Crossing

DRAMA: AN AURAL EXPERIENCE™,Please wear your headphones for the best experience.

You know, it's funny, it was dark and let's just say I was scared. Scared.

I was always someone who turned a cheek to stories like that. Stories that. Well, they were never for me. Well, it was late and I was somewhere that I shouldn't have been.

His place was on the Upper east side by the. What's that little museum. That German? No, that Austrian German museum. The new. That spot. Yeah. He was one of those guys.

Not Wall street, but deep pockets. Grams was on the Titanic. Rich, first class rich. And he was. Well, I don't really know what he was, but there I was to 2am and not a cab in sight.

I lived in an SRO on 88th and had to be in my work uniform and filling my salt and pepper shakers by nine. So I did what anyone in my situation would do. I decided to cut through the park. I know what you're thinking. I know, I know.

And I'm not one of those girls who. Well, frankly, I don't give a damn. I grew up in. What does it matter? I had my Mace, I took kickboxing and did every Taebo video on earth.

What's a 17 minute power walk through a stretch of a semi lit park? Can I just pause for a second and tell you how ready I was?

I pulled out my keys and inserted the biggest one between my index and middle fingers and was ready to punch any son of a bitch who came between me and that tempurpuric waiting for me at home. I took a deep breath and made a break for it.

At the entrance of the park, I hit a stride and marched by the rats and the sleeping pigeons and raccoons and even a pair of teenagers smoking a bowl. There was a spot where the lights were out. Two, three, four of them were out. And I just had this feeling in my stomach that something wasn't right.

In the distance, I saw a man who was moving. Not walking, not running, not crawling, not. I don't know, just something was off. It caught me off guard and I. I don't really know how to describe it.

It's like. This is going to sound really weird, but something was just really off.

I didn't feel like I could keep walking west and I didn't want to go back east. I was in the shadows and I don't think that anyone would normally believe something like this, but he was. It was just weird. And I got scared.

More scared than I had ever. So I stopped. I wanted to Dial an Uber. But there I was in the middle of the park. I could literally see the other side of the park.

And the red Essex House sign was visible all the way to my left. And I could make up the Dakota just ahead into my left. But nothing felt right.

You'd think I was drinking or something, but I hadn't even had a nip that evening. I hadn't had a nip in many evenings, but it was late and still I. This is going to sound weird, I know. I think I have a guardian angel.

She was wearing red and she was brunette and she looked kind of like Minnie Driver. And she came out of nowhere and she made a noise and motioned for me to come over and sit with her. And I did.

I don't know why I did, but she seemed familiar, like someone I'd seen before. Maybe when I was a kid or something. I don't know. I've seen her in a few dreams before as well. She's familiar. I know her, but I don't know her, but.

I don't know her, but I don't know. Can't describe it. Anyway, she was there. She like, emerged out of nowhere. There was no conversation or explanation.

I could see her, but I don't really know how because it all happened so quickly. When you step into the street and a car's about to hit you and the person next to you grabs you and pulls you out of the way before, you know.

Anyway, she got my attention and she pulled me aside and pulled something over us, like a cloak or something. And we crouched down and there was this massive wave and a sound, like this movement had passed us. It sounded like the ocean.

And then it was raining and I felt like I was safe, like it was okay to get up. So I stood up and I heard her say, run. And I ran. And I felt like someone was chasing me.

And I was breathing really heavily and it felt like whoever it was was gaining on me. So I ran faster and faster and faster and faster and I didn't know that I would be alright. So I tried to run even faster.

And the lamps get brighter and brighter and before I knew it, I was at Central park west and almost home. Home. The subway had just gotten out and there were six or seven people out on the street. And I felt safe.

I turned around and there was no one behind me. Whoever was chasing me was no longer there. I stopped and did a 360 and saw that there was an elderly woman sitting on a park bench.

She was wearing a red dress, just like my what I believe to be my angel, my guardian. And she smiled up at me, I smiled back and she winked. And this is going to sound ridiculous, but she just disappeared.

I crossed Central park west and made my way home and made a pact to myself to never cross the park again at night again.