The cool breeze brushes through my hair, gently forcing it to one side. The violet-pink twilight offers little warmth as I expose myself to nature. I retract my limbs into my warm jacket a bit as I step forward onto the lonely terrace. The heavy metal door swings shut and clangs loudly behind me, as if to tell me that there is no going back. I laugh to myself a little at the thought and continue to walk towards the carved stone of the building's edge.

As I get to the ledge, I'm surprised at how short the railing is; barely knee height. I think to myself how powerless it would be to stop someone from falling over it, let alone someone who crosses it purposefully. I step over the ornate stone and stand on the thin ledge between the side of the building and the open air. Twenty stories of unobstructed freefall are all that separate me from the cold pavement below. I lean forward a bit and look down. It's an interesting angle from which to look at the antique building, but that's not what I'm here for.

I slowly, carefully walk along the ledge, one foot in front of the other, my hands still sheltered in my pockets from the bitter cold. I reach the corner of the building and take a seat on the intricate corner piece. I sit, straddling the cold, granite eagle's head. By now, a few people down below have stopped to watch, to wonder at the mentality of someone who would do what I'm about to do. I begin to slowly ease myself towards the tip of the carving.

I hear gasps and shouts from below as people point in awe at my blatant disregard for my own safety. I try to ignore them; they couldn't possibly fathom how much better off I will be once I'm through. The crowd grows larger beneath me. People deviate from their busy schedules. They deny important meetings. Suddenly their lives are brought into perspective as they see me here, mere inches from certain death in every direction. A woman shouts, "Someone call the police, that man's going to kill himself!" A teenaged boy shouts, "Jump!" before he is silenced by angry glares.I notice the people below, but they cause little distraction. I offer a smile and a little wave, as if to acknowledge their concerns, but I've already made up my mind. I know what I'm doing.

I come to a stop at the very end of the corner piece. Cautiously, I lift one leg above the stone and place my foot at the tip. Carefully, I follow suit with the other. I very slowly shift my weight onto my feet, and gradually begin to right myself. I almost lose my balance but am able to catch myself, occurrences acknowledged by gasps and murmurs from the ever growing crowd beneath.
I reach my full height, my toes inches from openness, just as a pair of police cars and a fire truck pull up down below.

They begin a commotion directly beneath me, a man from one of the police cars uses a loud speaker to try and talk me down; he's wasting his breath. The firemen unroll an air cushion and begin to inflate it. Two police officers reach the rooftop through the same doorway I had come through a minute before. They slowly inch towards me, as if they are afraid of me. They try to coax me with different tastes of the same fake kindness and false companionship that the officer below continues to offer. Why can't they just let me do what I'm here to do?

The time arrives; I spread my arms to either side as if they are wings. I prepare to embrace the brilliance that is only seconds away, I can almost taste it.

The sun rises between the massive skyscrapers. Monoliths of glass and steel, they frame the scene that unfolds before me. The pink clouds form a proscenium over the earth-stage onto which enters the glorious white sun. I stand in awe at its indisputable, absolute beauty.

The deed is done. I carefully turn on my heels and return to the ledge. The officers hastily seize me and fasten my arms with their silver cuffs. I don't resist, I don't protest. They don't understand. They can't understand. I wasn't here to end my life; I was here to appreciate it.

I came for the view.