Recently, while going through my movie collection I stumbled upon a cute little movie about kids. This year’s release, Bridge To Terabithia is about two 10 year olds and their imaginary world. Jess is an aspiring yet shy boy who meets Leslie who is the new girl at school. Like Jess, Leslie has no friends and probably this kick starts their friendship.
Jess shares all his secrets with Leslie and the later finds her best mate in Jess. Together they invent a new world they call Terabithia, and it comes to life through their eyes as they explore together. It’s a beautiful world where they forget all their worries and troubles and immerse themselves in its sweetness.
But soon enough, Leslie has to go away (dies) and Jess is left all alone. He suffers much grief and is broken from the loss of his friends. But to keep alive the friendship he rebuilds Terabithia and introduces his sister to this world. And the movie ends here.
But then what? What happens to the boy after that? What happens to Terabithia? Does he forget Leslie soon after?
Perhaps not. May be he remembers the girl for the rest of his life. May be he wasn’t even capable of forgetting her. After all she was the best thing to have ever happened to him. She was the friend he would never have again.
Every night he would tell his sister the stories of Terabithia. And she would listen to him with innocence and wonder, never realizing what that friend and the world meant to him. She would not understand that it wasn’t the world but the girl in that world that made all the difference. She will enjoy the stories and like everyone else would believe in his smiling mask, while his real self would ache with enormous grief. And he would then be a loner… alone in a room full of hundred friends.
Every time he would talk about Terabithia, he would think of his friend, of the carefree times they shared, of the invisible connection they had and of the future that will never be.
Sometimes he would stay up at nights thinking of the times when she was there. There can never be a day when he won't think of her.
As the time passes, he would try to move ahead, not wanting the past to be a part of him. But it would be there, as something that he would never understand. He would think, dream, hope, frown, wonder but would never get out of her.
