Ledge

A girl was walking along the ledge of a tall building, slowly occasionally dipping her feet on and off the ledge. Her feet dangled hazardously off the ledge with every step and yet she still advanced, her ballet flats hanging loosely off her feet. The girl gasped as she watched her shoe fall from the roof of their ten storey apartment building. Her eyes widened in horror when her slipper didn't hit the cold cement ground below as predicted-instead it landed upon the head of a passerby.

The young man stumbled and nearly fell over by the sudden assault on his head.

Dazed, the man looked around for what had hit him and found a simple, white slipper. He looked to the roof where he could only assume the shoe came from and found the young girl from floor six.

"Hey!"

"Sorry!" She called down. 

The man grabbed her fallen shoe and yelled back at her, "Wait right there!"



The girl hopped off the ledge and wrung her hands together anxiously as she waited. Her heart pounded loudly that she feared that it would pop right out of her chest. She debated waiting as instructed or fleeing. If she stayed she would definitely get an earful. If she left she could avoid him-but face his wrath another day and risk the possibility of her parents finding out.

Before she could make her final decision, the door leading to the rooftop flew open and the man stepped forward .

"Is this your shoe?" He asked though he already knew the answer.

The girl bowed deeply, "I'm so sorry."

The man sighed "Sit down," he instructed as he gestured towards the ledge. The girl did as she was told-too frightened to question his demand.

She kept apologizing profusely as the man drew near and shook like a leaf on a windy day.

She nearly shrieked when the man knelt down in front of her and lifted her right leg.

"W-what are you doing?!" She asked in a surprised voice when the man took her fallen shoe and secured it back onto her foot.

Still kneeling, the man glanced up, giving the girl a view of his handsome face. "It is a gentleman's duty to return a woman's shoe." He explained simply.

The man stood as a pink colour bloomed beautifully on the girl's cheeks. "T-thank you..."

A smile tugged at the man's lips. "No need to thank me."

"Wha-" The girl began to ask when the man placed two large hands on her shoulders but was cut short when he pushed her backwards.

Down she fell, a scream stuck in her throat. The last thing she saw before she met the hard ground was the back of the man's retreating back.

Lesson learnt, don't play on ledges.