That which provokes a sense of unease

Then there is the question of “why” with regards to this one bridge I’ve never seen in real life. Yes I did know some of its history when the dreams began. Specifically the accidental ship strike decades ago and the deaths that resulted from that incident. But the Skyway is far from the only bridge that ever collapsed. And far from the only bridge collapse that cost lives. There is just something intrinsically dreadful and creepy about the Tampa Bay serpent. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what that is, or how it might be worse than my reaction to the Key Bridge. At first I knew nothing about all of the other deaths associated with the Skyway Bridge, those fatalities that were unrelated to the collapse. I had no idea that so many such monsters bore that sanguine stain of self inflicted annihilation. But the New River Gorge Bridge is also notorious for facilitating and presiding over many fatal jumps, and yet I don’t have nightmares about it.

I don’t know, but the Sunshine Skyway must be one of those entities that provoke a sense of unease and possibly even dread or repulsion. For no apparent reason, at least none that can be readily identified. Most everyone has, at some time, run into people, places or things that engender such negative emotions. A person you’ve just met and do not know, but nevertheless, they give you the creeps or instantly repel you some way. Or a place that makes you uneasy, nervous and not want to stick around. All without any factual information that might explain avoidance of said person or place. Just a gut feeling and nothing else. I can remember my mom seeing people in pictures or on TV that she never met and saying that she “just didn’t like his/her face”. She also remarked that long before 9/11, the Twin Towers totally creeped her out for some reason. She had been to New York City and had visited the Empire State building as a child without issue. Yet she did not like the Twin Towers at all, despite having never seen them in person. I feel the same way about the Skyway. My initial disdain of the Key Bridge was in large part due to its appearance. It wasn’t just the telephoto lens illusion of extreme steepness, but the arched truss design of the main span gave it a menacing look, at least in my mind. That hump-backed shape made it seem taller and steeper than it really was, rather like when a cat arches its back and fluffs up its fur to appear bigger.

The Skyway Bridge also has an appearance, especially when viewed from certain positions, that lend it a strong aura of menace. Seen from an angle, it reminds me very much of something I might see in the dinosaur hall of a natural history museum reinterpreted as a futuristic sculpture of steel and concrete. In some ways it looks for all the world like the skeleton of some Godzilla sized prehistoric beast with a pair of spines sticking up on its back. As seen from almost head-on, it is somewhat reminiscent of a medieval cathedral, the towers like a pair of steeples touching the sky. But unlike a cathedral built to honor and worship God, this infernal bridge is far more like a temple of the damned. I am normally reluctant to use the “E” word, especially with regards to an inanimate structure, but to me the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is indeed evil. It is beautiful, graceful in form and colorfully lit at night. Not unlike a seductive but malicious femme fatale in an old film noir movie. But then again, Lucifer, the fallen angel, was also said to appear as a beautiful being of light…. And like the devil is said to do, the Skyway also lures its victims to their own destruction!