Sorry in advance for the long post. This is a short story I worked on about two years ago and I wanted to let everyone know some of what I am working on currently. Enjoy!
Falling Angels
The breeze is cool on her face, funny how she didn’t notice that until now.
Katie looks over the bridge’s edge to the dark expanse of the water below. Standing on the railing for the walkway on the bridge, she noticed her sweaty palm made it hard to hold onto the steel girder next to her and she stood contemplating jumping into that inky blackness she saw. Katie isn’t sure how she got to this point. A hard breakup, financial issues, they all seemed so small; yet here she was looking at the water staring back at her while she decides whether or not to take that fateful step. Katie sighs as she pulls a lock of auburn hair behind one ear. Just one step, not even a jump. That is all I need to do to make all this pain I feel go away. A tear spills down her cheek as she clutches at her blouse while her heart threatens to beat out of her chest, fast and erratic against her ribs. What am I doing here? Why can’t I figure out another way? Why? Before she realizes it, her left foot is poised over the void she has been staring at for what seems like hours. Just go nothing to it….
“Hi there. Nice night tonight isn’t it?”
The sudden voice startles Katie out of her reverie and makes her yelp as she grabs onto the steel girder to prevent herself from falling. The person who spoke seems to be behind her so Katie, the step into the water now forgotten, gets down to see who belonged to the voice.
He is standing a few feet from her, further down the walkway out of arm’s reach. I guess he is worried I would jump if he got too close. Katie thought to herself as she studies the man before her. An attractive face with the usual features, along with a strong chin, and a square jaw obscured from the night’s shadow. She could make out blonde hair cut short and a noticeably hot-looking leather jacket with jeans and boots. That jacket! In this weather? He must be wearing it for fashion. Or something other than because he’s cold. “Who are you?” Katie asks out loud, not feeling a little weird having someone show up out of nowhere during the night when she thought she would be alone. Jumping off a bridge isn’t something you want an audience for after all.
“My name is Joshua.” The mysterious man replied as he obviously studied her as much as she did the same to him. He saw her tattered, clean green blouse and worn with holes in the legs. No shoes, she threw them those over the bridge before climbing on the railing. The long auburn hair left free to sway behind her in the slight breeze that came up from the water below. Green eyes look to him in the dark that lost the sparkle that was there just a few months ago, before her life became a chaotic mess that led her here, on the bridge. Thinking of jumping, unsure why that was the answer.
“I’m Katie.” She responded with to be polite. “Why are you here Joshua?”
“Just passing through” he said as he put his hands in his jacket pockets walking a few steps closer before stopping to see her reaction. When she didn’t jump back onto the railing he walked the rest of the way up to her, so he was only about a foot in front of her. When he got this close she saw his eyes in the streetlight. They were hazel/gold. Nice combo. Blonde ,hazel. Huh. Katie thought to herself.
“Why are you here on a night like this standing on the railing looking like you were about to take your last step Katie?” Katie looked down not sure how to respond. “I’m not sure really. I just have been dealing with issues that I can’t seem to fix and so these last few weeks I started to think about coming to the bridge and….you know.” It came out in a rush. The man looked at her and said, “Is that really the best way to handle these issues? I mean surely your parents would miss you right? Friends? Family?”
Katie sighs and snaps, “Why do you think I’m here? If I had someone to talk to do you think I would have ended up here in the first place?”
Joshua just looks at her and waits. Katie shifts from one foot to the other suddenly feeling like she was a child that got caught doing something wrong. Well I was just about to jump. That’s pretty wrong isn’t it? Katie then says, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just so tired and I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“Here, take my hand then.” Joshua reaches out his right hand as an invitation to take hers. Katie has no idea why, but she takes the stranger’s hand like he was a long-lost friend. Somehow, she shouldn’t be afraid or worried that a man shows up out of nowhere at night. “What are you doing?” Katie asks. “Bringing you to that answer you wanted to not go over the bridge.” He replies as he leads her away from that edge.
Katie walks with Joshua hand in hand back off the bridge and onto the road back to town. His calm demeanor makes her wonder if she was in a dream. Who is this guy? Katie wonders. Is he just a random guy or…? Katie leaves that last thought unfinished not able to figure out any possibility.
Before she asks him where they are going, they suddenly appear in front of a hospital. Stark white walls lined the ER with the front desk clerk looking at her standing by the door. It feels like all eyes are on Katie while she looks around wondering why Joshua led her to the ER in the hospital. “Why are we here?” Katie asks. “To give you your solution.” Joshua replies and leads her to the front desk. Before she knew what she was doing, Katie began to tell the front desk clerk she was thinking of ending her life, but a man came to her and managed to get her to come to the hospital instead.
“What man?” The front desk clerk asks Katie. “This one next to me.” Katie says wondering why the clerk would ask that. I mean can’t she see him right next to her? “Um ma’am…….I only saw you come in here. I’m glad you decided to not jump, but um……I didn’t see anyone else but you.”
“What?” Katie looks to her side and blinks as if she was coming out of a dream. The sudden appearance at the bridge, his calming presence making her feel safe, the way she came to the hospital not really remembering how she got here….. What is going on here?! On the floor is a small white object. She reaches down to pick up to bring it to her face for a closer look.
It was a tiny white feather.