The Bridge

Chapter Four

I awoke but kept my eyes tightly shut. Even through my closed eyelids I could see the warm light. I slowly opened my eyes and was surprised to see a girl standing in front of me. Her blonde hair was a bit disheveled, her aquamarine eyes unreadable. It took me a minute to realize who she was.

"You!" I screamed and jumped back.

"Me," she repeated calmly. She grabbed me by my elbow and began to lead me to a forest.

"I..what's happening? Where are we?" I asked. She ignored me, so I continued. "I...I remember the car. It..hit me."

I swallowed. My throat felt very dry. I realized I couldn't remember much. My memory seemed short. I remembered the main points of my life, like losing my first tooth, but everything else was a blur. I struggled to remember my mom. Was she blonde? Black haired? A red-head?

I felt an odd emotion as well. Pain. Sadness. Joy. Love. I didn't understand. None of it made any sense.

Suddenly, we stopped. I looked around and noticed a small wooden bridge over a trickling stream. As I stared at the bridge, emotions flooded into me. I felt happiness, followed by shock and worry. I felt frightened, as if I should run away. But I couldn't move. I couldn't force myself to run, so I stood there, staring into the light eyes of the girl in front of me.

"How do you feel?" she demanded.

"Different. I don't know. Why?"

"Do you know where we are?" She asked.

"No...should I?"

She sighed. "I know it's hard to remember things. I had that same problem."

"I...I don't understand."

She laughed and let go of my elbow. She walked over to the bridge and stood there, leaning against the railing, watching the smooth flow of the water.

"Have you not figured it out yet?" She asked softly.

"Figured what out? What's going on?" I felt my voice rise. I followed her on the bridge. It groaned as it supported both our weight.

She turned to me, her face unreadable. "You're dead," she said simply.

I stood there, rooted in place. Well, that was a surprise. It wasn't what I was expecting, and certainly not what I wanted to hear.

"Dead?" I repeated faintly.

She nodded. When she spoke, her voice sounded angry. "I bet you don't even know why we're here."

I shook my head. Her eyes blazed with hatred. "I died here," she said through gritted teeth. "It's all your fault! You made the bridge wobble, and you made me die!"

"I...I'm sorry!" I cried out. I began to back away as she advanced. I felt my back hit the other railing. "I didn't mean to make you die! It was an accident!"

She didn't answer. Her eyes softened a bit and she turned around and walked off the bridge. She found a tree stump and sat on it, her face in her hands.

I followed her off. I leaned against a tree a little ways away from her. "So, what happens now?" I dared to ask.

She raised her head. "I don't know. We're stuck here until we can find a way to move on."

"Move on? I read once that sometimes people won't move on because something is keeping them in this world."

"I was still here because of you," she muttered. "I wanted to hurt you, and I did. But, I still haven't moved on and neither have you."

She reached for a pebble lying near her. Her translucent hand went through it. She growled and concentrated. Then, she picked up the pebble and threw it into the stream, watching the ripples the pebble created.

"Well, maybe that's not what's keeping you here," I suggested.

She turned to look at me with a scowl. "Then what is?"

I hesitated. "Maybe...we need to forgive each other and make peace."

She raised an eyebrow. "Make peace?"

"Yeah," I urged. "I'm really sorry for what happened, and, well, I'm dead now, so...we're even. We were such good friends before, and I know you remember what that felt like."

She sighed. "Yes, I remember," she admitted. "I'm sorry as well." She stood up and walked over to me. I was quite surprised that she had accepted my apology so quickly. I was even more surprised when she pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back, and it was like nothing had ever happened.

A white light suddenly shone over our heads. We broke apart and looked up. This was it. I could feel it. We were moving on.