An Unfortunate Occurrence

"She has done nothing."

Lucy heard the voice of her husband and in it was a hint of pleading.

"It is unfortunate, Richard. But necessary."

"But my wife... there is no reason to involve her. You can-"

"No reason? She's seen my face, and she knows too much. But as I said... it is regrettable."

Their conversation broke off when a powerful gust of hot air rushed up from beneath them. It was already sweltering hot, and Lucy felt beads of sweat falling off her forehead. She didn't usually perspire, but evidently being inside a volcano made exception to that.

They stood on a flat shelf of rock, three figures with a helicopter hovering high above. The ledge was some twelve feet below the rim of the volcano, and all that they could see was dark colored rock and ash. Clouds of soot and hot vapor hovered past, rising up from the molten core far beneath.

"Edward, I beg of you-"

"Do not sacrifice what remains of your pride, Richard."

The corpulent white haired man tugged twice on the rope in his hand, a cold smile fixed in place.

"I fear this rock shelf cannot support all of this weight. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lucy. I wish our introduction could have been on more pleasant terms."

He ascended slowly, gazing down at them with an expression that suggested he felt no remorse. None.

"Lucy... I am so sorry."

She heard the words and the sincerity behind them. But she could not see the face of her husband, tied back to back as they were. Here, at the end of their lives. Overwhelmed by the situation, Lucy did not venture a response. Unsteadily, Richard's voice emerged once more.

"I believe I owe you an-"

"Richard, I do not want to know."

"But I-"

"I said no. I don't want to know what you did to deserve this."

He fell silent, and Lucy longed to see his face. Yet she felt he wouldn't be able to meet her gaze. She knew that the guilt was crippling him.

"You aren't going to die for my mistakes, Lucy."

She laughed out loud, but the sound carried heavy on it her anxiety. She cringed as another great rush of hot air erupted around them. For the first time she ventured a glance beyond the edge of the platform upon which they stood. It was a long way down, but she could see the distant glow of lava far below. The fall would be long and terrifying, with only inevitable death waiting at the end.

"This shelf isn't going to hold forever", she said, feeling sudden movement from his side, "and there's nothing we can do about it."

The movement continued, growing more forceful by the second. Lucy felt herself being jostled around, and with a cry she felt the footing beneath them tremble.

Her shout of reprieve towards her husband was cut short when she felt the ropes slacken and drop. She spun around to face Richard, her eyes finding his. He was looking down, so she followed his gaze to his hands. Lucy had to suppress a gasp upon seeing them. They were bleeding and badly cut in several places. His forearms had fared no better.

When she looked back up to his face he was grinning sheepishly.

"There was a sharp piece of rock sticking out of the wall. Now at least we aren't so helpless."

Lucy turned to regard the flimsy platform upon which their lives now rested.

"We aren't?"

Richards eyes began scanning the top of the volcano, the rim that was their only hope of survival. But it was far out of his reach and they both knew it. Lucy watched as his eyes darted from the top, back down to the base, calculating. Then his eyes found Lucy and began sizing her up. She glared at him suspiciously.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're getting out of here."

"The hell I am. Either both of us get out, or neither of us does."

He walked closer to her, his eyes peering down into hers with an intensity that she had never seen before. And although no words were exchanged in that instant, Lucy felt as if the man was communicating his point by gaze alone.

"I don't care. I'm not leaving you."

"If you stay, we both die. If you go, we have a chance. You can get help."

Tears formed at the corners of Lucy's eyes and her chest heaved. This was too much to bear. She shut her eyelids tight against the anguish that assailed her. Feeling warm breath on her hands she looked down to see Richard on his knees before her, his hands enveloping her own.

"You have to be strong. For me. Don't make me the killer of us both, Lucy."

The fierce light was back in his eyes, and she felt it melting her resolve. He slowly moved to press his back against the wall, his eyes still locked with hers. Without speaking she let him take her feet into his hands, and a moment later he was standing up and thrusting her skyward.

Lucy soared upwards and the edge of the rim came to her hands with surprising speed. Her fingers scrabbled for a handhold, and mercifully, they found one before she could plunge back down. Before hoisting herself up she felt her gaze drawn down to where her husband now stood alone.

Only the thin shelf was falling in a deluge of crumbling rock. Sailing backwards off the ledge was Richard, with his arms spread wide as if to fly. Or perhaps it was an acceptance of fate.

As he plummeted and she hung from the rim, their eyes met. He had pushed her hard. Hard so she would reach the top, but so hard he had crumbled the ledge beneath him. She didn't look away as he fell. She owed him that much.

WORD COUNT: 998

SUBMISSION FOR WRITER'S CRAMP 5/14

PROMPT: You must write about a volcano. It can be one in the process of erupting or an extinct one, but there must be a volcano in your story/poem.