The Necessity of Romance and Ecstasy
A man stands at the top edge of a twenty-story building facing east and staring down at the crowd gathered below, his feet hanging more over the edge than not. A good stiff wind from the west would probably send him tumbling over the side before the cop crawling silently on his belly toward him – a trained specialist in the rescuing of jumpers – can get to him.
“Jump!” Comes a lone cry from below followed by a great collective exhale from the crowd. The man wavers and his body sways forward, but he catches himself before losing his balance entirely. The cop on his belly spurts forward, cursing the bystander under his breath, the rope tied around his waist catching through is shirt as it cinches his waist. “Jump!” Another voice joins in, and then another. The crowd goes wild as they catch sight of the cop, and the air is filled with the electric mantra of “jump, jump, jump!” The man sobs, deep and ragged, before he closes his eyes and raises his arms out parallel to his body, readying himself for his flight of death. The groundswell of chanting ceases just as suddenly as it began as the crowd catches its breath at the sight of the cop leaping out into space and