The sound of the fury of winds that tear around her seems to envelope into a cocoon of silent contemplation. She can barely hear the distant traffic that rumbles thirty stories below, only the voices in her head. And they were of the persuasive nature.
Her feet begins to ache under the strain of keeping to the tiny lip of ledge, going against the howling winds that threaten to rip her off the safety of the overhanging. There is a mild tingling which would pass for fear; otherwise, there's only one thought left in her mind. She has been numb and void of other emotions since that one night. As the memories resurface, she dismisses with practiced ease. It isn't too hard, given the circumstance.
Down below, she can see the faint outlines of pedestrians walking below, oblivious to the drama that is happening above. She wonders how many of them are thinking the same thoughts, and how many of them would end up standing on the same ledge as her. The drop is a familiar dream after all. Falling, as they say, is like flying. Except in the other direction.
She balances herself precariously, rocking her heels gently on and off the surface, daring gravity to make a decision for her. She almost loses it at one point, except for a stray zephyr that somehow pushes her back.
She has lost everything so far. But this jump belongs to her alone.
She closes her eyes.
Faint chirps of newborn chicks. A piledriver digging into new foundations. A cacophony of car horns of parents anxious to get to their kids at childcare.
The sound of her wings.
Not today, she thinks, and steps back into the welcome embrace of the open roof.
. Arigato .
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