Is it a wonderful life?

George Benson stood looking over the bridge, the rain now turning to sleet. Putting his face up into the icy cold slush, closing his eyes he started to climb up onto the thick stonewall. Opening his eyes he stood on the edge with his toes over the edge. With one big breath he lifted one leg up letting it waver over the void. Just then a voice sang out next to him “I really wouldn’t do that” startled George put his foot back down, looking to his left he saw a small bespectacled man sat cross legged with an umbrella. “What… who, how did you get there? You weren’t there just now!” 
“Ahh so many questions George, yet so little time come on down follow me.” 
“No I’m not going anywhere, I’ve hit rock bottom, I’m ending it all tonight.” The small man jumped off the wall. Took his glasses off, giving them a rub, before replacing them. “Come on George Benson you really do want to follow me.” George stared at the man “Who sent you? No one knows I’m here. Have you been following me? It doesn’t matter I’m jumping” with that he turned, closing his eyes again he stepped off the wall, expecting to hear a rush of wind then oblivion. But nothing. No wind,and he was still breathing. Opening his eyes he spun round wildly when he saw he was in a wooden hut like building. The small man was there sat on a wooden seat next to him an open bottle of whisky on a small wooden table with one crystal goblet, next to which was another chair. “Please George do sit down have some whisky I’ll explain who I am” 
George sat down ashen faced. “I don’t know what’s going on, am I dead? I did jump, didn’t I?”
“Ok George I’m going to level with you. My name is Darren, I hit rock bottom last year and just like you I couldn’t see a way out, so I jumped from that bridge into the icy river below. It turns out though the boss man up there” Darren pointed up towards the ceiling, “It turns out he takes a very dim view on suicides so I was cast back down to walk alone along this bridge. I was though given a lifeline, if I save just one soul from doing the same thing that I did then I will earn my wings and be allowed beyond the pearly gates into heaven. So I’ve been given some powers to manipulate time a little bit. I will persuade you not to jump and embrace the life the boss man above had given you.” 

George sat down heavily on the chair took a swig from the glass of whisky. Picking the bottle up he saw it was a ten year old vintage but the date on the bottle said 2024. Smiling he showed the bottle to Darren. “Look at that it says it’s ten years old yet apparently it hasn’t been bottled yet!” Darren gave a mischievous smile. “Yes it has George. I’ve brought us forward ten years, it’s 2034 you have got your wish, you have never lived so let’s see how the village is faring without you in it.” Darren stood walked up to George and tapped him on the forehead. The very next thing they were walking down the high street of the village towards George’s house. As they reached the gate, George put his hand in his pocket to retrieve his house key but to no avail. His pocket was empty. Looking over to Darren he pointed up the drive to the front door. “This is my house but I mean I don’t recognise anything. The garden is tidy, the gate isn’t hanging off its hinges. The front door is nicely painted. Where is the broken down ford on the drive? Where is my union flags hanging from the window gone?” Darren looking down the garden turned to George. “Don’t forget, this is not your house. You have never been born. This house belongs to a couple of doctors. Uhmm yes it does look neat and tidy doesn’t it?” Just then the neighbours door opened and out came a very dignified looking older gentleman with an ivory topped cane, wearing a very dapper suit. “Oh my god old man Franklin still alive. He gives me so much shit, always telling me if I tidy my garden up and take the flags down we may win village of the year! Hah last time he said that I brought an even bigger flag and hung it over the front garden wall! He didn’t like that a jot. Went into an absolute rage. I just laughed in his face twat!” 
Darren with a frown on his face looked at George then back at the perfectly trimmed immaculate garden. Just then one of the owners of the house came out. “Oh Charles how are you? I see we got shortlisted again, just a shortlist of five villages this year. Do you think we will retain the prize?” Old man Franklin as George called him looked over the wall to answer the question “Oh hi Michael, do you know I really think we will. I’ve had a sneaky reconnaissance of the other four villages and all of them are lovely but they also have one house which lets them down. Its funny really each one of them have an unkempt messy house, obviously they have a neighbour from hell in each village. I just thank the lord we don’t have one of those.” 

Darren hastily tapped George’s forehead. The two of them were now sat in the local pub. Watching the locals and visitors coming in ordering meals. George looked over at Darren. “No one can see me can they?” Darren shook his head. “No George you never existed remember, and I’m also dead so we are just observers.” George smiled with a small sigh of relief. “Thank god, I was banned from this pub the last time I came in just cos I may of had a bit of a fondle of the landlords missus. Just a pinch of her bum but boy you should have heard her. Huh it was only a pinch. Oh look there she is boy she hasn’t aged well has she?” 

Darren shaking his head tapped George on the forehead again. This time they were at the other end of the village. Outside a large stone house with a great big garden. “Why are we this end of town Darren? I don’t know any of the stuck up nobs who live down here? Huh none of them give me a second look.” Just then out in the garden a woman who was kneeling weeding a herbaceous border stood, stretching she patted down her apron. As she stood George gasped. “Oh my god it’s my Annie. Why won’t you just look at her, she’s stunning. Wow you say this is ten years in the future. She never looked that good. Maybe before we were married. But since then she piled on the weight. I told her daily you are a right fat cow why don’t you stop eating all of that chocolate. That’s all she did eat and cry. God knows why.” The front door opened and out came a man in a suit, walking into the garden he pulled Annie close to him giving her a passionate kiss. “I love you Mrs Davies. I’ll pick up something for tea tonight as I pick up Gracie from her audition, she’s just phoned, she thinks she’s going to get the part in that film. That’s great isn’t it!” Annie smiling, “Yes Dave it sure is, I’m so lucky I can’t imagine what would have happened to me if I hadn’t met you. Living where I did, my friends all ended up with abusive horrible husbands.” Sighing she kissed Dave again. “It was a way to get out of that estate we lived in, just go with the first shmuck who came along, I’m so glad I waited to be swept off my feet by you. Who knows what I would have become!” 

Darren tapped George forehead they were back in the hut, sat on their chairs. Darren looked over at George. “Why were you going to jump George?” George looked over at Darren. “Oh I couldn’t see anyway out. I knew the police were on my case, it wasn’t going to be that long before they knocked on my door. I mean I deleted so much off my computer but I can’t be one hundred percent sure they wouldn’t be able to recover the images. I thought why should I go down just for a few hundred piccies and a few handmade video’s”. Still I tell you what put me back to my time and I won’t kill myself, I’ll just destroy the laptop. No laptop no way they can catch me right? I can always start again a few years down the line. So Darren time to earn your wings get into heaven and I’ll go back. The sight of Annie looking so happy and Old Mr Franklin thinking he is so great getting the best village well that turned my stomach. I’ll put a stop to all of that!” 

Darren looked over at George. Standing up he headed towards the door. Turning just as he left. “George your wife and your neighbours deserve a wonderful life which is why I can’t in all conscious earn my wings. I would rather walk a century more on this bridge alone you never existed now or then. Begone you odious creep. 

With that George disappeared into nothingness. A voice from above called Darren. He appeared outside the pearly gates. St. Peter looked over his glasses at the small bespectacled man. Then smiling he waved his hand as the pearly gates opened he spoke “Well done you are redeemed that was one soul that was never going to be saved. You did well”

THE END