The fountain is older than the rest of the park. Not broken. Just… worn into itself. Paint faded in the spots where hands land most often. Metal dulled by years of use. The button stiff, like it expects you to mean it.
Lucy runs ahead of him the second she spots it. “Uncle Micah, look!”
“I see it.”
She plants both hands on the edge, peering down like it might be deeper than it is. “This is definitely a dragon watering spot.”
Micah drops onto the bench a few feet away, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Of course it is.”
She glances back at him, narrowing her eyes just slightly. “You didn’t even check.”
“I don’t have to check. You already ran the analysis.”
Lucy considers that. Accepts it. Then presses the button. The fountain coughs once, then a clean arc of water rises, steady and clear. Lucy lights up like she personally made it happen. “There,” she says, satisfied. “See?”
Micah watches the stream. Public water. City line. Probably hasn’t been thought about since installation except when it breaks. Runs all day, stops when the button’s released. He stands, walks over, more out of habit than interest. “You going to drink it?” he asks.
Lucy looks at him like he’s missed something obvious. “Yes.”
Micah eyes the fountain, the edges, the general situation. “Or,” he says carefully, “we could get a bottle from the car.”
Lucy shakes her head immediately. “No. This is where the dragons drink.”
“That doesn’t exactly help your case.” She leans in and takes a sip, unbothered. No hesitation. No testing. Just trust. Micah watches her, something in his expression tightening just slightly, not enough to comment on. “You don’t know who else has been using that,” he says.
“Dragons,” Lucy says again, like that resolves everything.
Micah huffs a quiet breath. “Right.”
She presses the button again, this time angling her hand under the stream, watching the water run over her fingers. “It’s good water,” she says.
Micah steps closer, crouching slightly so he’s level with the fountain. He studies the stream. Clear. Consistent pressure. No sputter after the initial start. City maintenance is doing its job, at least here. He presses the button himself. The stream rises again, exactly the same. He leans in, takes a quick drink. Enough to confirm. He pulls back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “It’s fine,” he says.
Lucy beams at him like he just passed a test. “I told you.” She shifts, stepping up onto the small ledge without asking permission, leaning closer to the fountain with intent.
Micah straightens immediately. “Hey—”
“It’s okay,” she says. “I have to check something.” He stays close, one hand hovering near her back without touching, ready to catch if she slips. Lucy squints into the basin like she’s looking for something specific. Then she nods, satisfied. “They’ve been here recently.”
Micah glances at the empty park around them. “Have they?”
“Yeah. You can tell.”
“How?”
She gestures vaguely at the water. “The way it moves.”
Micah looks at the stream again. Same arc. Same pressure. Same consistent output. Nothing unusual. And yet… he doesn’t argue. “Good to know,” he says.
Lucy hops down, immediately grabbing his hand like it’s part of the sequence. “Come on,” she says. “We have to check the other one by the swings. They don’t all use the same spot.”
“Of course they don’t.” He lets her pull him a step before he gently reins it in. “Hang on.” He reaches past her, presses the button one more time. The fountain runs. He watches it for a second longer than necessary. Water that belongs to no one. Used by everyone. Taken for granted. Trusted without thinking. He releases the button. The stream cuts off instantly. Nothing lingering. No aftereffect.
Lucy tugs on his hand again. “Uncle Micah.”
“I’m coming.” He glances down at her, at the complete certainty in her expression. Dragon watering stations. Obviously. He nods once, like that’s a workable model. “Lead the way.” Lucy grins and takes off toward the swings, already scanning for the next site. Micah follows, pace easy, eyes flicking once back toward the fountain before letting it go. Public water. No control. No curation. No cost. And somehow… still good enough to trust, if you don’t think about it too hard.
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