Sometimes it's the first moment of the day that catches you off guard.

That's what
Wendy was thinking. She opened her window to see fire engines screeching down the
street. While this wasn't something completely unheard of, it also wasn't normal.
It was a sure sign of what was going to happen that day. She could feel it in her
bones and it wasn't the way she wanted the day to begin.
The answer was within her reach. It was hidden in a box and now that box sat
directly in front of her. She'd spent years searching for it and could hardly
believe she'd finally managed to find it. She turned the key to unlock the box and
then gently lifted the top. She held her breath in anticipation of finally knowing
the answer she had spent so much of her time in search of. As the lid came off she
could see that the box was empty.
The paper was blank. It shouldn't have been. There should have been writing on the
paper, at least a paragraph if not more. The fact that the writing wasn't there was
frustrating. Actually, it was even more than frustrating. It was downright
distressing.
There was a time in his life when her rudeness would have set him over the edge. He
would have raised his voice and demanded to speak to the manager. That was no
longer the case. He barely reacted at all, letting the rudeness melt away without
saying a word back to her. He had been around long enough to know where rudeness
came from and how unhappy the person must be to act in that way. All he could do
was feel pity and be happy that he didn't feel the way she did to lash out like
that.
She nervously peered over the edge. She understood in her mind that the view was
supposed to be beautiful, but all she felt was fear. There had always been
something about heights that disturbed her, and now she could feel the full force
of this unease. She reluctantly crept a little closer with the encouragement of her
friends as the fear continued to build. She couldn't help but feel that something
horrible was about to happen.
All he could think about was how it would all end. There was still a bit of
uncertainty in the equation, but the basics were there for anyone to see. No matter
how much he tried to see the positive, it wasn't anywhere to be seen. The end was
coming and it wasn't going to be pretty.
There was little doubt that the bridge was unsafe. All one had to do was look at it
to know that with certainty. Yet Bob didn't see another option. He may have been
able to work one out if he had a bit of time to think things through, but time was
something he didn't have. A choice needed to be made, and it needed to be made
quickly.
They had made it to Las Vegas, wide-eyed and with so much hope and energy. They had
planned the trip for more than a year and both were so excited they could barely
control themselves. They still hadn't realized that Las Vegas promised a place
where dreams come true, it was actually the place where dreams came to die.