Jump

“It’s time. You don’t get a second chance.”

I could hear the clickety clickety tapping of the witch’s fingernails on the glass windowpane. Below her was a long empty drop to the pavement. Above her was the moon.

“I like my life. I’ve got a great apartment. I date. My furniture matches.”

The witch cocked her head like some predatory bird. Her slick black eyes, filled with stars and sliding reflections of the neighboring apartments, did not reflect my image. Her terrifying and beautiful face smiled with some pity for me.

“You’ve always wanted this. You’ve always dreamed that something interesting would happen to you. The books you read, the movies you watch, the dreams you dream, all involve something interesting happening to someone else. Now it’s your turn. You would forego this chance for mundanity?”

I looked back into my apartment. I touched the fabric of the couch. I looked at the photo of my sister on the end table. I opened the glass door and climbed up onto the ledge. I grasped the witch’s smooth, cold, naked arm, and jumped into the night.