Julie lifted her bare legs one at a time and slipped her hands under them, palms down, to protect her thighs from the hot cement steps that had soaked up the afternoon sun. She, Alex and Chandra had been waiting outside Nikki's apartment for over an hour. Their duffel bags and the boxy cases, each with its tiny mirror, that their mothers had packed with their trousseaux and taken on their honeymoons were scattered across the sidewalk. They were restless and annoyed. There was no shade, they were burning up. Alex asked Chandra to go to the corner store and get them some water.       And a Diet Coke! Alex called after her. She cursed and uselessly fanned her neck with her hand, sweltering, turning her head to the left and then to the right. Shit. Double shit.       Chandra’s really hyped about this weekend, said Julie.       Yeah, yeah, Christ, said Alex. She gave Julie a dirty look. If anything goes wrong, she’s your problem, she said.       Nothing will go wrong … it’ll be fine. She was a little worried herself though she wouldn’t admit it. Anyway, she said, no one else has a licence.       Alex’s smile was small, mischievous. Christ … details. Chandra drove out to the expressway, switching lanes and rapidly accelerating to make up for lost time. She yanked on the steering wheel, swerved, cursed, laughed and changed lanes again. She scowled at the traffic from under her heavily made-up eyelids.       Would you mind getting your fuckin’ ’fro out of my rear-view mirror, Nikki? she asked.       Chandra’s dark hair beautifully framed her face. She was wearing a lace dress. Her attitude about time crystallized reality for her. Time was too short and it was endless, and, either way, it was pointless for her to worry about it. She was free from certain annoying duties. The idea of accumulation didn't exist. She was charming. She laughed unselfconsciously. It was a laugh on all of them, joined in holy matrimony. She rummaged with one hand in her bag and pulled out a flask. She took a drink, then handed it over the seat to Julie.       Alex played ‘Disco Inferno’ over and over again, only encouraged by Chandra’s pleading with her to turn off that goddamn song. Chandra changed lanes again, impatiently, cussing out the driver in front of her and shaking her fist at miles of traffic.       They came to a roadside coffee shop and Chandra cranked the wheel and pulled into the parking lot. They got out of the car and stretched. Julie took a photograph of everybody hanging around. Chandra pulled down the neck of her dress and showed her cleavage. Then Alex showed hers. Then they went inside and ordered coffees to go. They got back in the car. The music blared and they sang along at the top of their voices.       An hour later they pulled into the parking lot outside the Executive Motor Inn and dragged all their gear upstairs. Their room was painted a dull yellow and had a picture of four swans on the wall. They peeled off their sweaty clothes and made themselves comfortable. Nikki sat down on the bed in her t-shirt and panties, with a drink and a smoke, and examined the heart-shaped bruises on her legs. Julie picked up a brochure from the dresser, which described the various attractions of the town. Along with the brochure was a newspaper clipping about a serial killer who was preying on prostitutes in the area.       Julie took her camera out of her bag. Nikki struck a pose. Chandra, half nude, ran into the bathroom.       It’s your job to record this weekend without bias, okay? You got that? Only flattering shots, and no double-chin shots. And don’t shove that thing in my face, said Alex. Luc sat as far over in the car as possible, with his shoulder pressed up and his elbow out the window. He coughed. He’d been smoking too much. He’d have to quit one of these days. The scenery rushed by and he barely looked at it, instead watching the road as if his willing the car not to ram into the car in front of them was all that prevented it. For what felt like the first time, he looked over at the woman driving. She had dark hair. Was she pretty or not? Hard to tell in profile.       What? Leah said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, smiling, feeling him looking at her, and then looking back at the road ahead.       He’d met her just over a week before. He’d been living with her for eight days. It was the first time he’d really looked at her. He didn’t think that she was his type.       How the hell did I get here? he remarked quietly to himself.       What? She reached forward and turned down the music a little.       How the hell did I get here? His voice was steady, melodic.       She laughed. What?! She switched the music off.       How the hell did I get here? he said again, to no one, over the quiet hum of the tires.       Leah’s hands trembled on the steering wheel. The women walked down the street in the middle of the throng of tourists who were dressed for speed and endurance and who turned to stare at the women as they strode past in their miniskirts with the velocity of missiles. The Falls were lit up by colourful floodlights. The women lined up against the wall and watched the cascading water change from pink to green to purple. The water from the Falls pounded unendingly against the rocks and the air was drenched in plumes of spray that they tried to catch on their tongues. Overtired children wrapped in a shroud of negative ions danced, shouted and cried with the freedom of being allowed out at night.       The girls came to an outside terrace and sat down. There was a tape deck playing old Led Zeppelin tunes.       Alex shouted, Does anybody remember laughter?       They signaled to the waiter but he ignored them. After serving another couple who had come in after them, he came to their table to take their drink order. It was several minutes before he came back with the drinks.       Does anybody remember laughter? Alex yelled again.       The waiter gave Alex a serious look. You got a problem, lady? You know, if you have a problem, you can leave.       The girls smiled at him. They ordered another round right away.       Alex started to shout, Drag about Bonham, man. Drag about Bonham!       The waiter came back over to their table. He looked at them, undecided. He got very agitated. What the hell's your problem? Bonham was a God, a God, man! Do you know what I'm saying?       Yeah, man, relax, she means it. Really, said Nikki.       Yeah, said Alex. I mean it. It’s such a drag about Bonham, man. Really, it’s like, such a bummer.       Yeah. Shit. It is, man. It's depressing, said the waiter. He shook his head sadly.       They bowed their heads and observed a moment of silence in respect for the fallen.       Does anybody remember laughter? Alex whispered again after the waiter had walked away.       The bars stayed open until four in the morning. The whole town was awake until dawn. Every place they went was crowded with tourists; the women had to force a path through them. The tourists moved out of their way as one, surging apart and streaming back together again behind them. Alex and Nikki yelled at the top of their lungs, Drag about Bonham! Drag about Bonham! It wasn't unusual in that town at the peak of summer, in the dead of night, for women to howl at the moon.       All of Niagara Falls was swept up in an ecstatic wave of mourning, the whole town drunk on stories of bravado and daring, drunk on glorious death, on the memory of Annie Taylor, daredevil schoolteacher, going over the Falls in a barrel with nothing left to lose.       Luc played the game with a lax skill, not wanting to be seen to care about it. The sound of the video was a lullaby to him. He gripped the joystick. When one game finished, he put in another coin. She stood beside him, watching, dividing her attention between him scoring points and her hot dog.       Aren’t you hungry? she asked him quietly.       No, I’m all right.       I’ll go get you a hot dog.       You’re sweet, he said, taking his eyes off the game for a second. No thanks.       Are you going to play that much longer?       No, not much longer.       How much?       I don’t know. Just a little bit longer.       She licked ketchup from her fingers. She took the final bite of her hot dog, enjoying it. In the arcade they were a few feet back from the crowd that streamed by on the street outside the open doors. Even inside, Leah could feel the dampness from the spray of the Falls. There was no escaping it. She lifted her hand to her hair to see if it had gone frizzy. She reached into her handbag, crinkling candy wrappers.       How about a chocolate bar? she asked.       What are you trying to do, kill me? Luc snapped at her. He hit the machine one last time. It let out a small, final siren wail.       Oh, I forgot. I’m sorry, she said. I’m sorry, she said again, in a pleading voice. She tried to take Luc by the arm. He shrugged away from her.       I really am, she said once more.       Let’s get a drink, he said. He walked across the street between the gridlocked cars and she followed. At the motel, Chandra, who had been enjoying herself the most of all of them, lay down on one of the beds. She moaned. She called out for love. She was blameless. Alex was shocked by the nakedness of her cries.       Nikki and Alex changed into their bathing suits.       Aren’t you coming out to the pool? What’s your Jesus problem? Alex asked Julie.       Nothing, I don’t want to.       It’s a Jesus free pool, you know.       I’ll just stay here with Chandra.       Okay, suit yourself … ha ha.       You’re an idiot, Julie said, trying not to laugh.       Watch it, I’ll cuff you good.       Yeah, yeah.       I’ll come back and trade places with you in a bit, seeing as how that lunatic probably shouldn’t be left alone, so that you can go for a little midnight swim, too.       That's okay, Julie said. I’m not into it.       Where’s your bathing suit?       I didn’t bring one.       Why not?       I didn't think of it.       You can wear your underpants.       That's all right. I'll stay here with Chandra.       From the open window Chandra could hear Alex’s and Nikki’s muffled shouts as they splashed around in the pool, quietly, in a half-hearted attempt to not wake up everyone in the motel.       I want to go swimming, too, Chandra said. She got up from the bed and wrapped a towel over her bra and panties. Enticed by the desire that burgeoned from the sound of those splashes, she moved determinedly down the stairs. Julie went after her, caught up, and held her protectively by the elbow.       Don’t be such a suck and get in, said Alex.       In my underwear?       Chandra is.       Julie muttered a curse under her breath. She was suddenly furious at the loneliness that welled up inside her at the sight of the others enjoying themselves in the pool. She turned away and looked out over the parking lot as if something there demanded her undivided attention. In the privacy of hiding her face, she let grief occupy her.       Hey you, said Alex, will you get in already?       Julie took a deep breath. In a moment, she turned around. I can’t, she said. I’m afraid of water. I mean, I can’t help it. I couldn’t even go down to the lake after …       Alex stared at her. She continued to wave her arms gently, caressingly, in the pool. Her expression softened. Come on. Get in with us. It’s all right. You’ll be all right. Her voice was surprisingly gentle.       Julie hesitated. She wanted to. Alex smiled at her encouragingly. Julie slipped out of her dress and put one toe tentatively in the pool.       It’s freezing, she said.       She lowered herself in, hugging the edge. She tried to shake off the image in her mind of herself, not waving, drowning.       Chandra floated precariously on her back and moaned over her love affair with the night. Alex and Chandra posed with saintly expressions on their faces in front of the purple Cadillac of Elvis, with its white upholstery and the steering wheel of Elvis that had driven the romantic dreams of their mothers. They were illuminated from behind by the show lights, which lit up their hair as if it were on fire. They went to have a look at the famous white suit, as well as the guitar, the lamp and the pharmaceuticals of Elvis.       At the end of the exhibit was a small gallery set up for patrons to view the footage of the final performance. It repeated once an hour from beginning to end. There were no seats. Two or three older women moved over and shared the room with the girls while they watched the film. All the women stood around silently, reverently, with tears in their eyes. They smoked their cigarettes seriously and then butted them out with terrible finality. At the end, the girls walked out of the darkness of the theatre into the burning sunlight, blinking and squeezing their eyes shut for a moment against the glare of so much desire.       They drove down to the parking lot for the Maid of the Mist, got out of the car and walked over to the edge of the precipice. They looked out at the boats on the water. Their faces grew damp from the vapour that swirled up endlessly. The ferries ventured into the churning depths and then miraculously reappeared, only to return once more to risk themselves under the tons of pressure of the Falls. The Maids rocked under the thundering cascade.       I don’t want to go, said Julie.       Shut up.       No, I really don’t want to do this. I’ll wait here.       Oh my God, said Alex. She clamped her hand on Julie’s arm and shuffled her into the ticket line. It was unbearably hot. The pavement burned through the soles of their shoes.       Julie swore an oath to herself that they would never get her on that ferry. She would not allow herself to be dragged to her death in the cold and treacherous Niagara waters. She had a scary vision of her bloated body washing up on the rocks, or, worse, trapped in a whirlpool and dragged under to swirl around for a dizzy eternity.       Please let go of me, she begged Alex.       Alex rolled her eyes.       Julie said a quiet prayer. No one noticed. She took the last photographs on earth.       Alex said, If you take my picture one more time I'm going to kill you.       She tightened her grip on Julie’s arm. Nikki held on to the back of her shirt. Between them, they hustled Julie onto the ferry. Julie felt trapped. She couldn’t see any way out of it short of jumping off the edge into the soapy algae lapping at the dock and getting it over with on the spot.       Chandra managed to show herself off somehow in spite of the puritanical blue raincoat they'd been given for the cruise. Nikki smiled, twirled, laughed out loud. She was suddenly overcome by the after-effects of drinks, fights and Cokes, and by the electric chair in the crime museum that had set off flashing lights and a frightening noise when she had sat down on it, scaring them all half to death. She was the only one who would survive the coming ordeal with her hair still in place. In a gesture of freedom and abandon, she threw off her blue slicker.       It was late afternoon and in spite of the sun, it was cool on the ship from the spray of the water. All the decks were brimming with tourists. Julie resisted the temptation to cry. She resisted the overwhelming sensation of powerlessness, of having put herself in the hands of the crew, sixteen-year-olds with summer jobs. The blue sky was bright, with sparse clouds. The cliffs over which the water poured in its relentless deluge loomed above her. At the base of the Falls, the river was deeper than the Falls were high.       What's the matter with you? said Nikki.       Don't ask, said Julie. She trembled inside her blue coat. She turned her face into the spray, feeling through the whole length of her body the grinding of the ferry against the torrents. She was short of breath and the water poured down on her like a viscous rain, making her lips slick with spume. Her heart was pounding. She was drenched in sweat. She braced herself to withstand the wind and water. Alex leaned against her, pressing her painfully against the ship's rail with the full weight of her body.       You’re going to be all right, Alex said, softly touching Julie’s cheek. Julie heard her voice faintly against the roar of Niagara Falls.       You’re hurting me, she said.       Chandra was watching them. Something rose up in her, stinging. She stepped between them. You look like you're going to faint, she said to Julie.       What is her goddamn problem, anyway? said Nikki.       Oh nothing. Just ignore her, said Alex.       The river churned as they headed into the foamy green waters ahead. The agitated water pounded around the bow. Unable to catch their breath, the girls were nearly knocked off their feet by the shaking of the boat. It seemed as though the vibrations would tear it apart. Alex screamed. Nikki and Chandra joined in, too, yelling at the top of their lungs above the noise of the crashing Falls. Julie was silent. The water rained down on them, and the boat strained, the churning river about to engulf it.       Still grinding, the ferry finally lurched out from under the cascade. It rocked and swayed, then turned away from the terrible excitement. It swung out into the river, inching away from the downpour. The choppy waves became calmer as the ferry moved further away from the Falls. The boat slowed its frightening shuddering and began to rock gently on its way to back to shore. They passed by the next ferry loaded with tourists.       Julie felt both relieved and disappointed that the danger had passed. Her heartbeat gradually slowed.       She couldn’t stop her legs from trembling. She had to sit down when they got outside the exit. The others waited for her to be able to go on again.       See, that wasn’t so bad, was it? said Alex.       Just because I lived through it doesn’t mean I forgive you. They walked casually, looking into souvenir shops as they went past. They settled for a patio beside the Burger King. They went in and ordered drinks, feeling immediately better.       This okay for you?       Yeah, fine.       What are you going to have?       I don't know. What about you?       Gin.       Yeah, gin, that's what I'm going to have, too.       What about you, Chandra?       I'm going to have an orange juice.       Chandra! Like hell you are. Put a little shot of gin in that for my friend, will you?       Chandra, still achingly nauseous from the night before, slipped in her heels and fell into Julie with a groan, spilling her drink down Julie’s arm.       Oh, sorry, she said. She swept forward, taking Julie’s sticky hand in hers, and pushed her toward the stairs that led down to the washroom. Julie was still shaken from the boat tour and stumbled after her.       I don’t know why I feel like this, said Chandra.       It’s because of the Falls. It’s the negative ions, that’s all, the million gallons of water that fall down that 185 feet of rock every minute. The negative ions actually cause feel-good feelings.       Chandra gave her a funny look. I feel like shit, she said.       Well, you can’t blame it on the negative ions.       Uh, I think it’s the drinks combined with the Valium, actually.       Julie pushed open the door to the gleaming white bathroom. In the corner, against the wall, a man was hunched over on the floor. He looked up at her from where he sat, one leg stretched out in front of him, leaning against the stall door. His face was upturned in the bright light. He looked anxious, or drunk, his lips swollen and wet with saliva. He scratched his neck where it was breaking out in a mean rash. He sneezed. He stopped scratching and held his abdomen suddenly, leaned over with a cramp. He looked up pleadingly at Julie.       Save me, he said in a hoarse whisper.       His breathing was shallow, a little bubble of white spit forming at the corner of his mouth.       Luc was afraid of dying, but in that moment of fear, he felt blessed. He didn’t believe it could be happening. Something would be done. Someone would help him. Before it was too late. He wasn’t ready to die.       Save me, he whispered again.       An old canvas bag lay open beside him, its contents littering the floor. A woman was standing between him and Julie. She looked from the man to Julie and back again. She had a look of outrage on her face. She was holding a syringe at arm’s length in front of her as if afraid of it.       Oh God, said Julie. She jumped at the woman and grabbed for the syringe. The woman flung her arm back out of reach.       Jesus. Fuckin’ freak, she said.       What is it? said Chandra, her eyes wide in an effort to comprehend. There was something not right with what she saw in front of her.       Give it to me, said Julie. She struggled with the woman to get the syringe from her.       Mind your own business. Get lost, she shouted. Leave us alone.       Julie grabbed the woman by the front of her shirt, pulled her forward, felt the woman’s breath hot against her face and yanked the syringe out of her hand. She shoved the woman aside and thrust the needle toward the man. He was struggling for breath. He took the needle from her with surprising speed. With trembling force, he plunged it into the soft flesh of his thigh.       Feeling the hit of ephedrine, he sighed. And, slowly, he relaxed. His breathing became less constricted.       Fuck you all, said the woman. She turned on her heels and fled out of the bathroom.       Behind her, the room was still. Julie and Chandra stood silently looking at the man while his breathing gradually resumed a more normal pace. He began to look less pale, less swollen. His body relaxed a little. They stood by quietly watching him. It took him several minutes to recover. Finally, he picked up the little kit with its careful instructions, then raised the small black case and tipped it feebly at Julie in a mock salute.       Nuts, he said.       Julie felt the terrible fragility of the throat, its innocence, its pulse, a naked thing out there in a world populated by the soldier of fortune. She leaned in close to him to see if he really was all right, and in doing so, blocked out the bright light from above, leaving her face in shadow. Her head was surrounded by a halo from the white bulb.       My name is Luc, he said, his voice still rasping. I’m allergic to nuts. It’s a bitch. He raised his hand up to his forehead. He felt terrible.       Are you going to be all right?       He reached out and slowly took Julie’s hand, which he pulled even more slowly toward himself. He turned it palm upward and with his slowly recovering strength kissed it.       She felt his weakness and his gratitude.       He looked up into her eyes. You taste like gin, he said.       Chandra turned away, catching her own reflection in the mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair. She reached into her purse for her lipstick and touched up her mouth. In the mirror she watched the man, recovering, handsome all at once, take Julie’s hand in his and kiss the palm again as though he were kissing the feet of the Virgin. She put her lipstick back and took out a small atomizer. She spritzed perfume behind each ear. Alex looked over her shoulder once more – no change, the two of them with their heads inclined toward each other, talking quietly. With the windows rolled down and the music blaring, she couldn’t hear what they were talking about. The grapevines or the rolling hills or something else just as infuriating. Even when she was a little girl, with her eyes screwed up against the glare of the sun and her sock fallen around her ankle, Alex had been as stingy as a rich old man.       Hey, said Julie, under a shower of popcorn lobbed from the front seat. She smiled at Alex.       Luc leaned back in the corner of the seat, at ease, squished in the car with all those pretty girls. The car was fragrant with their lovely perfume. He was aroused by the sight of their high-heeled sandals propped against the dashboard, dropped over the seat or dangling at the end of crossed legs.       The heat in the car, which had been bearable on the highway, became something other when they turned at the intersection and entered the city. The abrupt change struck them dumb. The ugly buildings, the gridlock. If the city had any charm, it was hidden behind its terribleness. Crowds of people were crossing the street at every light, dragging their feet along the burning pavement. In the car, the women watched them cross, so many of them and all so unhappy. Alex swore at them encouragingly.       Sweat ran between Luc’s shoulder blades. It trickled down from his armpits. He wanted a cigarette so badly he thought he’d jump out of the car at the next stoplight. He had to have that cigarette. She would understand, anyone would understand. He needed to get out of the damn car, suddenly seeping with toxic femininity, and have a smoke.       Stop here, at this corner, he almost shouted. I’ll get out here, he said more quietly. Thanks.       Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? I think it would be a good idea.       No, I’m okay now.       Yeah, whatever, said Chandra. She pulled over, cutting off a lane of traffic. A horn blared, but she ignored the driver’s shaking fist.