
The child walked first, steady despite the wind and the height. The elders followed in silence. Before them the waterfall stretched like a silver curtain drawn across the world's last secret. The bridge was narrow, carved from a single line of thought, a thread of stone unraveling from mountain to mist. No one spoke. Words belonged to the world behind them. Ahead was only the hush of falling water and the low hum of something larger than themselves.