then followed.
“Suzy wait!”
“Sorry, babes. No can do.”
“Suzy!” He grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him.
“Let go!” She screamed in his face.
“No!”
“Let me go!” She struggled to free her arm.
He pressed his lips to hers, and her struggling stopped. Ben ran around and around them as they kissed. His barking became louder and louder until they could ignore him no more.
“He's jealous.” Todd said, as he crouched down to make a fuss of the excited dog.
By the time they'd reached the top of the cliffs, they were all exhausted—even Ben. But then he'd covered at least twice as much ground by running back and forth.
“Wow!” Suzy was staring out to sea. “It's so big!”
“Big?” Todd laughed. “Newsflash. The sea is big!”
“Don't be such a pig.” She tried to thump him, but he dodged out of the way. “I meant you can see for miles. What's over there?” She pointed out to sea.
“That's the North Sea. Next stop in that direction is Denmark, I think. Have you ever been there?”
“Me? Nah. Only time I've been outside of England is when I went to Ibiza.”
“That's not correct. You're out of England now.”
“Scotland doesn't count.”
“Don't tell the Scots that.”
“You know what I mean. I haven't been overseas except for Ibiza. And that was only a hen party.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Fucked if I can remember.”
Ben had his second wind, and was once more a bundle of energy. He dropped his stick at Suzy's feet for the hundredth time.
“You're wearing me out, boy.” Suzy wound back her arm, and let fly with as much strength as she could muster.
She'd meant to throw the stick so it landed further along the cliff top, but had put so much into it that her aim was off.
“Stop!” Suzy screamed.
“Ben!” Todd yelled, but it was too late. The dog was so busy watching the stick that he didn't notice the cliff edge until it was too late.
Suzy and Todd watched in horror as Ben skidded towards the edge, and then disappeared from sight.
Todd rushed after him. Suzy was a few paces behind him.
“Oh god. I didn't mean to—” She pulled up a few feet short of the edge. She couldn't bear to look. “I'm sorry.” She slumped onto her knees.
“Suzy! Quick!” Todd shouted. “He's okay.”
She stumbled to her feet and rushed over to Todd.
Only a few feet below the cliff's edge, was a narrow ledge on which Ben was perched. As soon as he saw them, he barked, and tried to scramble back up, but he couldn't gain purchase on the rock.
“Stay there, boy!” Todd threw off his jacket, and then turned to Suzy. “If he tries to climb up, he'll fall.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I have to get down to that ledge.”
“You can't. You'll die.”
“I'll be okay. If I can get to him, I'll be able to pass him up to you. It isn't far.”
“What if he struggles? You'll both fall.”
Todd already had one leg over the edge. Ben was barking frantically—still trying to scramble back up.
“Quiet boy,” Suzy said in what she hoped was a soothing voice. She had one eye on the dog, and the other on Todd.
Ben was back on all fours, but was moving back and forth on the ledge as he watched Todd climb down towards him. Suzy gasped when she saw the dog's back legs come within a few inches of the edge. As soon as Todd was standing on the ledge, Ben threw himself at his master.
“Steady boy. It's going to be okay.”
“You'll never do it,” Suzy said. “Why don't you stay down there with him while I get help?” She took out her phone—still no damn signal.
“It'll take too long,” Todd said. “I'm going to pass him up to you. Are you ready?”
“I might drop him.”
“You won't. Are you ready?”
She wasn't, but what choice did she have.
As though some kind of survival instinct had kicked in, Ben didn't struggle when Todd picked him up in order to pass him to Suzy, Todd had to take a step back from the cliff face. His feet were
“Suzy wait!”
“Sorry, babes. No can do.”
“Suzy!” He grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him.
“Let go!” She screamed in his face.
“No!”
“Let me go!” She struggled to free her arm.
He pressed his lips to hers, and her struggling stopped. Ben ran around and around them as they kissed. His barking became louder and louder until they could ignore him no more.
“He's jealous.” Todd said, as he crouched down to make a fuss of the excited dog.
By the time they'd reached the top of the cliffs, they were all exhausted—even Ben. But then he'd covered at least twice as much ground by running back and forth.
“Wow!” Suzy was staring out to sea. “It's so big!”
“Big?” Todd laughed. “Newsflash. The sea is big!”
“Don't be such a pig.” She tried to thump him, but he dodged out of the way. “I meant you can see for miles. What's over there?” She pointed out to sea.
“That's the North Sea. Next stop in that direction is Denmark, I think. Have you ever been there?”
“Me? Nah. Only time I've been outside of England is when I went to Ibiza.”
“That's not correct. You're out of England now.”
“Scotland doesn't count.”
“Don't tell the Scots that.”
“You know what I mean. I haven't been overseas except for Ibiza. And that was only a hen party.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Fucked if I can remember.”
Ben had his second wind, and was once more a bundle of energy. He dropped his stick at Suzy's feet for the hundredth time.
“You're wearing me out, boy.” Suzy wound back her arm, and let fly with as much strength as she could muster.
She'd meant to throw the stick so it landed further along the cliff top, but had put so much into it that her aim was off.
“Stop!” Suzy screamed.
“Ben!” Todd yelled, but it was too late. The dog was so busy watching the stick that he didn't notice the cliff edge until it was too late.
Suzy and Todd watched in horror as Ben skidded towards the edge, and then disappeared from sight.
Todd rushed after him. Suzy was a few paces behind him.
“Oh god. I didn't mean to—” She pulled up a few feet short of the edge. She couldn't bear to look. “I'm sorry.” She slumped onto her knees.
“Suzy! Quick!” Todd shouted. “He's okay.”
She stumbled to her feet and rushed over to Todd.
Only a few feet below the cliff's edge, was a narrow ledge on which Ben was perched. As soon as he saw them, he barked, and tried to scramble back up, but he couldn't gain purchase on the rock.
“Stay there, boy!” Todd threw off his jacket, and then turned to Suzy. “If he tries to climb up, he'll fall.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I have to get down to that ledge.”
“You can't. You'll die.”
“I'll be okay. If I can get to him, I'll be able to pass him up to you. It isn't far.”
“What if he struggles? You'll both fall.”
Todd already had one leg over the edge. Ben was barking frantically—still trying to scramble back up.
“Quiet boy,” Suzy said in what she hoped was a soothing voice. She had one eye on the dog, and the other on Todd.
Ben was back on all fours, but was moving back and forth on the ledge as he watched Todd climb down towards him. Suzy gasped when she saw the dog's back legs come within a few inches of the edge. As soon as Todd was standing on the ledge, Ben threw himself at his master.
“Steady boy. It's going to be okay.”
“You'll never do it,” Suzy said. “Why don't you stay down there with him while I get help?” She took out her phone—still no damn signal.
“It'll take too long,” Todd said. “I'm going to pass him up to you. Are you ready?”
“I might drop him.”
“You won't. Are you ready?”
She wasn't, but what choice did she have.
As though some kind of survival instinct had kicked in, Ben didn't struggle when Todd picked him up in order to pass him to Suzy, Todd had to take a step back from the cliff face. His feet were
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