Battle at the Bridge

The forest was broken. All of nature’s peace shattered, all of the wildlife consumed by rage. Another creature was content in destruction, causing their own. The behemoth shattered what little wildlife was left. No one knew what caused the rage that destroyed so much.

There was but one place for the creature to go. The town. The only town that dared to build a bridge to the forest. Few saw the wisdom of the trees, and the true calm of nature. Most people just saw the threats of dangerous animals. In this moment they were right.

After what seemed like hours the giant approached the bridge: your bridge. You are old enough to know what happens next, and wise enough to live for others. As long as you burn the bridge with the giant on it, it will never get to your city. All of you are afraid of it. You heard the roars and the screams long before you ever saw it. You saw the treeline fall, the forest reduced to flattened rubble. Only the birds were spared, flight is a great survival skill.

All great lessons taught have the same ending. The hero makes one simple realization. They do not live for themselves anymore, rather those around them. Your family and friends. You have one final chance to save them all. Burn the bridge. Stop it from reaching the city.

You take one on the lit torches off of the center square. You feel a tingling sensation in the hand you picked the torch up with. You run for the bridge, faster than you thought you could.

At that moment how can you not look back at your home? You see a strange sight. Other people picking up torches, some following you to the bridge, some lighting fires in fire pits. Others running. This is an island, running won’t help you.

Somehow you have become the leader in all of this, simply because of your choice to act first.

The figure of the giant looms in the distance. At the halfway point of the bridge, all you can think about is throwing the torch will not be as effective as lighting the bridge on fire using the torch.

In that instant, the giant turns away. It did not see one person with a torch or people with torches. It saw a roaring inferno, lit by someone who charged forward to save others.

When you feel the most alone, you are not. Many people feel the exact same. Charge forward for what you believe in. Even if no one else believes in you: I do.

Never give up on life. Never Give up on Love.

That’s it, that’s all:

-Nathan Hall