sorrow. 

"I'm coming," wheezed Jessie's mother, a middle aged woman with spangly grey-white hair, thin as the wind itself. It was a wonder she dragged the door ajar to peer around its solid support. "Jess, Lily, what can I d-"

Wise eyes read her daughter and found what she needed to know as the Eagle found its skittish prey.

"Jess... It's Ronald isn't it?..." 

Nodding her head, the officer went through protocol when the next of kin was informed of their beloved's departure. Her willpower and respect for the old man who had adopted her as his own kept her from breaking down in front of her mother. 

"I'll meet you at the flat, Lily. I just..."

Lily patted her shoulder. "I understand. Go pay your respects to you old man." She smiled softly, rising a closed umbrella and pressing it into Jessie's hand. "The rain's tough."

Jessie Richmond thanked her and walked away to find some poppies to place beside his grave, his favourite flora.