When Something Is Missing

The year was 1987. A seventeen year old girl raced down a maze of New York alleys. The area around a wicked slash in her jeans was quickly becoming stained red. The pounding of footsteps and shouts of men pushed her on. She was lost and tired, but if she stopped she was dead. Two wrongs turns and a backtrack brought her into the view of her pursuers. Trying to duck into another alley, she lost her footing on some loose gravel and went tumbling down. She lay on the pavement dazed. Then, without warning, they were there. Rough hands grabbed her and pinned her to the ground. A foot was placed solidly on her neck and pressure slowly began to be applied. She coughed as it became harder to breathe. They had found her and now she was going to die. Through the pain she looked up past the buildings into the night sky and saw the most amazing thing.