Angel of the Waters

“Okay, that was too close.” Audra huffed to Bree as the two twenty-somethings stopped running, collapsing on a soft patch of grass next to a rock on a cold night in Central Park.

“Yeah, thank God you’ve been dieting otherwise you never woulda fit out that bathroom window.” Bree teased. Audra punched her arm.

“I’m serious, Bree. We could’ve been arrested with Troy and the others. We can’t keep doing this.” Audra shivered and wrapped her arms around her chest. Bree’s teeth were chattering as she rolled her eyes at Audra’s concern, “Whatever. Where even are we anyway? I never been to this part of the park before.”

“Me either.” Audra admitted, “But I don’t care. I have some weed left in my fanny pack, I vote we lie low here until tomorrow. We’ll sleep it off in shifts. The park can be creepy at night. Then tomorrow we’ll find our way out and go home.”

The moonlight danced on Bree’s smooth skin and her dark brown eyes lit up as Audra pulled a fix kit out of her pack: Grinder, lighter, single-hitter disguised as a cigarette and of course, the best friends’ favorite Indica: Purple Hindi kush.

Bree reached a hand over to Audra’s pack clipped around her midsection and dipped a finger behind the zipper biting her lip teasingly, “What else you got for me Audy? More shroomies perhaps…” She said giggling. Audra shewed Bree’s hand away, “Enough, Bree. That’s what got us into this mess.” She said as she packed the glass piece. “Sheesh, sorry, not my fault for wanting to have a good time. You know, what ever happened to Audra and Bree taking on the Big City- farm girls with a dream.”

“Um, hello? Were you at the same party I was just at? It became Audra and Bree- farm girls who got too fucked up and almost got arrested in the Big City. I for one have had enough of New York. Lasting two out of the three months of the Summer in the City ain’t bad and I’ll still have plenty of stories to tell the girls back at Delta Omega. If Law and Order taught me anything it’s that one run-in with the NYPD is more than enough for me. I’m ready to go home. I’m cutting my trip short and leaving tomorrow. You do what you want.”

Bree rolled her eyes “Audra you’re thinking of this all wrong. It was hardly a run-in with the police, we didn’t even see one cop!”

Audra’s eyes widened and Bree could see her visibly shaking in rage, “We might not have seen any cops, Briana, but we heard them. Banging on the other side of the bathroom door. Trying to get into where we were hiding from them so they could literally” Audra punched her right fist into the palm of her left hand hard for emphasis “arrest us for illegal drugs and whatever else Troy and that guy Angelo had stashed in that apartment. You know, I could’ve sworn I saw a gun. Oh sweet Jesus,” Audra shuddered and Bree snatched the weed up off the ground as soon as Audra dropped everything to fold her hands in prayer, “please dear Lord and Savior, thank you for getting us out of that forsaken bathroom safely. Forgive us Heavenly Father and Holy One for our sins and lead us to sanctuary through this evil, shadowy valley of death-”

“--It’s just Central Park.” Bree said as she lit up and took a long drag before immediately packing another.

Audra shot Bree and glare then charged on in worship, “And lead us from this City of sin back to campus safely in the morning, Amen.”

Bree rolled her eyes, “Feelin’ better?”

“Ya.” Audra looked like a toddler after a tantrum.

“You still drunk?” Bree formed the words non-judgmentally around the single-hitter hanging out of her mouth and struck the lighter. Audra nodded and slumped over onto Bree’s shoulder shielding the fire from the wind with one hand. They both leaned back against the rock as Bree handed Audra the lighter and piece.

“You know,” Bree started as Audra packed her hit, “I never imagined this is what my life would be like.”

“Oh really? When you left the Farm to come to University you never imagined out-running the cops in the Big City? That’s weird. What were you thinking of? Clearly not school.” Audra answered sarcastically.

Bree laughed, “Haha I know, but really, like I’m twenty-two. I always thought I’d be graduating college right now not outrunning the cops just to live another day freely, and for what? To enjoy more of my exclusive classes as a sixth-year senior? You know no one from my grade actually even goes to this school anymore. Even all the people in the five-year business program have graduated. There’s not even a cute term of endearment to refer to me like “fifth-year senior” it’s just “washed-up idiot” now lurking at parties.”

Audra took a hit, “Woah, Bree.” She coughed, “I never realized.”

“What?”

“That you could feel.”

Bree took a deep breath and shrugged as Audra handed the piece back. “I guess I didn’t either. But six years in school gives ya time to think I guess.”

A barn owl hooted from a tree nearby much closer than either of the girls had expected. Audra screamed and jumped up like a scared cat, “What was that?!”

Bree reached up and snatched her hand, yanking her back down “Are you crazy?! Screaming in the middle of Central Park like that?! Jesus fucking Christ” Audra gasped at the Lord’s name taken in vain and Bree shook her head. “Here,” Bree started as she reached her hand down the front of her shirt. Audra looked confused as Bree pulled an airplane bottle of Fireball out of her bra and Audra’s eyes lit up, “I was saving this to share in case it got really really cold out, but here. You clearly need to calm down.” Audra did a little dance and started suckling the bottle like a baby before shooting her head back and taking the whole shot, “Much better.”

“That little barn owl’s a long way from home,” Bree started, but then there was rustling in a nearby bush too close for comfort that caused them both to freeze like statues.

They heard a voice before they saw a face, “You’re gonna die out here.” It was a whisper that felt like it was coming from all directions. Bree immediately clamped her hand hard over Audra’s mouth but Audra’s whimpering still made so much noise. Bree could feel Audra’s tears and snot making a sloppy mixture running over the back of her hand. She knew that even if they made it out alive, chances were high that after the Summer they just had, Audra would never speak to Bree again.

“You’re gonna have maggots in your eye sockets.” A different voice bellowed, closer this time on the other side: they could be surrounded. Bree heard the distinctive crinkling sound of a brown paper bag and the smell of piss. Probably homeless, she thought.

Maybe it was the after-effects of the shrooms still making their way out of Audra’s system, but behind Bree’s hand, Audra felt terrified. It was like she could feel the round, cold, slimy bodies of white maggots inching their way along her orbital socket and the cold air outside made her death feel more real.

Audra was just about to soil herself when the striking sound of a Bic flickered and a flame materialized over Bree’s shoulder, illuminating a scruffy, dirty male’s face with blue eyes opposite Audra. “BOO!” The homeless man roared. Right before the light was blown out, Audra could've swore she had seen Bree’s name carved on the rock they had been hiding behind with today’s date scrawled into it like a homemade tombstone.

Before she could investigate further, Bree was in motion on her feet in a full-out sprint dragging Audra by her arm through the pitch-black park. Audra’s shoulder burned as it threatened to dislocate from the socket as Bree was much faster than Audra, but Audra dared not let go or slow down. The two sprinted for what felt like ten minutes and kept running long after the sound of laughter from their old hiding spot had faded into the distance.

They finally came grinding to a stop when they felt the ground change from uneven grass and dirt to something hard and smooth like cement.

“Ow!” Audra howled uncontrollably as she stubbed her toe. She and Bree felt around to see what the offending object had been and Bree’s hand plunged into water making a splashing sound. She gasped not expecting the cool water, but then felt grateful for she knew where they were: Bethesda Fountain home to The Angel of the Waters.

Bree sat on the ledge of the fountain to collect her thoughts. The inside of her mouth tasted like pennies and her throat was raw from panting. She briefly considered drinking the water from the fountain before she thought about all the beings who probably use it to bathe and defecate. Audra was quietly crying over her stubbed toe, just the sound of her sniffles could be heard over the distant hum of traffic which luckily sounded closer than before.

“Ooooh Bree, look! The sun’s coming up! We made it! I think I can make out the gate from here! Oh thank you Lord sweet baby Jesus, let’s go home!”

Bree pinched the bridge of her nose and let her head hang heavily on her chest, “I’m not coming with you, Audy.”

“What do you mean? Come on. You can’t just become one of those homeless park people.”

“No, I mean, I’m not coming home. I’m staying here, in New York. I don’t know why, but whatever school’s trying to force me to finally understand, it’s just not clicking, their methods clearly aren’t working. I think I gotta find my own way, you know. Uninhibited. I’ve gotten all I can out of school, but now I’m gonna stay here a while.”

“Bree, you’re talking crazy, let’s just go home and think this over. Then you can talk to your parents about it and the Church Elders. It’s been a long night.”

“Yeah, you’re right. You go on ahead. I’ll come back later, I think for now I’m right where I need to be.”

Audra looked confused, “You sure, Bree?”

“Yeah.” Bree smiled and hugged her best friend knowing well it'd be the last time. Audra kissed Bree on the cheek as she did every day and made her way toward the gate.

“You know,” Bree called after her, “Home’s closer that way.” Bree pointed in the opposite direction that Audra was walking and Audra laughed, “How am I gonna do this without you?”

Bree smiled, “You’re bright. You’ll figure it out.” The two laughed and sighed and went their separate ways.