Devil's Advocate

Jump

I stared down at my city because I wanted it to be the last thing I ever saw. The dim, flickering streetlights, the occasional flashing headlight of a vehicle and the peaceful resplendence of a neighbourhood in the middle of the night almost made my heart ache. But there was no turning back. The big clock in the middle of the city showed half an hour to midnight.

I had reached a crossroads in life, and I had chosen the easy way out.

As I stood on the bridge, miles above the nearest human being, I was ready to jump and end it all. I knew it would be a messy way to go, but I had made my mind up.

I had no future. My life was a monotonous routine which I hated. I had no skills, no talent and no inspiration. There were a lot of times when I wanted to shake myself by the collar and ask me if I was truly happy with what I was doing. I believed I was.

I was wrong.

The woman I loved and thought loved me back, left me three hours ago. We met at the coffee shop where she had once declared her undying love for me and told me her parents had fixed a wedding date for her.

I wasn't invited.

The rest of the events which took place were a bit of a haze. I have no idea how I ended up on top of the bridge, staring down at the night-life of the city below me.

Nobody would miss me. I had nobody who cared for me, nobody who'd recognise my name if it appeared in the papers tomorrow, nobody to claim my body in the morgue. In a short time, I'd be a stain on the pavement, as inconvenient as ever. The people who'd be hired to scrape me off the road would curse me, mumbling that I'd made more work for them.

That was me, always a bother to everyone.

A cold wind had started to blow, causing goosebumps to erupt on my skin. Under the bridge, a narrow lane winded across me and extended as far as the eye could see. I'd have preferred to jump into the sea, but the nearest water body was miles away and I honestly didn't care for walking any more. There was nothing else for it. I steeled myself and looked down again, trying to imagine the rush of wind as I fell, at the swirl of colours and noises I'd experience, how it'd all end in a sickening splat.

Dying wasn't the hard part, falling was.

How would the life ebb out of me? Would it be snuffed out like a candle? Would the colour and sound around me gradually fade, like an old TV?

Would it hurt?

Well, it was time to find out. I glanced at the railings of the bridge. It had a dove carved on it every few metres, probably as a symbol of peace and life. How ironic.

I gripped the railing tightly and took a deep breath. This was it. I hoisted one leg over the railing and prepared to jump.

I closed my eyes.

Goodbye, cruel world, I thought.

"Kind of a long way down, don't you think?" said someone to my left.

I almost lost my balance and fell headfirst.

As it is, the foot which was still planted on the bridge skidded a little and I had to hold the railing tighter so that I wouldn't fall. I opened my eyes wide and turned to see who had spoken.

"What the he..." I started. And stopped.

My eyes grew wide as I looked the... boy that had spoken. He was standing a few feet from me, leaning casually against the railing.

At first glance, he looked like any of the normal teenagers you'd see lounging around at a mall or any public place for that matter. Long hair, thin face, earphones trailing from each ear and a Smartphone in his hand, which he peering into. He wore a normal T-shirt and jeans as he stood with his back to the railing.

The problem was, he had a tail.