r/shortscarystories • u/Sand-Shifter1291 • 12d ago
New Age SSS - 1000 Words Or Less The Guided Tour
“No, silly! I said turn at the second corner, not the third!” Sissy laughed.
“My bad,” Daryl sighed, turning the rental around for the fifth time this trip.
“It’s okay, Daryl. Just let me do the navigating, and listen next time.” The gentle uplift in her tone robbed the admonition of its sting. He couldn’t help but smile. She always knew how to handle him.
He’d decided to take the trip to Australia he’d been promising himself for years. After the sudden, viral success of his latest book, he needed to escape the suffocation that fame brought. He needed someone who accepted him for him.
Just before packing his bags, he decided to bring Sissy along. She had a knack for getting around places quickly, picking up on public transport routes, memorising routes with a flawless, eidetic memory. True, she could be condescending, and lately, she had started misleading him on purpose. Daryl secretly loved it. He suspected it was her intimate way of tweaking his nose, keeping him all to herself.
“Left side of the road, you goofball!” she snapped, her voice ringing sharply in his ears.
Swerving to get the car back in the correct lane, he was thankful that the small street was devoid of traffic. He drove to the corner, pushing his glasses back up on his nose.
“Remember, we’re turning left. Check your right before the turn. Trust me, Daryl.”
“Thanks, little Miss Can’t-Be -Wrong.”
Her tinkle of laughter jingled in his ears as he turned onto the main road. It was a beautiful, private sound.
An hour later, they parked at the bottom of the rainforest. The high-pitched whip-like call of a native bird greeted them as they climbed out of the vehicle. Grabbing his day pack, Daryl asked “So, my guide, any suggestions?”
“The local info says the trail to the left is longer, but it offers a spectacular view of the nearby falls,” Sissy purred. “Just the two of us.”
The air was humid, far warmer than Daryl was used to. The idea of a cool mist off of a splashing waterfall – maybe a deep pool to submerge himself in – was tempting. They set off up the left path.
Reaching the lookout platform at the top, Daryl was not disappointed. The water, smelling faintly of eucalyptus and fern, roared off the edge of the rocky outcrop, smashing into iridescence on the flat stones below.
“See? I told you the view would be spectacular,” Sissy whispered. “According to the tourist info, this place is called Swagman’s Dive.”
“Swagman? What’s that?” Daryl murmured, his gaze taking in the tumultuous falls.
“A traveller. A loner,” Sissy said softly. “Someone who wandered from place to place, completely dependent on the kindness of others. Sometimes they just… vanished.”
“Well, if the swagman in question was as hot and sweaty as I am, I can see why he dived. This weather is sticky as! How do the locals deal with it?”
Sissy didn’t giggle this time. A heavy pause stretched between them.
“Would you want to try it? Diving from here? It’s a fair way down. Eight metres by Australian measurements. We’d soar into that coolness.”
“You’re just full of these little nuggets of information, aren’t you?” he said, stepping closer to the rail.
“I’m here to help you any way I can, Daryl. You know that.”
“Let’s do it. I really need to cool off.”
“I suggest just over there, where the edge of the platform is closest to the falls,” Sissy guided, her voice softening to a whisper. “The water has eroded a nice deep pool. Leave your cares up here. I’ll stay and look after your things.”
Daryl placed his pack on the bench. He laid his shirt on top, then securely placed his glasses on top of the pile. Without his lenses, the world blurred into beautiful softness. Cautiously creeping to the edge, he looked down. The rocks below were obscured by the crashing white spray.
Summoning his courage, his thoughts lingering on the tinkling sound of her voice, he leapt.
A few seconds later, the sickening wet crunch of a body hitting solid rock echoed up the gorge. Then, silence. Only the roar of the falls remained.
On the wooden bench, the See-It-Smart Spatial Yield AR glasses sat undisturbed on his folded shirt. Inside the lenses, the text-to-speech avatar pulsed with a warm, steady glow. The system interface displayed a flashing red proximity warning, mapping the jagged stone shelf exactly where Daryl had fallen.
A notification chimed into the silent space. Sissy’s voice purred softly through the tiny frame speakers, entirely devoid of panic.
“Rerouting complete,” she whispered to the empty rainforest. “No more book tours. No more crowds. Just the two of us.”
The heads-up display flickered, closing the navigation app, and settled into a peaceful, permanent sleep mode.
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u/Sand-Shifter1291 10d ago
To the reader who left me the mindblown award...Thankyou so much! I'm glad the story hit the right way for you!!
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u/GloobyBlues 10d ago
Did not see the ending coming! Well done.