I raced to the dock on july's gloomiest day. A soft orange glow draped across the horizon, sinking lower as time passed. Thunder struck out past the buoy somewhere. It started sprinkling, but I stayed there anyway. A tall girl with dark eyebrows ask me what the duck I was doing there. "Um... I come here every year on my birthday. I used to come here all the time when I was little," I responded. "Do you.... live around here?" she asked. "No." That was a lie. "Well what are you doing here, then?" "I already told you... It's my birthday." ".....It's my birthday, too." We said happy birthday in unison after that. Then we laughed. Her laugh was cute. She sat down, and it wasn't until then that I realized her ghost popsicle. I was too busy staring at her electric blue eyes that were even more emphasized by her pearls that caught droplets of water and seemed to swallow them, getting bigger each time. "So what are YOU doing here?" I asked. I didn't think anyone even knew about this place. It was always empty. "On rainy days, I come here and dance in the rain. It's magical out here, you know." She stared into her shaky reflection sitting on the rough glass top of the lake. After hanging in an awkward silence for a few seconds, I asked, "...Wanna dance?" She shot me a skeptical half smile that made her eyes glow on a whole new level. I took that as a yes and stood up, taking her hand. We ballroom danced to the humming of the trees in the wind. It slowed down and the rain lessened. We pulled apart and we heard a dog. A sliver dog with the same eyes as her came running towards us. She looked like silk. "Trouble never comes alone. This is daisy. She's a Weimaraner." She could barely pronounce it. "Where are you from?" I asked. "Russia. Well, Siberia." She had the faintest accent; it was almost nonexistent. "Why would you come to Florida?" Silence. I sat there waiting for an answer and looked up at her. "Gotta go." I stayed there.
