“What’s down there?”
I call into the great below.
The sound echoes,
Over and over again.
I look over the edge,
It’s cold.
It’s unnerving.
It’s… nothing.
I feel chilled,
But I don’t step back.
The wind blows harder.
Clouds storm across the sky.
All too suddenly,
Something grabs my hand.
It pulls me back.
Further and further from the precipice.
I turn around.
There’s a man standing behind me.
His breath stills.
The moment forlorn.
I look into his glassy eyes.
“Fear?”
He nods.
Perhaps his name is better left unspoken.
The ledge seems farther now.
His knuckles turn white
As we walk away.
Cooler and cooler the air seems.
The road we walk is sparse and barren.
I can hardly see the end.
The cracks etch deeper,
Carving into the ground.
There is comfort in his silence.
I speak, he nods.
It’s almost… serene.
Almost… idyllic.
Then, I am swept up in his eyes again.
Vacant. Hollow. Empty.
I almost feel as though,
I am being swallowed whole by his gaze.
Turning away,
I look back at the road with no end in sight.
Then, the edge.
Only one choice remains.
I walk forward.
He grips my arm now,
The skin turns a pale blue.
And yet, I continue on.
Another step, another breath.
His hands reach my neck.
I can barely breathe.
And yet… I continue on…
His hands cover my face…
I can’t breathe nor smell nor see nor taste.
I can only hear the wind rush by again.
Again, and again, and again.
All too suddenly,
I feel him no longer.
As I stand,
Looking at the edge of the world.