Jenny saves Mark Hamill

            There is a force in the universe. A force that drives people to innovate and to succeed. A force that brings people together and tears them apart. This force has baffled and inspired scientists and religious scholars for thousands of years but the allure is too great to be ignored. It is a force that exists everywhere and in everyone but leaves no shred of evidence to its existence. It is this force that has motivated me to write this story and it is the same force that compelled Matt Lavoi to attend a Star Wars convention one fateful day.

It was an exceptionally cold morning when Matt opened the garage door to go for a walk with his dog Scout. "I think you need a t-shirt to keep you warm today pal". Scout was a German Shephard and could comfortably wear Matts shirts. As the two made their way to mean mugs coffee shop for bagels and juice the temperature seemed to drop despite the beautiful sunlight beaming down on them. As they approached the front door, they made their typical detour to peruse the flyers advertising concerts and other events in the area. "Oh, a Star Wars convention!" Matt noticed. "That might be interesting, I used to really love Star Wars". As a youth Matt was a devout fan of the original trilogy and collected quite a few figures and ships as well as a special edition of the DVDs; however, a dissatisfaction with the first two prequals and the ravaging effects of time had diminished his interest by the time the franchise picked up with the force awakens, and that film had not quite brought back his former love.

Having arrived back home Matt spent a couple hours building furniture in the back yard but couldn't shake the memories of the time he spent playing Star Wars with his cousin David as a kid and the countless hours they would theorize and speculate on what had happened to the characters before the movies and what took place after. A distance had formed between Matt and David. It was as though that life had taken place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. If only it were possible to go back, if only it had been possible never to lose those days in the first place. "I think I will go to that convention. Is that a good idea buddy?" Scout barked his approval and smiled his warm smile.

The convention center was an easy walk from Matts house but on the way the temperature continued to drop. The cold must have kept many people away because the line was reasonable. Mounted police sat on their horses gossiping and drinking coffee as the line moved along quickly, everyone was eager to get out of the cold. "I bet the storm troopers are comfortable in those costumes", A cluster of the line was a fairly large group of fans dressed as storm troopers. They appeared to have arrived as a unit. That sort of comradery was very endearing and Matt felt a sense of envy for their friendship.

Upon entering Matt noticed that the organizers of the event had really gone all out. There was a mock death star suspended from the ceiling with tie fighters and xwings nearby. People were taking pictures sitting on palatines throne with red guards on each side. An entire hoth scene was set up with giant tauntauns, a turret and even the ion cannon. There were half a dozen Darth Vaders, two Boba Fetts and enough Han solos to deplete the carbonite supply. Vendors were selling comics, action figures, posters and everything else that built George Lucas his 2-billion-dollar doomsday survival bunker in the heart of the Franklin Mountains just outside of El Paso Texas. Actors from the movies were signing memorabilia, taking pictures and answering questions for fans. Most notable was Mark Hamill; he was being a really good sport and acting graciously toward everyone who approached him. Jeremy Bulloch was sat to the right of Mark Hamill and was showing off some gun twirling tricks like a cowboy might do. Slightly removed from the actors were a group of writers and commentators, experts on the subject of Star Wars. Many of them seemed to be popular youtubers and one in particular caught Matts eye.

Her name was Jenny Nicholson and she had a knack for predicting upcoming events in Star Wars movies. This skill was notable on its own but she also happened to be a hilarious content creator and possessed a keen intellect. Matt had seen several of her videos and always thought she was very cute but in person she was quite beautiful. "Ill have to say hi and let Jenny know I think she does a great job as soon as I try some of that unfortunate blue milk that vendor is hawking" Matt thought.