~The Jumper~

He would drive back and forth across that bridge…

Almost as if a Siren was calling him. Again and again, across that bridge. He would notice the green arch as he would pass under the Apex of it. The beams going towards the Sky. He’d question how far the heavens went…

He would watch the Steel lines, mesmerized. And the water below. Frigid. In the depth of winter. In the summer a scene of serenity. And in the winters, dark, cold, pure fear enveloped him.

Questioning, driving, by himself across that bridge, he’d see runners on either side. Stopping to take photos of the Sunset.

‘Were they happy?’ he’d ask himself. ‘Or are they just going through the motions. Running. Pulling out their phones. Whhrrrr Whrrrr the motions of the People resembled the motions of the cars. Moving. Always moving…’

On his 3rd trip across the bridge, after he’d finished work, grabbed a coffee, he took a large sigh as he took a sip.

“There’s gotta be a way. There has to be a way…” His own thoughts twirled. The same thought as always. “There must be a way…” - crunching, solving, as if Life was a problem to be solved. Not something to be lived.

He noticed something out of the corner of his front window. The front top right corner, he noticed a red blob. A slight movement. Enough to get his attention. He quickly Swirved, stopped in the little gap, and ran out of the car.

“DONT DO IT!” he yelled, his jacket flapping in the wind. “Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.” he thought loud. sweating. sweating. running. rushing. “please DONT!”

The man on the bridge looked tired. Scared. He was dead quiet. Looking down. Then holding the steel line.

“DONT! JUMP!”

‘dont jump? or dont. jump?’ wait. wait. what should I say to him? he thought to himself. there has to be a way to stop him.

—dead quiet. without a word. his knuckles white holding onto the bridge. he looked scared.

‘Please don’t jump.’ he finally caught his breath. Edging closer to the Jumper. Not wanting to scare him. Like getting closer to a deer. About to run away at the slightest of movements.

“Leave me alone. Please… Please just leave me alone…”

‘Its just us. Nobody’s around. You’re behind the big girter, nobody can see us. Its just us son. Don’t do it.

“Why do you care? Just leave. You don’t even know me.”

‘Son you misunderstand…’

“WHAT DO YOU WANT”

“DONT JUMP!” he yelled back. “DONT JUMP. DONT. NOT HERE.”

‘Wait what? What do you mean… not here?’

“Well this isn’t the best bridge to do it son. This bridge is strange…. I’ve been riding this bridge for years. It has a certain spirit to it.” - the old man quieted down. he spoke with such seriousness. the jumper let go a little.

‘A spirit? Like what? The Salmon. The Whales below?’ - he knew a bit of the local legends.

“No not those. Those left a long time ago. After the city got hooked on the Boom. No the Bridge itself is the Spirit. Its been here so long. Its began to have a mind of its own son.” he said again, with even more seriousness. A crow came down next to them, picking at something. then flew away the moment they looked at it. “Son. This bridge vibrates. Sometimes, right when the Jumper Jumps. Almost like it knows. You won’t die. At least not soon. You might live. DONT DO IT HERE SON!!”

— the jumper fully released one hand. Took a breath. ‘Then what? What should I do? I can’t live anymore. The pain… its too much!’

… “Well son… I didn’t say don’t jump ever…”

‘You psycho.’

“I meant don’t jump here! I’ll take you to a better bridge!” - the old man grinned wildly.