The Bridge
He looks down at the river and the train tracks far below....... / 100-word story
He no longer wants to live on the streets of Toronto. Or live anywhere at all. He just wants the pain to stop. Walking onto Prince Edward bridge on this joyless night, he stares at the river and the train tracks far below.
A cold Canada wind cuts through his thin jacket. Panic rises in his chest. No. He’s not jumping off this bridge, this bridge with its luminous veil of safety.
Tonight he’s only crossing over to Danforth, heading back to the streets of his childhood, and to a mother’s promise, that it’s never too late to come home.
NOTE: The Prince Edward Viaduct, in Toronto, Canada, spans the River Don. Between 1980 and 2000, there was an average of nine suicides from the bridge every year. In 2004, a barrier was designed to prevent people from jumping to their deaths. It is called The Luminous Veil. Over 9,000 steel rods were fastened to the sides of the bridge, from bank to bank , and color-shifting lights were added. In the last 20 years, there has been only one suicide from the bridge, with no increase in deaths on other city bridges.
Suicides. Sign of desperation. Think of San Diego Coronado bridge. A long way down to the ocean to see the waves and good bye.
Powerful story, Sharron. 💜