Jump

People gather in masses around the great bridge, they spark my interest and I follow suit. I join the mob that gathers around the great bridge. I try asking what the gathering is about, but no one gives me a satisfying answer, they all say that the show will soon begin. I push my way through the crowd, I’ve got to find the core of the matter, the curiosity is killing me.

Once I reach the front row of people standing next to the bridge I can finally make out what the whole fuss is about; it’s a man standing on top of the bridge, his hands spread wide open. He seems to be staring at the setting sun. Is he going to jump, I wonder, am I going to see him die, I ponder.

The sight raises my heartbeat, I feel myself growing nervous… no, excited…

I want to see him jump.

No one wants to see a happy ending when they can get a blood spectacle.

The crowd circles the bridge like starving vultures waiting for the corpse to be presented for them to devour. They’re growing restless quickly, their blood lust getting out of control swiftly, the mob is growing crazed as they all raise their hands towards the man atop the bridge and call out in unison;

“Jump!”

The man on the bridge, he is snapped back into reality by noise, almost losing his footing and falling into the jaws of death, they see his feet slip and cheer, but he manages to stay on top of the bridge, he avoids the fall and the crowd grows hateful, they boo and jeer him for not making the jump.

The man looks down worried, he wasn’t intending to kill himself, he just wanted to look at the view, he just wanted to see this beautiful sunset up close. He begins trying to calm the masses down, but they cut him off, filled with rage they call out;

“Jump!”

“Jump!”

“Jump!”

The man, scared, begins to climb down from the top of the bridge, but the crowd, loathing him for not jumping, they press against the bridge. They want to block his escape route they have sealed his fate. The demise-lusting masses would not let him get down, they grab whatever they can find and throw it at him.

The man realizes he has no way out, with tears running down his cheeks he climbs back up to the top of the bridge, begging to be release, crying out for mercy, weeping to be freed from their craving claws.

The crowd wouldn’t relent though, and all they do is cry out to the man;

“Jump!”

As this was happening, I climbed, stealthily, onto the top of the bridge, and crept behind the somber man. I am going to help him, I am going to save him, I am going to help him out, I am going to save him from his shame.

I kicked him in the back and watched as he fell onto the unforgiving concrete below us, and as he fell, I yelled out in ecstasy; “Jump!”

As he fell to the ground, producing a crushing sound upon contact, the raging crowds went ecstatic and cheered in adoration. Moments later, these ravenous beasts were staring at me like a pack of starved hyenas as I was looking down at the remains of the man, and once more, they called;

“Jump!”