While we were walking through the town centre a few days ago we noticed that police vehicles were blocking roads around Piccadilly and the Northern Quarter. Then we saw crowds gathered between Debenhams and The Arndale. Hundreds of people were just standing, quietly, staring down the street.
Someone was standing at the top of the Arndale carpark, beyond the railing. I don’t know if they were male or female, old or young, they were just a clearly defined human profile, silhouetted against the sky.
We walked on. It felt wrong to move away as if the scene didn’t matter, but it felt wrong to stay. I’m sure most people there were watching from concern and the strange horror of what was going on, but just those few seconds felt too intrusive, someone else’s crisis and possible death, even in public, is too private to watch.
I hope whoever was up there is safe and getting help. We’ve seen nothing in the local news, and I hope that’s a good sign.
