The Bridge He Never Built

So let the tale of Elias begin

Every single morning, Elias, a young bright man walked past the old footbridge at the edge of town. That weak looking bridge had been broken for years, planks missing, rope worn out and one end dipped into the riverbank like it gave up on trying to function.

He never crossed it. Well, he never did have a reason to.

Until one day, fate ordered his steps straight to that bridge.

A letter arrived, the paper folded, the words blurry. It was so because apparently it was handwritten in a rushed manner.

"You probably won’t come. But I wanted to try."

Those were the words on the letter.

It was signed by his brother, Marcus, someone he hadn’t spoken to in 12 years.

Why such a distance between two brothers? They had fought over their father’s will, it ended in nothing but a bitter break away.

Elias walked away from the funeral, from the house, from the only family he had left. At the time, he thought it was a good decision made from wisdom. Later, he realized it was mere pride.

Now, the letter. Now, the bridge.

He stood at the edge of the bridge that morning, holding the paper like it could burn. Maybe it already had. He could’ve taken the long way around as usual, through the roads and ridges, but somehow he knew, if he didn’t cross this bridge, he wouldn’t cross any.

Each step he took in that broken down bridge was a memory. The fishing trips, the heated arguments, the day Marcus broke his arm and still tried to beat him in a race. He had to admit, Marcus seemed better at almost everything that he was.

Regret pressed beneath his feet like the rotting wood he walked on, but Elias kept going.

On the other side was the old family cabin. Marcus was there. It looked like he was waiting for the day his brother would take that step across the bridge. He was not surprised, just grateful.

When they met each other, a simple smile on their faces is all it took to reconnect. They didn’t talk about the years. They didn’t need to. They built a fire. They shared a drink. Marcus made dinner, goat meat to be precise.

They rebuilt the bridge the next day. And they did that together.

After that little adventure, Elias sat down alone while Marcus attended to his family. Elias learned a valuable lesson, pride wins arguments, but it loses people. That the longer you wait to fix something, the more it costs you. And that some bridges don’t fall because they’re too weak, they fall because no one tries to keep them standing at all.

Perhaps, not all things are meant to be mended. But the ones that matter usually can be, if you're willing to walk towards them.

Sometimes, the hardest part isn't crossing the bridge. It's deciding to turn around and build it.

The End

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