Granted

I watch her.

She is standing so still. A stone statue on the edge of eternity. I am frightened. Scared to say anything. Scared to push her off the ledge.

"Of all the places, you chose my wishing bridge."

The girl on ledge isn't surprised enough to turn towards my voice. A rope is loosely hanging from her neck. It coils around her like a snake on the ground. The end attaches to the steel support beam above her.  I study her. Her back was to me. Pale blond curls spill over her shoulders and glimmer in the moonlight shining off of the water below. I catch  a glimpse of her profile as she turns her head in my general direction. She was no older than me, probably younger.

Angelic.

To my surprise, she isn't crying.

"What do you mean?" Her voice is soft.  I tilt my head to the side. She is not afraid. She is not trembling. I want to reach out and hug her, tug her off the bridge and hold her in my arms. She thinks this is the only way out. That this is the escape she is looking for. I am in awe. And I am terrified.

She is so beautiful.

So deserving of life.

"Well, this is my wishing bridge you see. I come here to make wishes." I glance down at the gold coin in my hand.

She laughs, and my throat tightens. There wasn't a hint of humor or even real laughter in that sound.  "I don't believe in wishes."

"That is unfortunate."

"For you."

"No, not just for me." I approach her little ledge and rest my elbows on the concrete. She flinches away, taking a step in the opposite direction. I ignore the clear message of go away, and climb onto the block of stone beside her. I regard how much space I put between us. I must maintain a distance. I must not push her to jump.

I look up. The sky was clear, and a few stars struggled to make their light reach through the atmosphere.

"You know, when I was a little boy, I used to think that the stars were my wishes that I hadn't made yet.  Every time  I made a wish one would vanish from the sky."

She doesn't say anything, but I sense her eyes flicker upwards towards the night sky. Her voice is  still when she replies.

"Do you worry you'll run out?" 

I am slow to respond.

"No. Not really. I'm very careful with them." I open my hand. The coin glitteres in the moonlight. She watches me as I pick it up between my thumb and forefinger, cross my fingers, and toss it into the air. It spins in slow motion as it arches and falls. Far below, the swirling waters of the river claim it. As it hits the surface, I close my eyes and make my wish silently.

For a moment the only sounds are the waves below and our steady breathing.  I want to keep air flowing in and out of her lungs. I do not want the next splash to be her.

"Sometimes..." I began softly. "...sometimes wishes aren't always granted immedietly. Sometimes we have to wait for a long time before they're granted. We can't assume that since a wish isn't granted now, that it's never going to be granted. We have to be patient sometimes. Even when it hurts to wait."

She is silent. I see her eyes close tightly. My seed of doubt is planted. My mission is accomplished.

I back off the ledge and climb to the ground. As I begin to walk away, I turn to look at her one last time.  Her gentle face is screwed up into silent confusion. Fear.

I leave my angel to make her decision at the edge of life and death. My heart is pounding. My palms are beginning to sweat. But still I am walking, taking small, hesitant steps away.

I make it a few yards away before the sound of her feet hitting the ground reaches my ears. I smile.

"Wait!" 

I turn before I realize what I'm doing. She stands in the middle of the pavement, the rope abandoned beside her. She is so beautiful. Clear, shining green eyes stare back at me.

"What if wishes never work? What if they never are granted?"

I give her a soft smile. "They do. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they always, always do."

"How do you know?"

......

"Because my wish already came true."