- what’s it about the sunset, she said

they sipped their margaritas and brown hair

dug her toes into the sand, then she spoke

- because we don’t know the why?

- it IS like magic, blonde said back

they sipped their margaritas and brown hair

refilled them once emptied, then she spoke

- there isn’t much magic left

- how do we get it back, blonde asked

- we keep drinking

- that is a sad reality, blonde said

- ok, do you want a lighter theory? brown took

a gulp instead of a sip, dug her toes deeper

into the sand - how about, she said, we imagine

our colorful souls, our beautiful souls in that sunset

- yes, the blonde said, i like that

blonde hesitated and looked at brown sorrowfully

- david loved sunsets, blonde said to brown

- i know, said brown. she started to cry

- i know you miss him, blonde said. she

put her drink down and hugged brown

- how could someone murder him? brown yelled

she yelled it over and over again, and then she yelled

about how it had been five years and they weren’t

any closer to a suspect let alone an arrest

- i just need closure, i just need closure, brown kept saying

swaying back and forth now in blonde’s arms

until blonde let go and brown and grabbed her margarita

and finished it in a few big swigs

- ashley, she said to brown, i have to finally tell you

- tell me what, ashley said sternly

- i’m only telling you now so you can have closure

- tell me what

- ashley, blonde said while staring at the sunset again,

david wasn’t murdered, ashley

ashley, david killed himself

she said it fast, she said it low

but ashley heard it all and let out a cry

heard deep into the sea

- why didn’t you tell me, ashley finally weeped softly

- i… blonde started

- why didn’t he do it? did he leave a note?

- i…

- what did the note say, ashley stared daggers into blonde

blonde reached for her phone and scrolled for a few seconds

and finally handed the phone to ashley, then turned back

to the sunset

- he… ashley started, he killed himself over me? because

i didn’t accept his proposal?

ashley was yelling now, and continued -

we were so young! so young! i wanted to, i always

wanted to, i just wanted to finish school first!

- i know, the blonde muttered, still staring at the sunset

i sat a few meters up and to the left of them

and i suspect they never noticed me

as they cried into each other

their wails and drama the soundtrack

to my own viewing of the sunset

until i packed up thirty minutes after

it turned to pure night

the girls were still there

now silent, numb

and as i walked off the beach

i wondered how many more

killers

walk among us