The Dangling Bridge

“This is the dangling bridge, and no one knows why it is called so. This bridge connects the two hills. We are only following what our ancestors told and wrote about it but there is no reason why it is said so. It is rumoured that there was an accident on the bridge and since that day no one ever dared to cross over it again. The ancestors made another bridge which is used till now. We once searched the bridge but found no such sign of an accident. So no one knows the true story about the bridge” said the tour guide. Rahul was listening to every detail carefully yet he still had so many questions about it.

Rahul’s favourite subject was history and this bridge was exceptional for him as there is not much information mentioned about it in the books. He came to visit it every year. This bridge raised all his doubts and made him suspicious and intrigued enough to dig more about it. He already knew of the information the tour guide provided. Even after everyone left the spot, he kept staring at the bridge intently as if he was trying to make a hole with his eyes. It was the seventh time Rahul had visited the bridge. Every time he toured the bridge, time seemed to stop for him there and he kept staring at it. With his curious eyes, he stared at the bridge until he heard the snap of his friend’s fingers bringing him back to reality.

He went to the other bridge next to the dangling bridge. After visiting all the locations it was already nightfall. The crowds of visitors went to their hotels to eat dinner. After dinner, Rahul went back to his hotel room. During this whole trip, his mind has been filled with doubts about the bridge. He has been burning with curiosity and daydreaming even though the corridors were full of people talking, chatting, and walking past by. When he reached his chamber all his friends called out to him but he just went to his bed to sleep. 

It was a sleepless night for him. It was already 10:30 pm and it was especially chilly in the hills. He wasn’t able to sleep at all that night. So, he went outside for a walk. He thought about all his sleepless nights when he looked for answers pertaining to the bridge. The bridge was all he thought about. Rahul recollected his thoughts ” I must be really curious but now I have to stop ” As he didn’t get any answers after so many visits. He finally gave up on his curiosity.

When he was ready to let it go and was heading back to his room, he looked up and found himself standing in front of the bridge. He was speechless and a bead of sweat started to trickle down his head. He swallowed his saliva. His curiosity started to grab him again. He must have walked towards the bridge mindlessly.

His body started to feel numb and without thinking, he stepped forward moving in the same direction as the bridge. He knew he should not go on the bridge yet he didn’t have any control of his feet. He kept moving forward. When he came back to his senses, he found himself in the middle of the bridge. The bridge was weak and seemed like it was about to break. A gust of mighty cold air blew which made the bridge shake hard as if it was dangling. Rahul got a chill in his spine and he turned around and grasped the ropes tightly. He couldn’t see anything well and was about to fall. He tightly grabbed the ropes and went back to the end. Then the bridge stopped moving even though the wind was as strong as before. 

Rahul got scared and he ran back to his room in a cold sweat. Coming back to his bedroom, although he was breathless and was relieved. 

He finally made sense of why the native ancestors termed it as “The Dangling Bridge”- it was because the dangling sensation was the last thing one experienced before falling to death due to the mysterious bridge. Rahul decided to close the chapter on the bridge as the bridge came quite close to ending his!