The Bridge VIII - The beginning

With the wind whipping her hair into her face, she was blinded for just one moment. One moment too long. She didn't see the root that toppled her and sent crashing into the ground. Her mind was so hazy that she ignored the pain in her ankle and moved as fast as she could away from the scene. It was evident that she was here.

Ducking and swerving, dodging rocks and sticks and fueled by adrenaline, she ran like the wind. Stopping for a quick moment to check on her pursuers, all she saw were glowing lights like fireflies in the distance, but gaining with tremendous speed. She looked around to make sure she was almost out of the woods. She led them here purposely to see if she could lose them.

Checking on her ankle, she limped through the brush in front of her, then stopped abruptly.

Her eyes widened and she dropped to her knees. Her body finally felt the fatigue and was beginning to give up on her. Sore, winded, and her brain firing off signals to move, but her mind, incapacitated by fear. A true deja vu experience.

The crowd had finally caught up. The heat from the flames licked her back as they formed a circle around her and yet she stared right past them, in awe.




                                       That Bridge. That accursed Bridge.


The sounds of the world were finally registering, and she heard the flicker of the flames, the panting of the mob, and the silent psychosis that was so prevalent that it nearly drove her mad as well. The sound that surprised her the most though, was her own heartbeat, firing off like a machine gun with the trigger being held.

She slowly got to her feet and just over the horizon, the little girl who had looked so scared and alone, now stood tall, and made her way over the stretch of burning red. Smirking, as if she knew all along that it would come to this.

The girl had been a decoy, despite her fear of crowds, all for the sake of this little girl. She thought a good deed on New Years would make her year a good one.




         Apparently not.



The crowd parted to make way for the little girl, and in the light of the fire, their faces were indescribable. Demonic, twisted beings had taken the shape of humans to hunt down this girl, and the young one was apparently either feared, or revered by this child. This CHILD, who had entered the circle of monsters, as though they were nothing more than tree branches in her way.

"We were never meant to meet."

Her voice sounded ungodly familiar. She stood dead center of the tired girl's fading feild of vision. She was losing consciousness at a steady rate, and it would not be long before she fell prey to these ravenous beings. Some of whom were already giving her gluttonous looks.


"We were never meant to meet," she repeated, "Yet we meet again."

The little one reached out and offered her a hand.

"All will be explained in time."


'This was how it all started. She thought. 'I told her I'd protect her, and I gave her my hand.'

She slowly clutchd it and was helped to standing.

'This doesn't make sense...who is she? I know her.....how do I know....'

"Come with me. It's time." She led her past the circle of monsters and like a child, she closed her eyes, not wanting to witness the demons up close. Her heartbeat grew faster and faster as time moved slower and slower. She opened her eyes, and looked back into the darkness. The monsters were gone.

"They served their purpose. They were meant to bring you here, so that we may do this all over again."

She looked at the girl, and it seemed like she had grown. She was looking up. She was being led to the edge of the bridge. She was looking at herself.


They stopped at the edge of the bridge, and the girl turned and looked at her now younger self.

"It's time for both of us to move on," she said with compassion. "You are now the guardian of this bridge, but don't worry," She paused, and for the first time in what must have been undoubtedly a long time...she smiled. "Your time will come as well."

With that, she took both of her hands and led the now younger her across the bridge and once they reached the middle,


BANG!


The New Year's fireworks lit up the sky and people all over, rejoiced in "the world's birthday". The lights became more and more extravagant and as the final one shot out, The moon peeked out from behind the clouds and made one last appearance.


There were no shadows in the light, and the river still ran lazily over the smooth river stones, into its tributaries and eventually to the ocean and its many shores. With the new year rolling in, a single plank of red wood floated out into the world, and slowly disappeared, only to re appear in time.


The year was over, but for her...it was only beginning.