“Let us vanish together, my love.”
Cross over the bridge, they say, cross over the bridge. Cross over the bridge if you seek to find an escape, to run away from war, to run away from yourself. Cross over the bridge, ignore the screaming river below you, she will thrash with or without you, aching, she will ache as you too ache, but you mustn’t wait, mustn’t wait for anyone, you must run till you dwindle, till you fade away into nothing. Till you vanish.
They disappear, one after another, disappear and leave everyone to wonder where they are, they leave behind pain in their wake, while searching for nothingness, wandering, weighing down, disheveled, crying. Another name to the list, Another name to be remembered, to be waited for.
They never expected the name of the prince to be added to the list, will he be another one forgotten? Or another one returned? People run away from war, from themselves. The prince yearned to do what the people do, to run away from war, from himself, but held himself back until he didn’t, Lead the war, lead the people. Lead.
Lead.
He did not lead.
He ran away.
“The young prince? A coward! Leading us to a war destined to failure and then disappearing when we needed him the most?! A fool!”
He didn’t want to, he didn’t want to abandon, to cast away his duties, but he did, he did, he had failed them all. He crossed over the bridge and stopped. “You mustn’t wait, you must run.” But he fell to his knees, grasping the earth, crying, screaming, agony washing over him, how could he, why did he, he shouldn’t have- shouldn’t have- he did-why-
For you see, (Course not you’re all dumb bitches who realize nothing), the moment you cross over the bridge, a cloud of doubt closes around you, surrounding you, anxiety, fear, what-ifs- you must run away or you will return back.
So run, run, run, RUN, Run till the bridge is hidden by the night, till the river cries are forgotten, run so you may not return, many return, they return when they doubt, and they doubt when the bridge is still calling out to you.
But the prince collapsed, had cried, had regretted, had risen and looked at the crying river, she ached, he too ached, she became tired, and let a wave of calmness fall over herself and whispered a no to him, but he couldn’t, couldn’t do this and so he took a step and once again he crossed the bridge.
Only so he could return back once again,
He won’t know what lies on the other side of the bridge, he will only face war again.
(The writer wishes to remain anonymous)
(Image from here.)
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