Pierre stepped closer to the figure in the darkness. It was about the same height as him and stood on the other side of the bridge railing, its hands and feet the only remaining points of connection to the bridge on which they both stood. Pierre took a step closer to the figure. A car drove past on the otherwise little frequented roadway and the cone of light emanating from the vehicle illuminated the figure standing in front of Pierre for a brief moment. Pierre's look fell on the other person's hand. A somewhat faded scar running across the back of his hand caught his eye. The figure turned around and looked straight at Pierre. It was a man he had never seen before. Pierre's breath caught in his throat. Why was he here?
“What are you up to?” Pierre wanted to know. But the man didn't answer.
“How long have you been standing there?” The man in front of him remained silent and stared into the darkness again. The wind cut strongly across the bridge, accelerated by the strait, and brought with it an icy chill. Pierre's hands slowly became numb, and he began to shiver. But the man in front of him didn't move an inch. Pierre wondered what he should do now. He didn't want to share his moment. Suddenly, the man in front of him turned around again and made an effort to climb back over the bridges railing onto Pierre's side. The other had already leaned up and swung one leg over the railing when Pierre stepped in front of him. The man paused in his movement and stared at Pierre in confusion. Pierre stood in front of him motionless, like a statue on guard at the entrance to a shrine. Both remained in this position for a moment. Panic slowly rose in the man's eyes. He looked at Pierre in fear.
Pierre's arms suddenly shot out and pushed the man against his chest with tremendous force. Pierre's arms performed this movement before he even realized what he was doing. He heard the hands clutching the railing being wrenched away from the steel pipe, saw the man losing his balance and slowly tipping backwards with his upper body. Then the feet loosened their grip on the ground and the body fell as if in slow motion until the darkness swallowed it up. After four agonizingly long seconds, Pierre heard the impact. Pierre's heart was racing. He remained in the same position for a few more moments, staring into the dark abyss. Then he abruptly turned around, pulled his hat down over his face and disappeared into the darkness of the night.