Sun Bleached Timber

The crossing looked uncertain. Three wooden planks on the old span had rotted through to the ravine below. I cut the engine and dismounted. Tested the edge with the toe of my boot. Solid beam underneath, but narrow. I dragged a sun-bleached railway sleeper from the ditch, wedging it firm between the rusted steel truss and the gap. Tested my weight across the patch. Didn't creak. The road ahead opened up, clean and quiet.