25-cent Miracle

I met Jenny in the automotive department of Sears when I was walking around wearing the empty frames from a pair of red sunglasses. She said Hi and invited me to sit on the stacks of rubbery, funny-smelling tires with her. She introduced herself as "Queen Guinevere" but told me that I could call her Jenny if I let her wear my glasses. I reluctantly handed them over and we ruled as queens of our rubber castle.

"I broke my arm last week," she announced.

"Wow! Have you gotten your tonsils out?"

"Yep. It hurt like hell."

"Don't let your mom hear you..."

"Do you see my mom anywhere here?"

"No."

She grinned at me. "That's 'cause she's dead."

Now I was really impressed, but I didn't let her know. "How'd you get here?"

"Guess."

"No."

"Guess!"

"Um... you drove here yourself?"

"No. Guess again!"

"I give up."

"I flew."

"Did not!"

She grinned at me again, and changed the subject. "What kind of car do your parents drive?"

"A Vannagon. Its silver."

"No way! Mine too."

Later that evening, she came over to my house to play, climbing in through my bedroom window when my mother wasn't looking.

"Did you bring my glasses back?" I asked her.

"Of course! I lost them on the way over here, though."

"What do you mean you lost them?"

"They just fell off."

"Why didn't you just stop and pick them up if they just fell off?"

"Because I was flying. You can't stop to pick things up when you're flying."

"Bullshit."

"Don't let your mom hear you." She smirked and I almost slapped her.

We stared at each other for a minute, then she started walking toward my window, almost daring me to stop her. I gave in and asked her to please stay. She forgave me and ran across the room, launching herself onto my waterbed.

She sat cross-legged on my bed and looked at all my stuffed animals, asking their names one at a time until she knew them all-- Woodstock, Max, Aslan, Little Panda Do Ballet, Baby, Sunshine Bear, and their thirty-seven friends.

When we went outside to play with the rope swing, Jenny climbed to the top of the maple tree and yelled down to me, "I'll bet you twenty-five cents I can fly."

I dug through my pockets looking for change until I had found enough. I held the warm, sticky nickels in my fist and closed my eyes when she jumped. I screamed when she hit the ground, then ran over to give her my money. I wondered if I should tell her that I could be invisible.