The Bridge IV

She had seen it happen before...being eaten. It was a long time ago when she was very little. Her family was on a safari trip in the dense jungles which had left her little family broken and along with it, her spirit as well.

Once a carefree child, she was now being crushed by the air of growing up. The wind that once swept and tousled her hair playfully, now gently swept around her as if avoiding her. At school, children stopped talking to her finding her 'boring' but she ignored it all. Her grief kept her from caring about anything, for it was perpetual.

Nightmares were now a recurring ritual and the girl never wore a bright colour again. Clad in dark clothing, she traversed the streets as if lost without meaning, looking for an escape perhaps.

During this time, she wandered into the park where the annoying sounds of the street and people were dulled and the quiet empty park was better suited to her demeanor.

After a few moments of her wallowing in her misery, she stopped. In the distance, she saw something stand out from the scenery.

A fiery red bridge among the lush green.

Slowly but steadily, she stepped forward and when she reached it something felt wrong. She felt...peaceful. The ease she felt, was what upset her. She touched it and the breeze whipped up and played with her hair once again...and she smiled. Even if it was for a moment, the joy was all that mattered.

She marched ecstatically towards the center where in a whirlwind of leaves appeared...a man. The winds died down as he took a step forward.

         "Hello" he said as his hand reached out, as if offering the girl something, yet she stood as if frozen in place. "You know why you're here." He took a step closer. His hand stayed outreached but permeated warmth and the surrounding calm seemed to be coming from him.

         "Who are you?" Her voice cracked. Not out of fear, it wasn't used to being used. He stopped right in front of her and got down on one knee. He leaned in and whispered in a smooth voice, "I know what happened, and i'm terribly sorry."

As he pulled back and got up, the calm faded away from the world and the ever so familiar feeling of fear filled her up to the brim. She ignored it, however pushing it to the back of her mind by focusing on the calm from before.

         "Don't worry, i'm here to help" he said, now with more of a snarl in his voice.
She looked him in the eyes and the moment she blinked, his features changed. Not a transformation, but his features, once calm and humane, were rough and animalistic.

         "I see now." she looked at him and muttered a few words which were never heard along with a scream. Both of which were devoured by the beast.




The next day, the girls family received a blood soaked note simply bearing the words :

                                                           "She wasn't scared."