He’d been sitting there a while before he realized there was someone beside him.

It was a girl, dark haired, nose ring, heavy eye makeup and like him looking down.

“Where did you come from?” he asked.

“Through the window, same as I imagine you did.”

He sat there and continued to look down. He had enough on his mind without the distraction of person out there with him.

“It’s a long way down,” she said, ‘won’t be much of you when you hit the ground.”

“That’s the idea,” he replied. “I’m not much now so what difference will it make?”

“Hmm, but what if you get halfway and decide you don’t want to hit the bottom. I mean it would be a difficult position to be in. I can’t imagine you’d be in any position to get off, so to speak.”

“I’m not changing my mind. I’ll be doing a lot of people a giant favour. And what’s it to you? Are you gonna jump too?”

She was quiet for some time, her legs dangling over the edge like mine.

“You know what I find particularly sad?” she asked. “When it’s over, they will most likely scrape me up, cart me away and some poor police officer will go my mum’s and tell her what I’ve done. She’ll cry when she hears the news, and then she’ll sit real still and that’s when she’ll start to wonder who I was. She go to my room and find my note, then she’ll cry some more and then she’ll close my bedroom door and most likely never open it again. Out of mind out of sight.”

“Mine’s a similar story, I’m the black sheep of my family so they won’t be missing me, more likely relieved, and my mum will break the news to the family and they will be quiet for a time before life will return to its chaotic self.”

“It’s getting cold isn’t it. How about a coffee to warm us up?” she asked.

He thought for a second before looking at her and agreed. Together they climbed back through the window and caught the lift to the bottom floor where the café promised warmth and comfort.

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2021/10/12/photo-challenge-386/