I stood back and watched as it exploded into a zillion tiny pieces, littering the sky with tiny wooden shards.
I cackled when they blocked out the sun.
As the debris fell and burned, the silhouette of a man stood on the other side. I squinted to get a better look, and the flickering fire cast a shadowy light over his face, revealing an exaggerated look of shock and disbelief.
All this time he’s been pushing and pushing… and pushing… as if he could go on pushing forever. Men like him believe they can do whatever they want with no consequences, because they’ve gotten away with it for so long. He thought he had all the power. He thought I’d never push back.
But he was wrong. I finally blew up his stupid fucking bridge. And he was left stranded, with no way back.
From the right side of the inferno I looked him dead in the eye and smiled — a smug, satisfied, toothy grin as wide as the river Nile.
Then I leaned in with a cigarette and lit it on the flames. I closed my eyes as I inhaled deeply. Pure pleasure filled my lungs. With precision I blew the smoke out into the air, first with little O-O-Os and then just a long, steady stream until it was all expelled. I watched it float up and blend, first with itself and then with the smoke from the now smoldering fire.
I tilted my head and smiled again at the silhouette. The smile was smaller, but no less satisfied. I flicked the rest of the stick into the fire and casually walked away, leaving him behind.