Rail Bridge

Jacob worked at a railway bridge crossing. His job was to raise the bridge for boats to pass through, and lower the bridge for the train. One day, Jacob brought his ten year old son to work with him to show him how the bridge worked. Jacob loved his son very much; his son was his most treasured joy in life. Throughout the day, Jacob and his son talked and laughed together in a wonderful bonding experience. Towards the end of the day, however, Jacob's son had gone off to play outside. At 6:15, the bridge was up and the train was coming around the bend. It was full of rush hour passengers coming home from work. Jacob went to lower the bridge, but noticed that his son was caught in between the large cogs that lower the bridge. Jacob called out to him, but the boy was stuck. There was no time to free him. Thinking of the many passengers' lives at stake, Jacob lowered the bridge. Tears formed in his eyes as he watched his son crushed to death. But the train sped by, the content passengers oblivious to the sacrifice Jacob had made for their sake.