Across The Bridge

It was during their regular monthly game of chess in the lounge of the local pub, that Mike started to rummage around in his bag. He pulled out his mobile phone.

'By the way, it's your move,' Dave reminded him.

'What do you make of this?' Mike asked, as he passed the phone over.

'What do I make of what?'

'The picture.'

Mike studied the small picture on the screen of the phone and then handed it back.

'Don't know, what am I supposed to make of it?'

'Look at it again. Tell me what you see.'

'Well, it looks like three people walking across, what appears to be, Waterloo bridge at night.'

'And who does the figure in the centre of the picture look like?'

'It doesn't look like anyone. It's too blurred to make out.'

'But look carefully, Dave. Look at the height of the person, and at the cap on his head, the dark car coat, the light coloured man-bag.'

'Oh, I get it now, it's you. Why didn't you just say?'

'Because it's not me.'

'Okay, so it's not you. What's the big deal.'

'You remember I told you I was going up to London last week to an evening at the Swedenborg Society.'

'Your magical mystical brotherhood,' Dave laughed.

'I've told you before, it's not like that. The Society is just about Emmanuel Swedenborg and his philosophy and teachings. There's nothing sinister or magical about it.'

'Oh yeah,' Dave interrupted, 'and remind me again, wasn't he the bloke who was visited by an angel who told him he was eating too much?'

'There's more to his teachings than that,' Mike said angrily.

'Sorry, mate, I didn't mean to offend. So what's the big issue about the picture?'

'I was coming back after the talk and was crossing Waterloo bridge to go and get the train home when I saw this really impressive moon up behind a tower block. I took out my phone and snapped a photo of it. It was only when I was on the train looking at the picture that I noticed the people in it.'

'It's just a picture though. I shouldn't worry about it. Anyway, it's your move and my round, what'll you have?'

Mike sat looking at his phone lost in his thoughts.

'Mike, what's your poison?'

'What? Oh, just get me a black coffee.'

'A coffee? We're in a pub, mate, not Starbucks!'

'Just get me anything then.'

Dave went to the bar, ordered two pints and got chatting to the barmaid.

'Did you beat your friend tonight?' the barmaid asked.

'Not yet, but I reckon it's odds on I will. His minds definitely somewhere else tonight,' Dave laughed.

'Not just his mind. Looks like he is too.'

'What do you mean?'

'He's just left.'

Dave turned round to see the chess board and pieces, but no sign of Mike.

'Oh, he's probably just gone to the loo.'

‘What with his coat and hat on? I think your mate's done a runner.'

Dave went over to the table and saw that Mike's coat, hat and bag had gone. He went to the door and looked up the road but Mike was nowhere to be seen. Back in the pub he rang Mike's mobile but was surprised to hear its ringtone playing from the chair that Mike had occupied during their game. He picked up the phone and saw that the picture that had worried Mike was set as the image on the front screen.

'Mike, you're working too hard,' he said, as he packed away the chess pieces and drank the two pints in front of him.

After he' d finished work the next day, Dave called round to Mike's house to return his mobile. The flat where Mike lived was a small residential block of about six apartments. After knocking and ringing for a few minutes, one of the other residents, an elderly man, peered out from his front door.

'Just calling round for Mike,' Dave explained.

'Don't think he's in. I think I heard him leaving early this morning and I haven't heard him come back. Maybe he's working late.'

‘Yeah, maybe. Well, if he does come back can you tell him Dave's got his phone. He left it in pub last night.'

'Why don't you post it through his letter box,' said the old man, 'or give it to me, I'll pass it to him when he gets back.'

Dave looked down at the phone and the picture on the screen.

'No, don't worry. I'll give it to him when I see him.'

But Dave never saw Mike again. He was officially reported missing after not being seen at work for over a week and when the police gained access to his flat they found nothing strange other than no trace of Mike.

The police concluded that there was nothing criminally suspicious about Mike's disappearance other than never being seen by anyone ever again. Dave had passed Mike's phone over to the police to help in their investigations but not before sending the picture that had disturbed Mike so much to his own phone. From his phone he sent it to his home computer and after copying it to a photo editing package he increased the size of the photo. After studying the picture carefully, Dave shuddered and deleted the image.  

The person in the middle of the picture was no longer there.