Escape

Asia walked as far as the pond a mile from her home and stood at the edge, watching her breath swirl in a mist before dissolving into the frigid air. She knew that back home her family was beginning their day, blissfully unaware of her absence. They wouldn’t notice she was gone for at least another hour when her mother would, in a huff of parental irritation, knock on her door and tell her empty bed that her breakfast was getting cold. She wasn’t sure she could stand the temperature that long and knew she’d have to go back sooner than later. Her eagerness to escape the monotony of her life caused her to forget that she was walking out into one of the coldest days of the year woefully unprepared. She had worn canvas sneakers which did nothing to stop the snow from biting her ankles and toes. Still in her pajamas, which were hardly thick enough to protect her skin from the wind, she had put on her winter coat and run out the door. As she walked through the wooded hills, she remained slightly warm, her racing heart pumping hot blood through her veins, but as she stood and stared at the pond, she began to shiver. She knew she had to move, but she wasn’t ready to go home yet. She needed more time alone. Away from the watchful eye of her mother, who was going to have a fit when she realized her daughter had taken leave of the comfort that she worked so hard to provide the family. Away from her father, the man of the house, who busied himself with propositions and acquisitions so as not to have to deal with the family. Away from her baby sister who, with her curls and bright eyes, was the focus of the family. Before she could even think she stepped forward. Her friend told her once that the ice on the pond was solid this time of year and if you didn’t hesitate you could walk clear across without even a crack. I’m not that brave, she said to herself as she took another step. She looked down at her wet sneakers and at the ice beneath her feet and watched, like it was someone else, as they took another step, then another. There was no movement, no water sloshing under the ice telling her that her friend was right, she could make it across. Should she try? What if she was wrong? She looked across to the other side where stood a woman. Asia hadn’t seen her approach and she surmised that he had arrived while she was staring down at the frozen water. The woman kept looking behind her and suddenly took a step onto the ice. She looked across and began waving wildly at Asia before taking another hesitant step. Suddenly, out from the woods came a man. He screamed at the woman to stop and she begged him to leave her alone. Easily, he snatched her from the ice and threw her against a tree, knocking her unconscious immediately. Still unaware that Asia was there, the man picked the woman up and threw her out onto the ice. Asia, gasped as the woman flew like a rag doll onto the pond, a pool of blood quickly forming under her. Suddenly, the man looked up and saw Asian staring at him. She turned to run but she had walked so far out onto the ice she slipped with every step. She looked behind her and saw the man step onto the pond and realizing the ice was thick enough to hold him, he began charging towards her. Asia, turned and slid as fast as she could to the frozen ground just a few feet away. When she was finally able to gain traction from the grass, she headed up the hill, looking back only after hearing what she knew to be cracking ice. In the center of the pond, was a hole. The man was gone. The woman still lay motionless, twenty yards from where the man had fallen in. She searched her pockets but she had left her phone at home, just like everything else. As she ran through the woods, the bitter air burning her lungs she regretted ever leaving that morning. She regretted the way she felt towards her family. She wished she had stayed in bed until her mother called her down for the breakfast she had made, if not lovingly at least thoughtfully. Finally, she made it to the road and panting she flagged down the first car she saw.

“Quick,” she shouted into the window, “call 911.”