Independance Day

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Hey...! Hey!!!"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div> Independance Day &nbsp&nbsp| &nbsp&nbsp<A HREF="WOM_57ShortStoriesRain.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rain"><U>Rain</U></A> &nbsp&nbsp| &nbsp&nbsp<A HREF="WOM_54ShortStoriesTheBeast.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Beast"><U>The Beast</U></A> &nbsp&nbsp| &nbsp&nbsp<A HREF="WOM_53ShortStoriesHideAndSeek.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hide and Seek"><U>Hide and Seek</U></A> &nbsp&nbsp| &nbsp&nbsp<A HREF="WOM_51ShortStoriesTheWall.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Wall"><U>The Wall</U></A> &nbsp&nbsp| &nbsp&nbsp<A HREF="WOM_49ShortStoriesTension.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tension"><U>Tension</U></A> &nbsp&nbsp| &nbsp&nbsp<A HREF="WOM_24ShortStoriesUntitled.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Untitled"><U>Untitled</U></A> &nbsp&nbsp| &nbsp&nbsp<A HREF="WOM_27ShortStoriesGirlDistantAngels.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Girl/Distant Angels"><U>Girl/Distant Angels</U></A> &nbsp&nbsp| &nbsp&nbsp<A HREF="WOM_26ShortStoriesAMomentInTime.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Moment In Time"><U>A Moment In Time</U></A> &nbsp&nbsp| &nbsp&nbsp<A HREF="WOM_37ShortStoriesDefenseMechanism.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Defense Mechanism"><U>Defense Mechanism</U></A></div> <div> ________________________________________________________________________________________________</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Independance Day</div> <div> &nbsp<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#003399" FACE="Comic Sans MS"><A HREF="WOM_18ShortStories.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Short Stories"><U></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> &nbsp &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003399" FACE="Comic Sans MS">I was 24 hours early. &nbspBut still. &nbspIt hit me right between the eyes, as they say… &nbspIndependence day… &nbspIt had been a long time since I'd had a new feeling. &nbspI mean that in the way that most people mean a new pair of shoes or a new book or pair of pants or a haircut. &nbspI had been feeling the same feeling over and over, recycled and watered down from repetition. &nbspIt was somewhat stale now, from overexposure and maybe even habit. &nbspBut this new feeling crept in, or should I say it leapt onto the scene. &nbspWhat was this? &nbspA breath of fresh air, or maybe just another swirling eddy in a normally painfully still murky pond, gusted through and around in an area that was like the inside of a genie's bottle. &nbsp</FONT></div> <div> &nbsp &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003399" FACE="Comic Sans MS">Wow, that's nice, I thought, the chaos and confusion that comes from a newly remembered repressed-and-then-forgotten revelation. &nbspFinding an old favorite toy was sort of akin to this feeling. &nbspOnly there was an intensity and fervor to the flight of the butterflies in my tummy. &nbspI didn't know whether to give in or run for my life. &nbspWho knew? &nbspIndependence day was still 24 hours away, but inspiration struck a spark and then there was nothing left but ashes and embers. &nbspThe blazing fire was now in my gut, and in my eye. &nbspEven though in some strange sense I felt a moment of triumph, there was also a part of me that felt a calm resignation. &nbspMy body was tired, beat, and I knew my mind was walking around in circles like a somewhat dazed puppy.</FONT></div> <div> &nbsp &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003399" FACE="Comic Sans MS">Take a deep breath. &nbspPause. &nbspThink. &nbspNo, feel. &nbspWhat had it been like, to fall in love? &nbspWhat had it been like, to feel the first twinges of betrayal curl around the edges of a perfect garden of a sunny, puffy-clouded day? &nbspIt was hard to recall such a thing, after many hours/days/lifetimes of practiced numbness. &nbspI was practicing for a marathon of pain that was to leave no psychological scar. &nbspIt was something to pass the time. &nbspIt was something to keep my mind occupied from that insanely inexplicable feeling that was beginning to remember itself again. &nbsp</FONT></div> <div> &nbsp &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003399" FACE="Comic Sans MS">I am alive. &nbspNo, I am dying. &nbspWait, there is no difference. &nbspI remember. &nbspIndependence is the dance you do when you are free. &nbsp</FONT></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ~Work submitted by Leif</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="WOM_18ShortStories.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Short Stories"><U></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>