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think I would have a problem hiding out here
for an hour or so. Bikers, bankers, and thieves, oh my!
    The waitress returned quickly. I don’t think
I had ever been as grateful as I was right now. “Thank you. You
don’t know what a godsend you are this morning,” I told her.
    “No problem miss. You just let me know if you
need a refill.”
    She walked away, towards the two guys that
had just sat down in the next booth, leaving me to my solitude and
my caffeine. I said a little silent prayer to the coffee gods,
stared out the window and drank my coffee.
    A few feet away from the backside of the
diner is a forty foot cliff that tapers off into a valley. Since it
was late spring, the valley was alive with the variety of fresh
greens that seemed almost magical. The sun was shining, blanketing
the valley in its golden glow. That’s odd, I didn’t notice the
fog lift , I thought. Wildflowers were in bloom, dotting the
carpet of grass that lined the beautiful vista I was looking at
now. I finally had a moment of peace. That’s all it was too, a
moment.
    One of the two guys at the next booth turned
around and interrupted my solitude.
    “I’ve never seen you here before.”
    I didn’t even bother looking up, one glance
at my eyes and I could be in serious trouble. I could tell there
were Otherworlders in the diner, but I didn’t know who they were.
Darting my eyes around the diner, I guesstimated my chances of
making it out of here if anyone did take notice of me. Figuring my
chances were better at making a few minutes of small talk, I
answered the rude one looking my way.
    “That’s because I’ve never been here before.
My name is Mags by the way. And you are?”
    He put his hands out in front of him
apologetically. “I’m sorry Mags, I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s
a small town and I know just about everyone around here. It’s nice
meet someone new. My name’s John.”
    “It’s nice to meet you John, but I won’t be
here long. Just some coffee and I’m back on the road.”
    “Oh. Well, it was nice to-.” His voice
dropped off and suddenly he was next to my side. “Do you trust me?”
John’s voice was low and full of alarm.
    “Trust you? I don’t even know you.”
    “How about a little blind faith then?” John
asked before turning to his friend. “It’s too sunny, don’t you
think?”
    “What?” I asked, confused as to what was
happening.
    The next thing I knew John had grabbed me and
hauled me to the ground. We were crouched down low when he pulled a
knife from his side and thrust it into the linoleum. Lightening was
streaking across the previously sunny sky, thunder bursting shortly
after the flashes.
    “Hold on,” he suggested.
    Petrified, I did what he told me, thanking my
lucky stars that knife went into the floor instead of me. My arms
were wrapped tight around his neck when the floor dropped out from
around us and we fell, straight into the earth.
    I’ll admit it, I screamed, like a little girl
too. There was no ground beneath us and we were still falling. My
eyes were closed tight, I was holding my breath and onto John with
everything I had, legs, arms, and all. Unable to do anything else,
I prayed for a soft landing.
    A soft voice laughed next to me. “It’s
alright, we’re on solid ground now, you can let go. I appreciate
the gentle landing, but it wasn’t necessary.
    I dared to peek one of my eyes open. Sure
enough we were on the solid ground of the valley I had, moments
previously, been admiring from forty feet up. Sunlight was forcing
its way through the storm clouds, sending the fierce weather
away.
    I let go of John and stepped away, letting
the panic dwindle to nothing while I brushed dirt off of me. It was
that moment when I realized I was the reason for the soft landing
and he knew it too. I had been so terrified of plummeting into a
dark abyss, I didn’t realize I magicked up the soft landing.
    Instead of the caffeine, I was rolling with
adrenaline, which made my