Crossing my fingers and then my toes, I counted backwards from ten. At zero, I ran. Quickly, the Garden gave way, and a sage-like, dusty smell snuffed out Garden’s green aromas. Night was coming quickly. Rocks, ground and the shrubby brushes on each side of the trail were all becoming black as I rushed past,  deep twilight stealing their colour from the dying day. A rock caught my foot, and before I could catch myself, I fell, sliding on knees and hands. I rolled onto my bottom. Red blood polka-dotted the inside of my palm where the gravel stuck to the skin and stung. It hurt bad, but I pushed myself up, barely pausing. If anything, I ran faster, the unfamiliar mountain sounds urging me onward. I was desperate to get to Susie’s.

[Excerpt Landslide, Page 48]