Winner of second place in the Corona Awards Mystery/Thriller Category - October 2017

The breeze off the bay picked up and shifted sending the smoke from the bonfire wafting in a crazy dance down onto the couples cuddling on the blankets next to the fire. Tiny explosions of sparks jumped up to the night sky with a dried, parchment-like crackle. The girl cried out in surprise, her fingers darting to her eyes as bits of ash peppered her face. She stood unsteadily, pulling away from the grasp of her companion, and wove a random path across the sand and away from the fire, stopping to steady herself on a rocky outcropping.

The moon shimmering on the water beckoned her to travel its blurred path, which altered even more through her alcoholic haze and she took a few more stumbling steps around the rocks before collapsing onto the sand laughing aloud. The stars sprouted large auras, as she gazed from her back at their chaotic pattern, and the light seemed to grow and diminish when she tried to focus.

The graduation celebration had started early in the evening with a corn roast and plenty of beer and loud music that several cottages took exception to by loudly slamming doors and windows. A few joints were shared around after the food and some harder drugs found their way to willing participants, throwing themselves full bore into their farewell to university party; and as the drinking increased one or two couples managed to sneak off into the dark for a different celebration.

The girl rolled over onto one elbow and tried pushing herself upright but found that she was too drunk and she started laughing again. The moon dipped behind a cloud and a thick darkness fell over her location, blending the hair hanging down over her face and the sandy beach into one contiguous, inky shadow.

When the hands grabbed her under the arms and dragged her back to the rocks she was still giggling and trying to see who was helping her. A moment later her giggles turned to chokes, as she felt blinding pain repeating over her torso until the shock ceased, and her focus cleared long enough to see the moon peer sadly from behind the black cloud... and then nothing.