The bridge creaked and swayed beneath my feet as I stepped onto it. My sweaty hands grasped the railing, which would not help me if the bridge gave way, but it calmed me down a bit. I told myself not to look down, but I was too curious. I glanced down from over the side,

and my stomach lurched. It had to be at least 200 feet down--not a good thing if you fell.

My little sister, Jordan, stepped on after me, and the bridge gave another sickening jolt.

"Jordan..." I muttered. "We should probably go one at a time. Safety reasons."

I looked back and saw her sticking her lip out. "No!" She whined. "I want to go WITH you!"

I sighed. "Fine. But stay close, and..." I gulped. "PLEASE don't shake the bridge."

I shouldn't have said that. Her face broke into a mischievous grin, and her hands reached for the railing.

"Jordan!" I snapped. "Don't! Do you want to be killed?"

Jordan sneered at me, but her hands drifted away from the railing and I waited as she walked over and stood beside me.

"WHY are we doing this again?" She grumbled.

"It's the only way to get across," I replied.

"Well, Grandma and Grandpa should have been smarter and built a sturdier bridge!" She exclaimed.

I silently agreed, but decided it was best not to encourage her, so I took another step, trying not to freak out as the bridge swayed to the side again.

"Besides," Jordan continued, "should't they be here, with us? They just let their grandchildren walk across the unsturdiest bridge in the whole world without them?"

"They don't know we're coming," I reminded Jordan, but the part about the bridge being the unsturdiest bridge in the whole world disturbed me.

I took another hasty step, not knowing that there was a small puddle in front of us, as I was trying very hard not to look down. My left foot slipped, and I let out a scream, sure that we were going to plunge to our deaths.

I fell with a THUMP! and the bridge bounced me into the air, but not very far, so when I landed again, it did not hurt.

I got up, shaking, and saw Jordan smirking at me. "Wow," she said sarcastically.

I scowled. "Shut up."

As we continued across the bridge, time seemed to slow down. I would pause before taking a step, looking down at the bridge to make sure there was not another puddle, or a hole, or something else that would make me look stupid.

By the time we were halfway across the bridge, I had stopped looking down and pausing before every step. I even got used to the swaying of the bridge. I thought we were going to get there without any problems.

I was wrong.

At the halfway point, I told Jordan we could stop for a rest. We sat on one side of the bridge, our legs dangling off the edge, both foolishly and dangerously.

"I hope they aren't following us," I commented.

"Me too," Jordan said. "They probably would not make it across, anyway. They're too big and fat."

I gave her a quiet laugh. "Yeah."

'They', the things that were chasing us, were--well, we didn't really know. They were about nine feet tall, and hairy--like Bigfoot. But they had long, narrow horns atop their heads, and all-black eyes that bore into your soul.

I got up abruptly, making the bridge shake. "We should probably get going."

"Probably," Jordan agreed, and got up, also.

As I said before, I wasn't looking down anymore. But that, my mistake, would lead to something worse than slipping on small puddles.

We continued forward, and Jordan starting humming a song our mother had sang to us when we were little. We had scarce memories of our mother--she had died when I was five, and Jordan was only two.

Jordan's song was cut off when I put my foot down--but the bridge wasn't there. Well, it was, but I had put my foot into a hole. A hole that could kill me.

I screamed as I slipped through the hole, trying to grab onto any bit of bridge. Thankfully, I grabbed hold to a small part of bridge with my right hand, and looked down at what I might fall into. The trees were tiny specks of green, and I was sure that if I fell into the forest, I would never see daylight again.

"Jordan!" I called. "Jordan, help!"

Jordan was pacing, looking for something that she could use to help me get back up. Finally, she gave in, and held out her hand. " Grab it!" She said.

I grabbed it so quickly I did't have time to fall. She heaved me back up onto the bridge.

"Don't be stupid again!" She said.

I hopped over the hole, and she followed.

"I won't," I panted.

We continued, hand-in-hand, towards our grandparents' house. We didn't stop, except for the time Jordan decided to randomly beat me with a stick for almost killing myself.

There is no

B E

R I D G

to happiness

It's a L terrible climb to the top

O that always looks far

N away

G

Because you care too much

And that leaves P in your way

U

D

D

L

E

S

Waiting for you to slip

Fall out of daylight

Into endless night

Where they make you feel like a

speck

Like you're N

O

T

W

O

R

T

H

I

T

But always keep climbing

Even if you

F

A

L

L

Even if you

S

L P

I

Just keep climbing to the beat of

your H . T

E R

A

Because you are worth it

And that doesn't have a

T

E \_ I

M

______

-->|LIMIT|<--

^ ^ ^

I push down a little harder on the gas just as I cross over that rusted city limit bridge. I love doing that, it's such an inviting feeling. By the looks of her face, I can tell she loves it too. Why? Well that little umph makes the specs of dust fly into the air, masking the urban behind us, like the timer saying, 'This is where the fun starts, you have until daylight.'

We both know once that sun is out she better be back in her bedroom, so her parent's don't suspect a thing. I'm pretty sure she knows where I'm headed. She knows every time I hit the puddles I'm craving a good mudding. The closest pit is about 2 miles off, which is plenty of time to have fun.

I look over just as she cranks up a little Hank, then sings with am expectant stare until I sing back. She knows I'm shy about my voice, so she always has to pull me into singing. Which she always does, I mean, nobody can beat such an amazing gaze, especially when they are on me!

I lowly hum the rhythm of the song, until she nudges my shoulder. So in obedience, I sing a little louder. She doesn't really judge my voice, but I never understand how! I put my eyes back on the road, sing a little louder, to catch up with her voice, and tell myself, 'Tonight, will be an amazing night.'

Lone ant marching,

Mere speck,

to the weathered bridge.

Skittering around puddles,

watching no beat of time,

As daylight wanes.

A speck of light filters down

On this bridge of life I cross,

Daylight never reaching the puddles

Upon which the cold begins to gloss.

The beat of time is in rhythm with

Each step I take alone,

So won't you cross this bridge with me

And stop Time's heavy tone?

I burn the Bridge which spans the gap between you and I

Bathing in puddles which merge and flow forming rivers on the land

I shed my outer skin peeling away the ugliness you'd left behind

Nothing but a speck of who I used to be

And as the daylight falls against me it thaws my frozen heart

Which once again finds its beat

and with time I know I will shine again

Ever Brighter reflection off the sea

The daylight changes your face,

That speck in your eye is all wrong today.

If you beat me, I'll be a disgrace,

Yet I'm here, ready to play.

There's a couple of puddles between us,

But you went ahead and built a bridge.

This time, you're wrong, my darling.

I am the darkness

The voice telling you to do wrong

The man saying to kill the weak

Burn the bridge

Beat those lesser than you to a

Meaty pulp

Make puddles of their blood

Beat them until

There is not a speck

Of good left

Time does not know me

I burn bright in the cosmos

I am in the daylight and the night

The shadows and the sun

The good in your virgin heart

And the bad of your wicked mind

I am God and the Devil

Eve and the serpent

The apple and the worm

The rose and the thorn

I am every bad thought

And every good action

I am you

I am me

I am everything

And nothing

Who I am

Is for you to decide

Time is not on our side, love.

With daylight comes dark nights

and our souls are mere puddles upon the earth.

And I feel we we're rain once,

Until we beat upon the ground.

I wish earth would absorb us already.

But we lie between cracks on a bridge,

Or inside an old well.

Until each speck evaporates.

We wait.