Final Leap

That dimming light at the end of the tunnel has vanished and the world appears to have taken on a harsher appearance. Perhaps I am better off without it.

There’s bound to be chaos; freaking pedestrians, inconvenienced drivers and the flashing lights of emergency-services illuminating the night sky, but eventually everything will go back to normal. I’ll become just another statistic to catalogue.

My legs tremble as I climb up onto the ledge of the balcony. Below me the congested traffic looks like matchbox vehicles and people are but scampering insects. I doubt the impact will be an instantaneous end. It’ll be excruciating if only for a few seconds. What troubles me most is the absence of straws to clutch at once I have leapt.

Closing my eyes I slowly count down from ten.