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The Day I met - Her

"No-o-o-!"

"Damn it, no more autographs! I’m just trying to get some work done here." Replied the ex-magician.

At that, several teenagers turned their heads in disappointment and walked off angrily.

Seeing a nurse coming his way, the TV star decided to take a more polite approach, feeling his needs might be met with more success if he were to act nicer.

"Sandi –The Amazing Sandi; that is you, right?" Asked an orderly at the hospital.

Sandi, an elder Jewish man, took a look at the somewhat star struck orderly and answered the black woman with his usual courtesy.

"That is I, little lady. What can I do for you?"

"Um, well, are you here to see someone? I know you’re not a patient here, so if you’re here to visit, you have to sign in."

"Yes- I am here to see someone. A child – a girl they call Cora Vars."

"Cora Vars? …The girl fortune teller?"

"Non other. Is there a problem?"

"I’m afraid I can’t allow that. She’s in a coma. The car accident she was in last night was a bit worst than they expected – the doctors I mean."

Sandi was a millionaire who gained his popularity and wealth by debunking people that claimed to be paranormal. He had successfully debunked a myriad of conmen from magicians, ghost whisperers, escape artists, and zombie makers. But there was a specific interest in his fascination for Cora Vars. The eight-year-old girl was practically worshipped in the small farm community where she came from. There, the nymph’s supernatural influence was so prevalent that the townsfolk dared not look directly into her eyes for fear of seeing their own future. On the child’s birthday, to commemorate their odd faith, they all wore blindfolds. For the Amazing Sandi, this oddity of small-town mass hysteria was one he could not ignore. So, he set forth to debunk yet another modem mythmaker. Even so, he didn’t expect the girl to be unconscious, let alone in a coma.

"Mr. Sandi? …I’m afraid you’ll have to leave if you don’t have any further business here." Replied the lean orderly.

"Business? Oh, yes, business. Well, I can’t very well break the law, could I? I mean if I were to ask for just a glimpse of the girl, would that be so bad? Especially, if I were to…compensate your efforts for my - um, unscheduled visit." Explained Sandi in a sly gesture.

Seeing that the popular man was handing over two one-hundred-dollar bills, the female orderly hesitated before taking the money.

"Look, Mr. Sandi; I’ll give you ten minutes with her. After that, whatever happens is on you, understand?"

"Of course, my friend. All I want is a peek at her. I’m very curious about such people, as you may very well know."

The Amazing Sandi entered the hospital room and noticed the girl was alone and tethered to a host of small machines. Frail, with long blond hair and striking blue eyes, she seemed to be at peace. Yet as Sandi drew closer to her, he felt a queer sensation in his gut –something he never felt before. The infamous skeptic was soon at Cora’s bedside, where he looked at her face. The girl’s porcelain features seemed to reach out to him, and even though she didn’t move her mouth, he could swear that he heard a faint voice. It was then that he fell – fell, while staring into the wild blue eyes of Cora Vars.

Quatrain #1
Europa, Kansas

When Sandi rose, he wasn’t himself. He could feel the reality around him, but somehow felt as if he were in a dream. He brushed dust from his cloths and took a look around. He appeared to be in a rundown town, perhaps a rural region far from city adornments. Passing by a hardware shop, he read the sign and dropped his jaw in shock. It read, "Lenny’s Hardware": open since 2117. How could this be? Was he somehow kidnapped into the far future? He seemed to be the victim of an elaborate joke. But Sandi wasn’t thwarted. He enjoyed a challenge and this was a trick he would get to the bottom of yet.

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