Samphire, by Patrick OBrian, is a short story which takes place in a very sheer and steep cliff by the sea.

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T.P. on "Samphire", by Patrick O'Brian

"Samphire", by Patrick O'Brian, is a short story which takes place in a very "sheer" and steep cliff by the sea. The cliff is too high, that there are no chances of surviving if you fall down from it. It is quite a remote place, where the wind tears in from the sea and brings the salt tang of the spray. The main characters of the story are a husband and wife and they are on holiday. She is named Molly; yet, his husband's name is not given at any point of the novel.

The story starts when, one day, her husband decides to take Molly to the high cliff, though she does not like altitudes at all. He finds a clump of samphire, a fleshy green plant that grows near the sea, and invites Molly to have a look at it. She is scared to death, speechless, but manages to look over, still she hates it. Surprisingly, the following day, Molly says that she would like to see the plant again so they return to the cliff, but when her husband leans right over in order to reach