At an awkward class reunion I asked my fellow classmates, "Do you remember the girl with the bells on her shoes?"

They all simply shrugged, or said something stupid like, "I don't even remember what I had for breakfast."

I am beginning to wonder if she really existed.  Was she a dream?  Was she just an imaginary escape from the horrors of high school?

I'm beginning to doubt my memories...

But I do, however, recall a dream I had of her.

We were at the park, sitting on a rotting picnic table.  The green paint fading and peeling.  Hundreds of initials keyed perpendicular against the grain of the wood.
I take out my car key and scratch in a small, lonely, "J".

The sun was peaking above the trees before it goes to sleep.  That last magical part of the day where everything is illuminated, saturated, golden.  

She sat next to me in a tie dyed tank and a skirt she made out of old neck ties.  A hemp choker around her neck.  Another around her wrist.  
I could hear the keyboard solo from The Door's song,  "Break on through to the other side", blasting through her headphones.

She turned her head and looked at me, and with a slow blink, a smirk slowly crawled across her face.

She was electric.  

I remember several years back, a dog escaped from our neighbors house and got tangled up in the electric fence across the street.  It yipped and wined as we all rushed over to free it.

I remember my dad telling me never to touch the fence with the palm of my hand as the current will tense the muscles and you wouldn't be able to let go.

I remember my dad saying to test the fence with the back of my hand to see if I could feel the current.

I felt it.

She was electric.

As she inched her hand toward mine. I flipped my palm down against the table so my fingers wouldn't clamp around hers fearing I'd never be able to let go.

She leaned closer as the sun slowly sank behind the trees.
Her fingers climbed closer to mine and I could feel her magnetic field.  I could feel this force pulling me towards her.
In the final millimeters of movement, I flipped my palm to hers and let her electricity pulse through me.

I couldn't let go, and I didn't want to.

She pecked the side of my cheek, sending out a jolt of blue and yellow sparks.  I wondered if my hair was sticking out like the kid's hair on the cover to "TOMMY BARTLET'S ROBOT WORLD".

In the numbing paralysis, I was able to peak open my eyes to see that we were levitating. I blink in amazement, but only to reopen my eyes to see me back in my bedroom.  

I flop back in bed and force my eyes shut, hoping to pick up the dream where it left off.   
It was gone.

Did this girl really exist?  I'm not sure anymore... nobody seems to remember her except for me.
I don't have proof.
All I have is a fading memory, a haunting dream, and an imaginary kiss that tingles on my cheek to this day.


******

This is a real dream I had about a mysterious girl who temporarily went to my high school and then disappeared after 2 weeks.  No one remembers her... except for me.

Follow the thumb below to the first short story I wrote about her:
The Bells
As I ravaged the fridge for breakfast I noticed that the milk was outdated.  I don't like to waste food but thankfully there was only a small pool of this holy fluid left in the bottom of the jug.  I grabbed both the old jug and a new jug for my Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.  It was good.

After letting out that final "ah" when drinking the leftover milk at the bottom of the bowl, I pondered on what to do with the bad milk.  Should I pour it down the sink?  Should I leave it in the fridge and let someone else deal with it?  I looked outside.  It was gently raining.  I slid my empty cereal bowl towards the other side of the counter.  I grabbed


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2011 Conventions:

Evercon, Schofield, WI January 7-8 2011
Anime Spark, Cedar Rapids, Iowa February 10-14
Anime Milwaukee, WI February 18-20
KitsuneKon Appleton, WI February 25-27

Shuto Con, Lansing, MI March 25-26

KappaKon, Milwaukee, April 2nd
Anime St.Louis, MO April 15-17
SpringCon, St. Paul, MN May 21-22
Anime-zing!, Davenport, IA June 17-19
WausaubiCon, Wausau, WI July 8-10
Wizard World Chicago, IL August 11-14
GEEK.KON, Madison, WI Sept 9th - 11th
Wizard World Mid-Ohio, October 22,23
Minneapolis Indie Xpo, November 5-6