Going through my latest drafts, every once in awhile I will come across a piece I was writing for a post and either didn’t like it or gave up on it as a bigger story. Some people may wonder why I have dozens of scenes with no beginning or end in sight and some may very well understand, especially writers. I for one didn’t post this scene because it didn’t feel right for the blog and I’m more a fan of fantasy and magic. Real life drama, well… I get enough of that where I work.
The below scene started off as something to just get words out; Something to get over a bout of writer’s block. I often think I need to work on my descriptions and how they factor into a scene and this is no exception. I tried to create some tension and start us off with a bang which is something I am practicing for my own novels.
Anyway, here’s a discarded post that I hope you get something out of, note… it will remain unfinished.
***
Softly I whispered, “Take my hand.”
I didn’t know him and he didn’t know me, but here we stood, locked together in this moment for an eternity. My hand extended as far as my body would allow, reaching beyond the safety of the pale olive railing, its surface smooth and faded from the sun and rain. I could feel my eyes pleading with him as I wished for him to turn, even just to meet my gaze. The young man simply stared forward, his thin body leaned tensely against the edge of the bridge.
Strangely, I’d been here before.
“Please,” I cried, “You don’t have to do this!” The young woman beyond the railing simply stared down at her shoes as the midday light danced off their polished jet-black toes. Her white dress was adorned with large flowers in shades of yellows, oranges, and greens; the fabric almost as delicate as the woman wearing it. She turned slowly to look at me, a slight peace across her face. She was pale, with large eyes filled nearly with a shimmering blue. She brushed her curly brown locks behind her ears, a futile effort as they quickly returned to dancing in the wind. I smiled and motioned to her. “Please, come talk to me.” She smiled the faintest of smiles and stepped off. I felt my stomach lurch after her while I froze in position. The silence was deafening and I trembled as she hit the water some hundred or more feet below. I don’t remember making the emergency call, but somehow police showed up.
Suddenly this seemed like some kind of redemption for myself. A second chance to save someone. A selfish thought, but not as bad as the others running through my mind. Not me, not again. I can’t watch two people jump. Why me? Why here?
“Sir, you need to look at me.” I stared at his ratty midnight colored sweater and noticed a university logo on the arm. Do I bring that up for the sake of small talk? What if that is the source of his problems? I quickly glanced down to my phone, no bars for signal. No signal five years ago and none now. So many parallels. Too many to be honest.
His jeans were worn, and his shoes looked as though they’d seen some good years, probably even better years. I wished desperately he’d look me in the eye. I needed him to know I was here. I needed to know that he knew. His faded gold shoulder length hair shimmered in what remained of the sun as if the two had grown fond of each other. I could see him trembling, feel his fear as if it were my own.
The policeman had wrapped a blanket around me as I sat in the back of their van. I stared straight ahead, oblivious to the fact they had recovered her body and taken it from the scene. “Are you sure you’ll be fine Miss?” He asked with his gruff official policeman voice. “I just need some time,” I replied, my hands slightly trembling. I needed some time. Time to think about the beautiful woman before me. A delicate flower in a garden of thorns. Who would she have become? Who was she already? What drove her to this?
“What’s your name?” I called out to the man. He stared down toward the water, ignoring my calls. “You must have a name,” I whispered on the breeze. He shifted uncomfortably and leaned forward a second. That second lasted a lifetime as my breath left me and my heart stopped. Suddenly he pushed back against the steel girder behind him. I felt my body return to a state slightly less tense than marble while I braced myself against the railing. “You must have a name, what is it?”
“Michael.”
***
After another read, I’m not sure I made the transitions between her memories and the current situation clear enough. I’d be curious to hear what you think! Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by!