That evening after work, Moriah and Crystal drove to Little Current. The heavy, iron bridge loomed in the twilight, monstrous and menacing.
As always, bile rose in her throat but, while Crystal watched, Moriah grasped the handrail and began to inch along the bridge walkway, drawing on every bit of willpower she possessed. This time she was going to conquer it!
She made it several yards before she hit some sort of emotional wall. The next thing she knew, she was hanging her head over the bridge railing, throwing up.
Crystal was at her side in an instant, pressing a tissue into her shaking hand.
Moriah wiped her mouth with the tissue and crumpled it into her fist.
“That’s enough.” Crystal hugged her. “Let’s go home.”
They made their way back to Moriah’s truck and sat for a long time, staring at the bridge.
“You tried too much, too fast.” Crystal drummed her fingers on the seat. “Don’t push yourself so far. Stop before you get to that point of panic. Go a few baby steps each time. Do only as much as you can comfortably bear. Are you listening?”
Moriah nodded. She was drained from the effort and wanted only to go home.
“You can overcome this, Moriah, I promise,” Crystal said. “One step at a time, you can overcome this. Literally, one step at a time. It doesn’t have to be a marathon. Take a few steps on it every day. If you let too much time pass between your attempts, the fear will have time to build up again. Desensitization. That’s what we’re going for. Familiarity. You are going to beat this.”