Tuesday, September 15, 2015

TOURIST OF A DIFFERENT KIND


 I knew something was not right, I was cold, I  reached for my blanket to pull it closer around me and try to fall back into the dream I had been having, without opening my eyes, wondering where the wind was coming from.

For some reason, my comforter wasn't within reach and I cursed inside. I opened my eyes.  The first thing I noticed was that I was not at home in my bed.  The second thing that I noticed was that I was not even inside.

I jumped internally as, looking around I realized  I was atop the Brooklyn Bridge!  What a great view, I thought.  The sun was just beginning to rise and it looked amazing! My second thought was - what am I doing UP HERE!!!

I wasn't just on the Brooklyn Bridge -  you know, the safe part where the cars drive - I was up much higher than that. The cars looked like Matchbox Cars below me.  My third thought was of panic.  I am afraid of heights - not being up high, but getting down and I was, at the moment paralyzed with fear.


I tried not to panic.  Panic would not help anything at this moment except maybe a quick ride down - but that wasn't the landing I was looking for!  I had an internal freak out for a minute, then focused on lowering my heart rate and getting a grip.

How could I be on the Brooklyn Bridge?  The last thing I remembered I was 200 miles away from NYC, yet, here I was, sitting with a birds eye view of the City with absolutely no idea how I got there, why I was there, or how I was going to get down.

I noticed I had a slight headache and a funny, tinny taste in my mouth.  Then I noticed a pin prick on my arm - so I had been drugged, oh great!  I sat and adjusted to my surroundings. 

At least I wasn't tied up or handcuffed.  Still, I was on top of the Brooklyn Bridge, that was more than enough of a problem.  I tried to stand up, but each time I did I felt dizzy, from the height or the drugs still in my system I wasn't sure.  I quickly sat down and tried to abate my fear.

I thought climbing down from a roof was tricky, how in the world was I going to manage something higher than a house?  I rationalized that someone would see me and send help.  I sat where I was and held on to that thought for about an hour as I watched the city wake up.  

Traffic below me got denser and denser as people headed off to their jobs and school.  I saw a boat approaching in the water far away, it too looked like a toy.  Maybe a helicopter would come by and notice me up there, I thought.

Doesn't anyone look up in this city?  I wondered.  

3 comments:

  1. A very interesting take on the story. I think it has legs.

    However (and this is me being the tough cookie to please), my word count shows 498 words. Hyphens don't count in my book.

    But since this is a story that leaves me wanting more, I don't see a problem with that.

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    Replies
    1. My word count tool comes up with 501 - blogger doesn't word count so it is a new thing for me, not sure what they count as words but - thanks for letting it slide. It was an interesting picture to work with - thanks for proposing it Hunter!

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    2. If you are using LibreOffice or Microsoft Office Word, they both count hyphens as words for some reason.

      It took me a while to find stock photos in the public domain that did not look bad. But now I think I have everything straightened out.

      Really I should likely be thanking you since you were the one that started the whole idea in the first place. It was an interesting idea and I do look forward to doing more of these.

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