Smile

The man was found on the side of the river, washed up on the shores covered in moss and sadness. A few days ago this same man was seen leaping off the bridge and was swept away by the river's current. He had died in the river as he intended but the question was why he wanted to die. He was a young adult, a new job, new life. Just getting out of college he had his entire life ahead of him.

The man had brown hair that was sort of lengthy, his skin was a color almost like a grey, he was dead and it showed in his face. Though he wasn’t sleeping in peace, his face showed unbearable pain that had been the power that pushed him over the edge and sent him flying through the sky to the ground where his death awaited. His clothes were torn and his skin was covered in cuts from the rocks in the river. The investigators searched his body for any clues that he may be suffering from depression or some other sort of source of sadness. None was found.

The home of the man was an apartment on the top floor, a wonderful view, a newly revised kitchen and all the comfort you could wish for. This man had seemed to have had everything. Then it was found. Under the pillow of his bed was a neatly folded note kept safe. It was the answer they were searching for, the answer as to why this man whom had it all threw it away in the blink of an eye. It was a note. He had known they would look for him he was ready. He knew exactly what he was doing.

I’m going to the bridge today. If someone smiles at me, I won't jump.

This was the answer, this man went out into the real world in search for a person that was not concerned with only themselves, someone that cared. He was in search for a single ray of hope that the human race was not lost in it’s own selfishness and greed. He did not find anything and this gave him the sign to give up on humanity and jump. He did.

He jumped.