Officer Trinity Ferray gently closed the Squad Car door. The Gold Star and blue background stood out on the white of the vehicle. Paradise Cove Police encircled the shield.
Officer Trinity Ferray gently closed the Squad Car door. The Gold Star and blue background stood out on the white of the vehicle. Paradise Cove Police encircled the shield.
The young man sitting on the edge of Soldier’s Creek bridge didn’t acknowledge her arrival or approach.
Squinting, she left her sunglasses hanging from her pocket. Let them see your eyes, she recalled from training.
“Can we talk?” she said.
The young man, 20 something, Caucasian, didn’t respond, his posture didn’t change, he kept staring down between his legs.
“Could I get your name, I’m Trinity, call me Trin if you like.”
This time he leaned forward a little more and tilted his head as if trying to hear something.
“It’s a beautiful day out today.” Small talk to build a connection, she thought.
Now he leaned forward, a smile breaking the edges of his face quickly changed to a curious morph.
“Are you from around here, Trudges Hollow?” she asked.
“Mmmmm.” He said, raising his hand, careening his neck to the left, his head turning quickly to the right, toward the far side of the river below, following whatever he was watching.
Officer Ferray realized he was watching something. “What is so interesting down there that has you up on the side of the bridge? People get scared when they see folks sitting on the edge of the bridge, ya know.”
The young man chuckled, sat up, and turned to look at her. “Yeah, lots of folks jump from here, kill themselves, right? Not me, I had to stop and watch, wasn’t sure what I was seeing at first. Come look.”
Trinity hesitated; she wasn’t sure she wanted to see.
Under the Bridge is published in the Medium online publication The Short Place. Please consider joining Medium as a paid subscriber. When you read my stories on Medium I get paid.
Copyright: T. Mark Mangum, 2020. All rights reserved. No part of my story may be copied, reprinted, or published without my written consent.
T. Mark Mangum, is the product of the 60s and 70s, his imagination, wonder, thoughts, and ponderings, emboldened by Star Trek, Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, and The Hobbit. He loves a good story and hopes you will love reading his stories. Veteran, Father, TTRPG, and Board Game Junkie. He spent 20 years in the United States Army, another 10 working for the government, before realizing he should write.