I began to walk slowly toward her, trying to keep in the shadows. She hadn't noticed me, and I thought I might make it all the way; but her eyes, turned on me, stopped me twenty feet from her. Curious, how I just stood there trying to look natural, as if I had a habit of sneaking down this dam at this hour every night.

She was staring directly at me, the icy look of the frozen moon. Time must have frozen too. And my blood was just beginning to circulate again. I knew she would jump. But I must have startled her so that she couldn't move either, or didn't. On this narrow wall I wouldn't be able to stop her if I were standing by her side. She'd take me over the side with her. Doesn't matter, I decided. I've got to try to do something.

Her clarion voice cut the icy air between us. "Don't come any nearer I'll jump!"

The wind slashed across the canyon leaning me over the slick edge. It was kicking her skirt to her thighs, but her statuesque marble form didn't seem to waver.

I could hear a crack in her voice this time, as if she would start to cry any second.

"P ... Please. Don't come any nearer.'

""

"I've got to. I just want to talk to you."

"Why! Why? Everybody wants me dead, but when I decide to kill myself you try to stop me.

"Everybody wants you dead? I don't want you to kill yourself. I'm risking my own neck out here to stop you. Sure you have reasons, problems you can't solve. But for God's sake let me try to help you before you do it. If I can't come up with any reason for you to live you can still jump."

"I'm going to jump before you stop me," she said, but the quiver of her voice said she was trying to convince herself, not

me.

“Look, if you still want to I can't stop you, and I will not

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