[ IP ] Tightrope

The beams stretched miles across the bridge, tightly wound as they creaked in the harrowing winds. I stood atop the beams, gazing upon the vastness of the icy bay waters below. The bridge was incomplete, the skeleton being laid out each day. The bridge was going to a marvel in the western world, a true reflection of mans ingenuity. But with every wonder comes a price of death and despair. 
 
 I climbed the tower ladder early in the morning, the sun breaking on the horizon as a new day started. As a cable worker, seeing me climb the tower was nothing out of the ordinary. The great winds raced as I struggled to reach the summit. A freezing chill entered my body, creeping through from my toes, into my chest as it froze my heart like that a popsicle left in the back freezer. Much like the bridge, my life was incomplete, unlike the bridge, I fear it shall never be. Through a series of misfortunes, I have been left widowed, spending my days slumped over the bar counter wishing it had been me who they hit and not her. Thoughts of wonder and misery flooded my consciousness, drowning out the pains shot after shot each day, numbing my feelings to complete nothingness. Through the limelight, I can see an ends where suffering will come to an end. 
 
 Thoughts of the end raced through my mind as I climbed the ladder to the top, one cold, chilling bar at a time. Reaching the top of the tower, I felt shaky as I fought against the raging winds, teeth chattering as I gazed out into the distance, the sleeping city just coming to live. I stepped off the tower ledge, balancing on the thick cables. Feeling the vibrations of them radiating through my body. I was aiming for the waters below, the chilling bay water swallowing me whole if the crash did n't end me immediately. Thoughts of my wife began bringing tears to me eyes, blowing away as the harsh winds raced by. I edged closer to the ledge. Before I made the leap, a thought occurred to me, I would never see this bridge complete. A calming sense of relief overcame me, that something so magnificent can appear from nothing. I figured my life ca n't get much worse, why not wait for the good to come. I decided to postpone my death till after the bridge is finished. I laced up my overalls, grabbed my hammer and continued working on the cables, eagerly waiting till it's completion so I can reach my own. 

