Apricity- The warmth of the Sun in the Winter
☀️
She walked along the cold barren streets with one thought in her mind, find warmth. She trudged along, her bare feet rapidly turning a light shade of blue from the cold, wet and uneven streets. It was close to the winter solstice and for one eight-year-old little girl that meant it was a race to find a warm alley. She walked along pulling her tiny blanket tight around her skinny, pale body. This blanket meant everything to her. It is what had kept her alive during the last winter and the only thing, other than her worn-out clothes, that she has of her life before. Her life before living off of dumpster food, cold nights and hiding from the police in the most dangerous parts of New York City.
For walking over 5 miles in one night her feet don't really seem to be aching, maybe it's just because she can't feel them. She shudders as another cold breeze brushes against her bare legs. She looks up to see Battery Park not even two blocks from her current location. She sighs just thinking of the wet grass soothing her aching feet, ready to just find a spot under a bench to lay awake and to let her eyes unfocus and her mind go blank to just disregard her aching body for warmth. Just the thought of being able to find a place for shelter makes her start running.
Running isn't foreign to her, it's natural, she's been doing it since the moment she found herself in this situation. As she neared the park, she slowed to a jog and then she came to a stop. She slowly stepped onto the grass almost melting immediately as the wet soft grass came into contact with her burning and aching feet. She fell to the ground in a heap as her legs give out underneath her. She feels blood trickling down the bottom of her feet, but she ignores it. She knows she has to get to a more enclosed space so when daylight does come, no one will notice a little girl curled up in the middle of the park. She pulls her tired body behind her trying to get to a secluded park bench in the corner. It is a perfect hiding place, even if someone comes and sits on the bench, they won't notice her.
She huffs out a sigh as she grabs her legs and pulls them under the bench with her upper torso. She then unties the blanket from around her neck and throws it out to cover her blueing body. With the strength she has left, she pulls herself up so she can tie the blanket around her back to make sure it doesn't get blown away in the wind.
The sun starts to play peek-a-boo with the clouds in the early morning. The girl opens her eyes and sees maybe four pairs of feet passing by. She rolls her eyes and curses the early morning runners. The girl was very thirsty, but she knew that as soon as she came out of her hiding place people would start to get suspicious. Nothing helps the fact that she is very weak and can barely move her body in any circumstance.
It is now around 3 o'clock and a lady comes and sits on the bench. The girl covers her mouth, careful to not make a sound. The woman sits there for a good two hours reading some book. The girl hopes she will leave soon, so she can at least start to breathe normally again.
Finally, the lady leaves letting her take a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived as the woman turns back around and looks right through the slats with piercing emerald green eyes, staring right at the frail bodied girl. She speaks in a calm voice the first words the girl will ever hear directed towards her that aren't harsh.
"Hello."
☀️
