Choices.
By Tj and Lubaybay.
I never really had a chance. Too bad it took me forever to realize that. It's too late now. As I stand 60 feet above rushing water, the dark memories disseminate throughout my mind. Choices, that's all they were. And I made all the wrong ones. It's ultimately too late to turn back now. I'm going to have to take the plunge. All it takes is one step. I lean forward and look below my feet, towards the gushing river beyond. Its menacing waters gleamed in the moonlight, making my reflection barely visible in the current. I can feel my eyes go crossed from staring too long. Taking a deep breath, I lean away. My grip tightens on the bridge rail behind me. Rusty particles are knocked loose by the hard friction.
The cold bites at my exposed skin. I do not shiver, or even mind the freezing temperature. I check one more time, over my shoulder, for passing cars. The bridge is completely abandoned, like usual, but it isn't uncommon for a car to drive by every now and then. I turn back to face the dark void ahead of me.
It wasn't a hard choice to make. Just because it wasn't hard, doesn't mean it was right. However, at the moment, I felt like it was the only option. The wetness on my cheeks kept me in check and the rushed beating of my heart reminded me why I was there. Nobody in the world mattered at that moment. The only person who had mattered was gone. At least, the only person who I thought mattered. The only thing I wanted at that moment was to be with them, wherever they were.
In the distance, I can hear the soft wailing of police sirens. Even closer, I can pick out the faint bark of searching hounds. The sounds make me uncomfortable and I instinctively shift my body. The broken pavement slips from under my foot and tumbles 60 feet, fabricating a thin shriek to leave my chapped lips. I, however, keep my hold on the bridge, and manage to stay up a little while longer.
I don't know what I exactly was waiting for. The longer I stayed clinging to the side of the bridge, the farther I got from my finish, and the closer I got to being found.
With my left hand, I let go of the bridge rail. The wind, which I hadn't noticed before, knocked me off-balance, but I caught myself before I feel to my awaiting fate. With my free hand, I dug into my pocket. My fingers wrap around a small chain. I pull the chain out, producing a partial silver locket. It was broken, with one side completely ripped off the tiny hinge. A tiny picture was secured in the locket. I raised it up to the bridge light, hoping to study the picture one last time. It was of a smiling boy, with sparkling dark eyes. I could barely make out his face in the silver light.
From behind me, and beyond the trees, a bell begins to toll. Once, twice, three times, it peals, marking the early morning. I slid the locket back into my pocket, and grab the bridge rail with my left hand. I'm facing the dark void again. The wind sucks the air out of my lungs.
"This is it." I think, managing to take a final deep breath. Gulping down air, I move my feet forward. My fingers follow behind, slowly unraveling themselves form the rail. With a slight push, I find myself in the air, 60 feet above the surging water.
It was strange, the whole flying thing. It wasn't how I thought it would be. My legs and arms felt like weights, destined to pull me toward the ground. The tears were pulled off my cheeks by gravity, and I found myself, suddenly, 60 feet above the earth, in peaceful tranquility. I don't remember much about hitting the water and I don't remember how long it took to hit it. The absolute last thing I remember was thinking to myself, "I'm actually flying."
And that is how my story ended, that cold night in December. It ended, that didn't matter; it was going to end anyways, whether it was today or eighty years from now. The only thing that mattered about my ending was the story. I'm glad my story ended now and not some eighty years in the distant future. In some way, my story is easier to tell: it being shorter and all. In another way, my story wouldn't have lasted much longer anyways, given the fact that the essential character had only passed away not three hours prior to the final chapter. Besides, I've always liked this kind of story: short and sweet.