Under The Bridge is a fictional story of mystery/suspense, written by Sandie May Joyce (a.k.a. Sandie Angel). Names of characters and places are also fictional.
Under The Bridge
Chapter 1
Mrs. Taylor did not want to come on this trip today, mainly because of what has happened 5 years ago. Being in the area has brought back so many bad memories for her.
Mrs. Taylor has never set foot on the popular Ghost Bridge again ever since the tragedy five years ago. It was a school trip and many students were excited about going to the Ghost Bridge and the Ghost Valley. She thought they were more excited about the name of the bridge, which alludes to the supernatural than the bridge itself. According to legend, many people had died here, either by drowning, or simply by falling off the bridge. As a teacher she had tried her best to convince the students not to choose this location but they had all insisted that it would be a more exciting trip for them.
Ghosts Bridge is a very popular place in Britain. Underneath the bridge is a place called Ghost Valley. In most days it is a dry valley with only a small stream running underneath the bridge. People would go there to barbecue. They would set up tents and spend a day there playing along the water. The children would go into the water to pick up rocks. In most days the water is very clear and the water would be just about knee deep so it is good for the children to play in the water. Alongside the stream there are trees and space to set up tents. The adults would sit there, listening to music from the electronic gadgets or play some games with the smartphones that they had brought along. Some set up barbecues to feed everyone. On a normal day, it is an ideal location to bring your family along to have fun but sometimes tragedy would strike on an abnormal day. It is said that on an abnormal day, an unexpected big rush of water would come rushing down from the mountain and flood the valley, and when people would try to get away, they would hear voices saying “Get them, get them! Kill them, kill them!” from somewhere under the water. People would be pulled by an unknown force into the water and drown. It is very frightening and Mrs. Taylor just wanted to avoid this ghostly place as much as possible.
On that fateful day five years ago, Mrs. Taylor and her students departed the school at 8:30 in the morning, the time that a normal school day would begin. She, and another two teachers and their assistants were on the scene to monitor the students. The Junior Secondary class consists of students from ages 12 to 15. The school had rented a private bus service at a special discounted price for the school to carry the students from school to the destination. There were 30 students in the class, so students were divided among the teachers and the volunteers to take attendance. They each took attendance of six students and were responsible for each of their safety.
That morning Mrs. Taylor woke up and immediately had a bad feeling about the trip already. She could not pinpoint the reason why she felt that way, but she chose to go on the trip anyway. She was in charge of three girls: Elizabeth Smith, 13, Joslyn Anderson, 12, Julia Connolly, 15, and three boys: Andrew Shaw, 15, Cory Hanson, 12, Jack Johnson, 14. All were present when she took attendance. She had them sit close to herself on the bus so she could keep an eye on them all. The two older kids Andrew and Julia seemed very mature for their age so she assigned them special duties to look after the younger ones.
They arrived at Ghost Valley about 9:30 a.m. The bus driver parked the bus in the parking lot on top of the valley next to the bridge and everyone came out and stretched their legs. As a matter of habit, Mrs. Taylor and the other teachers took attendance again and marked down the time. All the students were present.
Then they walked around the area and stood on the Ghost Bridge looking down into the valley. The area was huge and they decided to go down and set up their tents just next to the bottom of the bridge.
Right before the students wander off, the teachers warned them to be careful and not to wander away too far, and if lost, all they needed to do was to look for the bridge and they would find their way back.
Everyone was happy. Some went into the stream and played there. Some wandered a little bit further to try find some odd shaped rocks to bring home. The teachers began to set up the barbecues and told the students to be back by noon for their lunch. Mrs. Taylor made sure her older students know that they had to look out for their classmates' safety.
She took out the chicken wings which she had prepared and marinated the night before and set them out on the barbecue. She assumed in two hours that they would be ready for consumption. One of the other teachers was barbequeing eggplants and some beef. Another teacher brought along a tiny wok and was making some fried rice and fried noodles over the grill. The lunch seemed enough for the children. They had each paid for their transportation and their lunch as well: $25.00 in total for the trip, which included the bus rental, and the driver and the food. The three volunteer assistants had gone with the children for sightseeing. Several students had stayed behind to help them cook. The day had started really well, with blue sky and a few clouds. Mrs. Taylor was beginning to feel at ease.
By noon they all came back and everyone ate heartily.
“Look what I've found, Mrs. Taylor!” Julia exclaimed, her hands outstretched. She was holding a bunch of colorful sand washed glass that glistened like gemstones.
“Oh, they are so lovely, Julia! You know these are glass and not gemstones, right? These pieces of glass had been in the water for a long period of time, and the edge of each piece has been eroded,” she explained to Julia.
“Oh, yes, I know, Mrs. Taylor! But even so, don't you think they are beautiful? I will collect more if I can, and bring them home to do some crafts. Perhaps I will make some handmade jewelry out of these ones,” Julia said excitedly. “I just have an idea on how to use them to make some bracelets. I will have to collect more.
“Oh, you can, Julia! You are so creative! I can't wait to see your line of handmade jewelry,” Mrs. Taylor responded in encouragement. Julia had always been an "A" student and she always had been very inventive and would always come up with some brilliant ideas to create things. As her homeroom teacher she was so proud of this student!
After lunch, the teachers played games with some of the younger students, and Julia requested permission if she could go with another two girls Bethany and Susan to search for more sand washed glass, and stones. Bethany and Susan were from another group which Mrs. Thompson, one of the teacher's assistants, was assigned to watch over. Mrs. Taylor observed Julia, thinking her a very tall girl who appeared mature for her age. On many occasions, the girl would help her with some chores inside the classroom, so she had decided that Julia would use her common sense to keep herself and the others safe. The other two girls were tall and looked about the same age. She replied to all three and reminded them to be back around a quarter to four as the bus would leave at four on the dot. Mrs. Taylor reminded the girls to be careful and not to wander too far and if lost just look for the bridge and they would find their way back. The three agreed and off they went.
By 3:45 Mrs. Taylor was anxiously looking forward to their return. They still had not shown up by 3:50 and she and Mrs. Thompson were beginning to worry. Mrs. Thompson began calling out to them loudly. By 3:55, they saw Bethany and Susan came back but not Julia. The teachers inquired them as to the whereabouts of Julia, they both said Julia kept wanting to wander off to pick up glass and stones and would not stay with them, and that by the time they were ready to leave they could not find her.
Oh, no! Mrs. Taylor felt her heart sink to the bottom of her chest.
They alerted the others and began a frantic search. There was no Julia to be seen anywhere.
I should have known! I woke up with a bad feeling this morning. Why was I not careful? Why did I let them go by themselves? How will I answer to the police and her parents? All these thoughts came to mind, and Mrs. Taylor was scared for Julia and herself.
They let some of the other younger students go home. Mrs. Thompson, along with Mrs. Taylor, Bethany and Susan stayed back until the police arrived. Bethany and Susan informed the police of what had happened. An official search was launched on the spot, and the team began to comb the area of the Ghost Valley but could not find Julia.
Where can she be? She couldn't have got lost. It's impossible! I had told them to look for the bridge when lost and anyone who would get lost would know to follow the stream and walk towards the bridge and they would find us. How could Julia not find her way back to us? Mrs. Taylor was baffled by this.
By night fall, Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Thompson were ordered to return home as the search continued by the police and their search team. The following day, Mrs. Taylor and the school's Principal, Mrs. Fletcher, held a press conference and relayed the devastating news to the public. Some angry parents yelled out from the assembled mob, decrying at Mrs. Taylor's negligence in allowing the girls to wander off on their own. The whole school had gone into a frantic and sorrowful mode. Mrs. Taylor took a few days off because she knew she would be suspended until Julia is found and she was right. Mrs. Fletcher tactfully suggested to her that for the sake of the school and herself that she should take a leave of absence because she could see that this matter was stressing her out.
After several days, Julia's parents made a public plea to Julia. They sent out flyers everywhere. Julia's face was plastered on every lamp post on the street. They had also circulated the flyers to every school in the district. They believed their daughter was abducted and may still be alive and was being held captive somewhere, by someone. They pleaded with her captor for her safe return. A short time later, the police had come to the conclusion that because of Julia's age, running away from home may yet be another possibility. They suspected that Julia may have been a “difficult teen” and her disappearance may well be a “runaway” situation.
Mrs. Taylor stayed home for the next few months. Occasionally would be called in by the Police Department to answer some more questions which had already been answered before. Her answers were always the same.
Julia was never found, but Mrs. Taylor took a whole year leave of absence. Eventually, she regained her teaching position. It was not unusual since the public had a rather short-term memory, and life went on with everyone when Julia was not found, and some had just chalked up the incidence as a runaway teenager. But as for Mrs. Taylor, she would always miss Julia, this “A” student who had helped her in so many ways. She was a good student who had a caring heart, even for her teachers. In her mind, Julia would never be a runaway girl. Mrs. Taylor grieved for her as if she was grieving for her own daughter. Julia's image would often come into her mind every time she looked at students around Julia's age. She thought about Julia's shiny red hair, her radiant smile that would leave dimples on her cheeks which made her look as though she was always happy. Sometimes, she would see Julia in her dreams, and in her dreams she thought Julia was trying to tell her something. Mrs. Taylor was almost certain that Julia had met with foul play that day at the Ghost Valley and she had died, but without a body no one could prove anything.
Mrs. Taylor remembered how the boys in the same class as Julia's suddenly took on a special interest towards her when she hit 15. Julia was always friendly to everyone. One boy in particular, Richie Robertson, who did not belong to her class, but was a very popular boy in school because he played in the school's football team, had taken a special liking in Julia.
Richie came from a well-to-do family, he was in last year of Junior High and supposedly had a girlfriend of his own already, but was mesmerized by Julia's beauty. To him, Julia was like a breath of fresh air. She seemed so pure and so beautiful, like a heavenly angel. Her shiny red hair made her look like an untamed wild horse, galloping free in the mountain. He used to watch Julia walk down the hallway, her red hair flowing in the wind. Richie would often succumb to his own fantasy. He would imagine Julia being a wild mare, running and galloping in the open free mountain high under a bright blue sky on a sunny day. She would gallop to high places and then stop there and pace back and forth. Then she would stand there at a distance, her eyes wildly slanted and looking over at him, beckoning him to mount her and tame her. Whenever Richie's fantasy got out of hand, his girlfriend Amy would elbow him hard on his ribcage, causing Richie to cry out in pain.
That darn Amy! She is a dream destroyer! Richie thought. He hated that bossy girl Amy.
Amy Channing was a beautiful girl with blond hair. She was around Richie's age and was in the same class with Richie. Her beauty and her curvy figure had landed her a spot on the cheerleading squad. Obviously, she was striking to behold and attracted quite a few secret admirers in her class - some boys with low self-esteem would do anything for her. She was an easy pick for Richie to become his girlfriend since they both were popular among their peers.
Julia, on the other hand, was a small budding girl and was much reserved. She was not a loud girl although her appearance spoke volumes of her innocent beauty. Each day that passed, Julia began to blossom from a flatchested girl into a curvy living angel. Richie couldn't hold his admiration much longer. He wanted to be her friend even though they didn't belong in the same class. He would often find himself looking for her in the hallway, and then in the cafeteria. When he couldn't find her, he would go into the school yard to look for her. Unfortunately, Amy was always by his side. Amy would always act as though Richie was her property. She would get jealous if Richie would look at another girl in school. Known only to Richie, Amy had a fierce temper underneath all of that outward beauty. She was a girl with a green-eyed monster inside her and would easily be angered through jealousy of another girl.
One day, they were all in the hallway, and Julia and her best friend Betty (Elizabeth) were walking by.
Amy yelled out loudly to Richie, “NO LOOKING!”
The boys around them looked at Richie, and wondered why he would let such a jealous girl control him all the time. When Richie was on the football field he was like a hero, but when he was off the field he was like a little dog, controlled by Amy, his owner. Some of Richie's friends had repeatedly talked to Richie about Amy. They would not allow their friend and hero to be controlled in such manner. They all used to have a “boys night out” but since Richie got together with Amy, he no longer came along with them. Without their hero, “boys night out” had never been the same. All they would do was sit at the club and complain how much they missed the good old time when Richie who was fun to be around, and not just a whipped loser who would hang around with a girlfriend and totally forget about his other friends. They thought it was high time that Richie should break away from Amy.
“Listen, Amy! Don't tell me what to do! I will look at whoever I want to look at. It's my choice!” Richie finally plucked up his courage to say what he needed to say. He did not want to lose face in front of Julia.
Suddenly, silence filled the air. His friends were shocked. They watched with wide eyes, wondering what was going to happen next with him and Amy.
“Oh yeah? Mr. Richie Robertson! Is THAT what you want to look at?” Amy was mad. She eyed Julia up and down from her face down to her feet. Her eyes bugged out with rage. They appeared frightful to Julia and Betty.
“After all that I had done for you, you tell me this! Well, you just wait and see, Mr. Richie Robertson!”
Amy stormed away from him, walking past Julia and her friend Betty, elbowing her pile of books, causing them to fly out of her arms and scatter all over the floor. Amy made no apology and continued walking away. Later, it was revealed to the students that Amy had left school and did not attend her following classes that day.
Richie felt so bad. He immediately went over to Julia, helped her pick up the books, and apologized for Amy's behavior.
“Oh, it's no problem! That may well have been just an accident,” Julia said kindly. She smiled, revealing the brightest teeth.
“I'm Richie Robertson.” He introduced himself and extended a hand ready to shake hers.
Julia hesitated for a moment, she was shy and yet she was really happy that a guy from a football team would finally shake hands with her. She shook his hand and said, “I'm Julia, and this is my friend, Elizabeth.” Betty shook his hand as well. “We belong to Grade 7 Room 313, Mrs. Taylor's class.”
“Oh, I'm in Grade 9, in Room 325, so we are on the same floor,” he said.
“I know,” she said. But soon after she said it, she knew she shouldn't have said it, and she felt her blood rush up to her face in full blush.
It was too good to be true for Richie. He finally was making friend with the girl who was as pure and lovely as an angel. He felt his heart racing rapidly. Oh! What else should I say next? Please God, help! We can't go into awkward silence after this! Richie silently prayed to God for His guidance on what to say next, yet his brain had come up empty. All that he could muster up was...
“Let me walk you to the classroom. I'll help you with these books!” Through the corner of his eyes, he saw the looks on his friends' faces. They were all surprised, and yet quite happy at the positive turn of event for him.
So, together, Julia, Richie, and Elizabeth walked down the hallway to Room 313. They stood at the door and lingered there.
“Can I see you after school? Where do you live? Perhaps I can walk you home?” Richie asked.
“Okay, meet me at the front door after school. We can walk together.” Julia decided that now was not the time to be shy. She was both excited and happy. Richie was a handsome boy! He had wavy blond hair, and those azure blue eyes made him look like a movie star, and a muscular body to show the athletic side of him. She was immediately smitten! It was almost like “Love At First Sight”, yet it wasn't the first sight because they both knew so much about each other already.
They both spent the rest of the day dreaming away, and couldn't wait until the end of the school day.
This is a great start of an intriguing story, Sweet Sandie! Oh, I already know this is another one of your super greats!
Love ya!
Jane
Reviewed by Danny Underwood
11/24/2018
Very good! I can sense the mystery and the suspense that you have built up in your first chapter already. It makes me want to read more. I hope everything will work out well for both Richie and Julia.
This has brought back some memories for me. This made me think about the girl I had a crush on when I was in high school. Sadly, we've never got connected.
