The Waterfall
There’s a waterfall on the edge of town that is slightly set back into the side of the hill on which it makes its cascading descent. Also on the mountain is a small winding road, rarely traveled by traffic from town.
Tonight, though, a Thunderbird makes its way precariously up the mountain to Leed’s Bridge, which straddles the top of the waterfall. In the Thunderbird, Jay and Brian laugh raucously about something stupid, while Maria sits in the back silently next to Reilly, who is bound and gagged, but sitting completely upright, also silent.
“This is going to be the best night of our lives,” they keep saying. Maria doesn’t believe them. At every turn in the road, Maria thinks that they will simply fly off the road and down the hill, into the river, and never be seen again until they have to be put in body bags. Poor Reilly. He didn’t do anything to deserve this.
“Reilly, what you’re really doing is saving the world, not yourself,” they also keep saying. Maria still doesn’t believe them. Reilly doesn’t bother anyone. Jay and Brian bother everyone. Unfortunately, she’s attracted to Jay. He’s driving the Thunderbird that once again makes a sharp and perilous turn along the winding dirt road. Are they dead yet?
Muffled sounds come out from behind the tape and wad of cloth obstructing Reilly’s mouth. Jay and Brian laugh. Poor Reilly.
“No, seriously, what you’re really doing is saving the world. It’ll be the best night of your life, and maybe the last. You’ll thank us when it’s—“ For a brief moment, Maria perks up. She knows that Jay has found the error in his sentence.
Suddenly, the sun begins to peek up over the horizon as they come to a screeching halt in the very middle of Leed’s Bridge. From here, they see the sweeping panorama of the town. Maria is barely able to appreciate the view when car doors begin slamming all around her. Before she knows it, Jay and Brian are carrying Reilly between them towards the edge of the bridge.
“You’re saving the world, you know that? You might not believe us, but you are. After all that you’ve done to screw everything up, you’re finally doing something right. Dying.”
She wants to vomit. She can’t. But she wants to. It hurts. What are they doing? What is she doing? How can she just sit in the car and let them do this.
She wants to move. She can’t. But she wants to. It hurts.
“Before we let you perform your final task on earth, why don’t we run through some things. Sort of like a farewell.”
She wants to move. She can’t. But she wants to. It hurts…less?
“You’ve snitched on us ever since first grade.” Maybe a little less now. Just sitting here makes it better. “You flirt with our girls.” It’s okay that he flirts with me, Jay. Just let it go. He’ll be dead soon. “You’re the filthiest piece of scum to walk this earth. Even worse than Hitler. How does that make you feel? Good? Are you happy now? You have all the attention you could possibly want. When they find you in the river, at the bottom of the waterfall, everyone will know your name. Maria will tell them all what kind of person you were, and no one will be sorry for you.” Just sit still, it’ll be over soon. They’re wrong, or are they? “But, in the end, won’t we all be better as a result? You won’t be here to ruin our lives. You’ll save the world by letting us do this!” No, she’s letting them do this. Oh well. “You can’t save yourself, so save everyone else! How nice of you. After all of the pain you’ve caused us, look at yourself now!” Don’t look, it makes it hurt more.
There is a scream just then. It pierces the night air. Maria does not know where it comes from. She is colder and colder every second she sits in the car up on Leed’s Bridge. Where is that scream coming from? Someone’s in trouble.
It’s her. She’s screaming, because her best friend is about to die, but she can’t move. She’s screaming, because her boyfriend is about to kill her best friend, but she can’t move. She’s screaming, because no one understands how she truly feels about anything, but she can’t move, let alone speak…because she’s screaming.
Jay and Brian are shocked. They do not drop Reilly over the edge. They don’t mean to save his life at this moment, but they are more concerned with Maria’s sudden panic. They drop Reilly, but he falls stomach-first into the railing on the edge of the bridge, knocking the wind out of him. He passes out, numb to the world and his near death experience. Bound and gagged, he lies motionless on the dirt road, waiting for salvation.
She’s still screaming when they open her car door and frantically ask her what is wrong. She can’t stop screaming. She’s reached the breaking point. Once you’re broken, who knows how long it’ll take to be put back together. Humpty Dumpty, almost.
The townspeople wake from their sleep to the shrill sound of a broken soul screaming for help, vocalizing the cries of the silent prisoner, cold and lonely on the ground atop an icy, plummeting chute of falling water.
The sun shines blindingly amid the darkness of the hill into the cavernous depths of the car as Jay and Brian try to pull Maria out to get some fresh air. She can’t move, she’s too busy screaming.
“Oh man, let’s get out of here!”
“What about the car, my dad will kill me if we leave it here!”
“Never mind the car, we can’t be around when they find Reilly and your psycho girl!”
“DON’T CALL HER PSYCHO! She’s just seen too much. Honestly, leaving my dad’s car up here won’t do anything but make us guiltier!”
The sound of sirens rings through the valley at the base of the waterfall. The town hears her. Someone is coming to save her. Someone is coming to save him. That’s all she wanted. That’s why she is screaming.
…The car is moving. She’s still in it. Reilly is still on the ground, helplessly numb. Jay and Brian frantically throw out possible alibis if and when they get asked about where they were tonight. Nowhere near Leed’s Bridge and that horrible waterfall, no way. Why is the car moving? What about Reilly? Oh right. He’s ‘saving the world’. She stops screaming, everything will be okay. When they find him, they’ll take him to a hospital, and when he wakes up, he’ll tell everyone exactly what happened. They’ll arrest Jay and Brian. They’ll interrogate Maria, but they won’t lay a finger on her. She couldn’t move…she screamed, wasn’t that what they wanted? Oh yes, Reilly was saving the world as they drove back down the hill at that very moment. No more screaming. No more rides up the hill to Leed’s Bridge, where the water falls, and new Humpty Dumpty’s are made.
“Yes, Reilly,” she whispered quietly in the back seat, “you’re saving the world.”
THE END
