Jeremy sat on the outside edge of, and about halfway down of, a rather large bridge that runs over a substantially large lake. It was early evening and already quite dark. The amount of traffic behind him and moving along this bridge was and is almost non-existent. It was one or two vehicles every few seconds which is oddly quiet especially for this time of day.

Jeremy kept turning in the hope that someone would notice him and would stop and try to talk him out of what he was thinking of doing, but he thought that either no one noticed him, or nobody had any interest in or could care about talking to a suicidal stranger who was and is seriously thinking about bringing his life to an end.

In truth, it is not all so easily to imagine what a stranger may be thinking. Yeah, he is on the outer layer of a bridge very few would walk. For all anyone might know, this stranger could be a photographer despite the lack of a photography set up.

The drop to the water below must easily be fifty or sixty feet, he tried not to look down, but he could not help it. Jeremy didn't quite fancy drowning so he tried to think as to if he could fall in a certain way that the impact of hitting the water would do enough damage that it wouldn't come to a drowning. He wanted death to be instantaneous, though he would take it as long as it came.

Jeremy sat for about ninety minutes thinking to himself, trying to find a reason not to jump, while only noticing his bottle of whisky was at this point empty when he attempted to take a swig and not getting anything from it. In a moment of anger, he fired the bottle into the water below watching the bottles drop until it made its splash. Watching the bottle's decent made him dizzy and he had to hold on to something momentarily. If he was to go into the water, he would do so when he was good and ready.

He made his decision. Jeremy was ready to jump. He had brought a weighted bag and a rope with him, so he tied it around his waist. Having stood up and now trying to calculate his fall, a voice away to his left side said 'hello'. Jeremy hadn't noticed any car stop, or anyone approach prior to hearing the voice.

Looking to his left Jeremy saw a grey haired man with a pleasant demeanour.

'You do not want to do that Jeremy.'

'Yes, I do'. ... 'Do I know you?' asked Jeremy after having paused briefly from what he had previously said, having realized that the stranger knew his name.

'Not yet you don't, but before you jump, I would like to show you some things, I promise it won't take long'.

Jeremy had been looking for a reason not to jump so he welcomed a diversion, he could always return to his jump point later. After untying the rope Jeremy reached to grab the strangers already outstretched hand.

'This way' said the stranger pointing to one end of the bridge. 'Please indulge me for a moment. If you were to imagine that you never existed, then you become quite surprised to know that things in this town would be so very different. I have the ability to show you just how different things would be'.

Jeremy being somewhat distracted, wasn't really paying attention to what his companion was telling him.

Just passed the end of the bridge there was a bag lady searching frantically through her trolley. She turned towards the two men coming her direction, warning them to stay away. Jeremy recognized the lady. It's his elderly neighbour Missus Oddmore. Jeremy was so surprised to see her like this.

'Missus Oddmore, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at home?'

'Home? This is my home', the old lady began to hit Jeremy with one of her bags telling him to go away and leave her alone.

'Missus Oddmore, it is me, ... Jeremy.'

'I do not know any Jeremy, now leave me alone.'

As the two men moved away Jeremy asked, 'What just happened?'

'I did tell you that I was going to show you what it would be like if you never existed.'

Jeremy turned to his companion with a surprised look in his eyes.

'Just who are you?'

'I am so sorry, how rude of me, my name is Clarence, and I am your guardian angel.'

'You what?'

'I am your guardian angel.'

Jeremy laughed.

'Thank you, I needed that, I haven't laughed in such a long time.'

'I am glad you find it funny, but I am not joking, you just saw yourself there with Missus Oddmore. She did not seem quite herself just now, did she?'

'No, but you set that up.'

'I did no such thing, prior to meeting you moments ago. We did not properly know of each other so how could I set something like that up. Since you now do not exist, you were not there for her after her husband passed away, you had made such a difference to her, but now things are different. Come with me, I have more to show you.'

Instead of Jeremy following Clarence, Clarence ended up following Jeremy. Jeremy made his way home not realizing he was leading the way. When he got there, he thought to himself that whatever it is that is happening, there was no way that Clarence could have made so many changes to Jeremy's home. From the outside, Jeremy's house looked oh so different to what it should look like, and when he tried his key in the front door ... well, it wouldn't work.

A few moments after attempting to use his house key the door was opened from the inside by a man whom Jeremy did not recognize.

'Can I help you?' asked this man.

'You can by getting out of my house' responded Jeremy.

'Excuse me?'

'This is my home, get out of my house ... please.'

'You have thirty seconds to vacate the premises and then I am calling the police'.

The door closed and Jeremy began to bang on the door with fury. 'What the hell is happening here?'

'Come on Jeremy, we better be going.'

Again, Clarence had to follow Jeremy instead of the other way around. They made their way to the town local, ERNIE'S BAR, and sat right at the counter. Jeremy asked Ernie himself for a tab to which Ernie refused on the basis that he didn't know Jeremy. Before Jeremy could, police arrived at Ernie's bar along with the man who had answered the door when Jeremy have gone to his place of residence. That man wanted Jeremy arrested for trespassing and scaring the family of the house. Jeremy resisted and pretty soon a fully-fledged bar fight broke out.

Jeremy and Clarence were able to make their way outside, one of the cops grabbed a hold of Clarence and Jeremy did not know what else to do other than to head right back to the bridge. One thing that Jeremy did not see was Clarence disappearing fairly soon after he had been grabbed and this totally confused the heck out of the officer who had grabbed him.

A few moments after arriving back at the bridge, Jeremy would see Clarence just appear out of thin air. Clarence didn't have to say anything, he did want to try to convince Jeremy that he shouldn't jump but before he could say anything Jeremy asked him to change things back. Jeremy wanted to live.

'Done' Clarence told Jeremy.

The two men shook hands and Clarence vanished. Job done. Jeremy never considered taking his own life again. Instead, he began an organisation to help those with suicidal thoughts calling that organisation ... The Clarence Foundation. Everything not only had gone back to normal, but it had become better than normal without really changing at all. And indeed, as the name of this newly established foundation would suggest, Jeremy never forgot about Clarence or what happened that most odd of nights.