​ Twenty-five hours had passed since the incident.

It
seemed to be a lot longer than that. That
twenty-five hours seemed more like a week in her
mind. The fact that she still was having trouble
comprehending exactly what took place wasn't
helping the matter. She thought if she could just
get a little rest the entire incident might make a
little more sense.
​
​ There was a time and a place for Stephanie to use
her magic. The problem was that she had a difficult
time determining this. She wished she could simply
use it when the desire hit and there wouldn't be any
unforeseen consequences. Unfortunately, that's not
how it worked and the consequences could be
devastating if she accidentally used her magic at
the wrong time.
​
​ All he could think about was how it would all end.
There was still a bit of uncertainty in the equation,
but the basics were there for anyone to see. No
matter how much he tried to see the positive, it
wasn't anywhere to be seen. The end was coming
and it wasn't going to be pretty.
​
​ The trail to the left had a "Danger! Do Not Pass" sign
telling people to take the trail to the right. This
wasn't the way Zeke approached his hiking. Rather
than a warning, Zeke read the sign as an invitation
to explore an area that would be adventurous and
exciting. As the others in the group all shited to the
right, Zeke slipped past the danger sign to begin an
adventure he would later regret.
​
​ The leather jacked showed the scars of being his
favorite for years. It wore those scars with pride,
feeling that they enhanced his presence rather than
diminishing it. The scars gave it character and had
not overwhelmed to the point that it had become
ratty. The jacket was in its prime and it knew it.
​
​ The bridge spanning a 100-foot gully stood in front
of him as the last obstacle blocking him from
reaching his destination. While people may have
called it a "bridge", the reality was it was nothing
more than splintered wooden planks held together
by rotting ropes. It was questionable whether it
would hold the weight of a child, let alone the
weight of a grown man. The problem was there was
no other way across the gully, and this played into
 his calculations of whether or not it was worth the
risk of trying to cross it.
​
​ At that moment he had a thought that he'd never
imagine he'd consider. "I could just cheat," he
thought, "and that would solve the problem." He
tried to move on from the thought but it was
persistent. It didn't want to go away and, if he was
honest with himself, he didn't want it to.
​
​ My pincher collar is snapped on. Then comes the
electric zapper collar. Finally, my purple at-home
collar is taken off and I know I’m going for a walk to
the dog park. I’m so excited to see my friends. I
hope Spike or Thunder are there already. They're the
most fun to chase and tumble with. My human is
pretty strict with me. I’m only allowed on the grass
and not on the sidewalks. I think she’s afraid I’m
going to jump on the other humans. I don’t
understand why everyone else gets to jump on the
benches and run wild on the sidewalks. They don’t
listen to their humans. I know I could ignore mine
but if I do she may zap me and it’s just not worth it.
She probably wouldn’t let me back at the dog park
if I didn’t listen to her. I just love the dog park.
​
​ "Can I get you anything else?" David asked. It was a
question he asked a hundred times a day and he
always received the same answer. It had become
such an ingrained part of his daily routine that he
had to step back and actively think when he heard
the little girl's reply. Nobody had before answered
the question the way that she did, and David didn't
know how he should respond.
​
​ The piano sat silently in the corner of the room.
Nobody could remember the last time it had been
played. The little girl walked up to it and hit a few of
the keys. The sound of the piano rang throughout
the house for the first time in years. In the upstairs
room, confined to her bed, the owner of the house
had tears in her eyes.