They went because they couldn’t say no to him. He was a terrifying figure, one that nobody wanted to anger. Physically bigger than the rest, and much more intelligent, he was the easy choice for group leader. He didn’t understand denial and refused to accept insubordination. Using fear and intimidation, he governed them with a silent force. His word was absolute and final and the others had come to accept that. The rest of them just simply kept their mouths shut and followed his lead. He was sure of himself and the rest of the group trusted him. Since he took over, way back in grade school, nobody dared to bother them. He offered them not leadership, but a sense of a collective confidence that carried them through the treacherous waters of middle and high school.

They went because they had nowhere else to go. Everyone in the group had nothing of real substance to go home to. In a way, their questionable family lives were what brought them together in the first place. If none of their families would take care of them, then they certainly needed each other. All of their fathers worked at the local plant and many of their mothers worked odd jobs as waitresses or secretaries when they could. Their houses were small and decrepit and usually devoid any parental supervision. And when the parents were around it was usually just a matter of time before an argument erupted. Mainly it was over money or their most recent string of bad luck and every boy in the group found it depressing to watch. To their parents, they were nothing more than a burden, another mouth to feed.

They went because they were bored. The neighborhood had long been home to the area’s lower class. Nobody ever made anything of themselves and rarely, if ever, left. It was a place where dreams were deferred in favor of an unspoken feeling of settling for what they had and nothing more. The attitude of being inferior was prevalent enough even though it wasn’t discussed. This outlook was the only thing of any value that was passed down through the generations. While other kids in neighboring towns threw extravagant house parties and drove expensive cars, their group was relegated to drinking forties of stolen malt liquor in the woods and having to wait for a bus to pick them up. The group always had to scrape together their spare change and walked with a noticeable chip on their shoulder. This led to fights and run ins with the law and by puberty most of the members of the group were on a first name basis with the local cops.

They went because they were curious. The only place of any significance in the town was the quarry. While the other kids had expansive community centers and exclusive country clubs, they were relegated to the only nice man made structure in their neighborhood. It was cloaked with mystery and was a rite of passage for all of the young boys since the first World War. Technically it was illegal and was considered trespassing because it was owned by the local power plant but that only added to its legend. It was fenced off and surrounded by large brush and trees, but there were holes in the chain linked fence from generations past. The group had grown up hearing about the area; they called it an oasis amongst ruins. They had built a vision of it in their heads over the years and by the time they decided to visit they were anxious to see if it lived up to its legend.

They went. It was the beginning of summer, the first really hot day of the year. They met at the deli on Main Street. Everyone had brought their swimsuits and towels. They even saved up for some pot and beer. This was a celebration; something that they had been looking forward to ever since their older brothers and cousins had first went and came back with fantastic tales of their escapades. The trip was short and they remained silent, taking their cues from the leader. The gravel changed to dirt as they followed the worn path to the fence. The opening was big enough for just one at a time.

They witnessed. The dirt morphed to pure white sand beneath them. The density of the brush and trees slowly evaporated and soon they could make out the cliffs. It was really as high as they had been told. As they reached the edge of the first cliff they stood in wonder by the sight below them. The coral blue water was unlike anything they had ever seen before. Never had they imagined their neighborhood being capable of producing something so gorgeous. They could see straight through to the bottom and despite it looking shallow, they knew that countless others had taken the plunge before them. The first overhang was about sixty feet high and it took them a few drinks to produce the courage to leap in. By mid day they were drunk, high and confident. The leader was first to climb to the next cliff. He towered over the rest of the group who were looking up at him waiting for him to jump from the hundred foot precipice.

They underestimated. It was much steeper than anyone had anticipated. He was in the air for what seemed like an eternity before he splashed into the water. The others looked on, waiting for him to re-emerge from the water, but he never did. After a minute one of them jumped in and when he came up through the surface without him, everyone knew that something bad had happened. A member of the group ran back to town to get help while the others either jumped in and searched for their fallen leader or got rid of the empty beer cans.

They left changed forever. They were led out back onto the street by the police. Behind them were a group of firemen, an ambulance and a search and rescue diving team. It all happened so fast. People had begun to form a crowd across the street in the parking lot of the church. They found him later that afternoon; it took three divers to pull him up from the bottom. Word was he had broken his neck on impact and died instantly. That night the group walked home together, silent and without their leader. The rest of the summer went by in a quiet haze. None of them stepped up and became the leader of the group and by the start of the school year they had stopped hanging out together.

They never did go back to the quarry.