By Kevin Hogg

“One, two, three!” counted Jillian, Alicia, and Erin. All three threw their sticks together.

They rushed to the other side of the bridge and looked down.

“That’s mine! I win!” shouted Erin as her stick emerged and carried on down the stream, changing paths every time it bumped a rock.

“Second place!” Jillian celebrated as hers appeared. It avoided the rocks and logs, eventually disappearing over a small waterfall.

All three waited, but Alicia’s stick never came.

“Must have gotten stuck underneath. Try again,” urged Jillian.

Alicia took another stick and dropped it in the water. Again, nothing showed up.

“Drop one over here,” suggested Erin. “Mine came through quickly.”

Alicia tried again, but the result was the same.

She walked back to the path and gathered an armload of sticks, then dropped them all from the bridge at once.

“That’s so weird,” observed Jillian. “Where did they all go?”

“I’m not sure, but I need to find out,” said Alicia. She walked around and to the bank of the creek. It was dark underneath, but she could see through to the other side. No sticks visible.

She took a cautious step into the water. Cold, but bearable. Maybe a couple more steps, then turn back if nothing is there. She lowered her head and pulled back her copper hair, ducking under the bridge. 

The air around Alicia grew hazy. She could no longer see the light on the other side of the bridge.

“Erin? Jillian? Are you up there?”

No answer.

Knowing that she should turn back, Alicia instead continued forward.

After several minutes, there was a light in the distance. The water had warmed up. If anything, it felt pleasant.

A small island lay ahead. Alicia could see a figure sitting alone.

As she approached, she saw a mess of sticks surrounding the island. She pushed them aside and joined what she could now see was a boy.

But not just any boy…

“Jerry Kincaid?” she asked.

He looked up and nodded slowly.

“I thought you were…I mean, didn’t you…”

“Die?” said an ethereal voice, seeming to come from above.

Alicia was stunned into silence.

“Nobody dies down here,” the voice continued.

“But Jerry has been missing since last year. The town held a memorial service for him.”

Jerry spoke, his voice trembling. “I was sick. But nobody dies down here.”

The voice returned. “Jerry sought refuge from his illness. But the choice can only be made once.”

Alicia asked, “So, he won’t die now, but he can’t come back?”

“This is true. He will not be able to return. And I offer you the same choice.”

Alicia was shocked. “But, I’m not sick.”

“I regret to inform you that an illness grows within you. And now, I ask you the same: Will you remain here, safe from your sickness?”

Alicia felt frozen in place.

“The choice is yours, but if you will return, it must be now.”

Thoughts crowded her mind. It couldn’t be true. And yet, if she thought back a year: the appointments, the excessive reassurance from her parents that the tests were negative.

She looked at Jerry, who seemed excited for the company. And yet, the hollow eyes, the tear rolling down his cheek…

It was all too much. She hurried back up the creek. Fighting the current was much more difficult, and she stopped for a break after a few minutes.

Nobody dies down here.

Surely, this must be better than living her parents’ lie, better than…

A muffled sound from above. She listened carefully, praying it would come again.

“Alicia!”

She froze, unsure of which direction to go. Would it really be better to face such a devastating reality?

“Alicia!” An image of Jillian and Erin flooded her mind. Three more steps, and she was standing below the bridge. The sunlight was blinding.

“What are you doing? You looked like you were in a trance,” said Jillian.

“You mean, you could see me?” asked Alicia.

“Of course,” replied Erin. “You walked under the bridge and twenty feet down the creek. Then you were talking to yourself and ran back. Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Alicia hesitated, looking at their relieved faces. “Yes, it’s all okay.”

She saw a stick at her feet and picked it up. “Maybe I should give it one more shot.”

She stood on the bridge and dropped the stick. She turned and looked down. The stick emerged and floated downstream.

Jillian and Erin cheered at the success. Alicia remained fixated as the stick disappeared downstream, along with her chance to avoid the tragedy that lay ahead.

The girls put their arms around her shoulders for the walk back to Erin’s house. As they reached the edge of the park, Alicia glanced back at the bridge. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Erin’s cheerful whistle.

The time would come to tell them, to welcome their support. But for now, the secret was hers alone.

*         *        *

Kevin Hogg teaches high school English, Law, and History. He holds a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Carleton University and enjoys presenting at conferences about his 1969 narrative nonfiction work-in-progress. He spends much of his time exploring local forests, which also inspired him to pursue certification as a forest therapy guide. He loves supernatural horror movies and punk rock, but he’s just as likely to be watching Clueless or listening to the Monkees. His website is https://kevinhogg.ca.