Bridge to Terabithia

Spoiler Warning, turn back if you are planning to watch this movie.

"Ever wonder what's on the other side?"

Scrambling for the rope, Leslie hoisted herself onto the fallen tree trunk. She pushed off the bark; the soles of her feet grazed the rushing river below sending droplets spraying at the ferns scattered across the enbankment. Her golden hair danced in the wind and with a quick swoosh, she disappeared into a clump of bushes.



"Leslie?"




"Leslie?"




My heart stopped as did Jesse's. We stared intently at the bushes, willing for a flash of gold to appear amongst the lush greens. Before I could stop him, Jesse grabbed onto the swinging rope and whisked over to the other side. He too, had disappeared beneath the bushes.

I followed him, eyes trained carefully on his watered-down sneakers. They once belonged to one of the elder sisters - which, I don't know. Ahead of us Leslie appeared and beckoned before disappearing again behind a tree. We passed row after row of gigantum trees. Their ancient roots threatened to trip us as we struggled to keep up with Leslie. Several times I thought we had lost track but her golden hair would again flash for a second amidst the thicket or a rugged rock as we traversed deeper and deeper in to the woods.

The wind sounded different in these parts, not the gentle swoosh but a terrifying clanging off rusted chimes and bells. Jesse ran as quickly as he could, letting the outstretched branches claw at his already grazed knees and knobbly arms. Then suddenly, he stopped blinded by a burst of shimmering light above. He stared up and up till his eyes could no longer withstand the glare. Waves of gold swirled around the branches as a fiery concoction of orange and yellow crackled brightly on the topmost branch of the oldest and largest of all trees, making it look as if it were set on fire.

In the bowl of fire stood Leslie, smiling widely, her dimples dancing. Her golden bob now outlined in silver against the bright light. Jesse leapt up a branch as though he had done so many times before and with the grace of a cat, shimmeyed up the tree with ease.

Not blessed with magical transformations, all I could do was share the view they saw through their eyes and watch in awe as Leslie proclaimed "Welcome to Terabithia".

A story of family and friendship, Bridge to Terabithia is a touching story set to warm the heart and rekindle memories of good family times and the days when imagination is all you need to take you to a different place. Terabithia is not a fiction-turned-reality world like Harry Potter's wizarding community or Frodo's world of Hobbits and Orcas. Terabithia is pure imagination, rooted enough to tell us that real life is still out there and how precious it is to share something so entirely different with another who understands your awkwardness and your uniqueness. This is not a story about rescue missions or the fight against evil, this is the story of two children sharing a special bond, struggling with their families and trying to find their way in a world which did not welcome them.

The tears came rolling down at the ending. Leslie's untimely death, Jesse's guilt, a father's unexpressed love for his son and a sister at the receiving end of unrequitted love. Reality haunts us everyday, pushing the daydreams and imagination away. But fantasy doesn't have to be magic of defense or magical rings which could destroy us, fantasy can be a place where two misunderstood souls make themselves believe there is hope and that they are not alone if they can keep their minds open.