Most People would shudder at a life threatening experience, but me, I look back on it and grin. It has supplied me with love,friends and the best gift I could think of. Now let me tell you how it happened. It was a dark and stormy night the wind howled like...

No, that's not how it happened at all. Actually, it was a bright sunny morning just two years ago...

"Ophelia, hurry up!" the high, screechy voice of my young sister, Lilia, scraped through my head like iron wool, "We're gonna be late!" I let my hand fall onto a bump of green plastic, allowing the single word of 'whatever' to emanate from the sides. Lilia let out an aggravated squeal and went thundering down the hall to the front door. I let my sapphire blue hair hang down onto my shoulders, which I found out later was a sign of bad luck.

I sauntered out of my room, reluctant to have to spend my day chaperoning Lilia. Mind you, Windmill Valley is an extremely peaceful place, Apple, pear, and walnut trees everywhere, with grape vines hanging on branches everywhere, soft, springy grass that felt like a feather mattress, and the sky was always a pure blue, clouds only hanging in the sky during storms. But it was also very attractive to young children. Miles of "undiscovered" forest, a gentle creek with stepping stones, and also a small pond with fish and frogs that was legal to swim in during summer. I was delighted to go, though disgusted by the fact that I would be swarmed by little kids all morning.

I heard the crinkling of plastic, and swiveled my head towards the front door. There I saw Lilia stuffing a hot pink swimsuit and neon orange towel into a bag. Talk about clashy.

"No way, I am not supervising you swim. Besides, I thought you hated swimming," I asked, fuming.

" I do," she said in her supposedly cute, squeaky voice.

"Then why are you bringing a swimsuit?"

"'Cause Derald said it made me look hot." Derald was the neighborhood 'gangster', as he called himself, but really he was just a nut job who liked playing stupid tricks on little kids. Just last week he told a bunch of little boys that they would say to the female cashier: 'hey babe, how 'bout sow free sweets?' Then they left the store red cheeks and red hot anger towards Derald.

"Honey," I said, crouching down onto my knees to meet her eye level. "Derald's a complete wing nut, so don't listen to anything he says, 'kay? Now let's get going." I grabbed her bag and threw it down the hallway and shoved her out the door before she could complain.

The walk to Windmill Valley was probably going to be the most peace I would get all day. It was about a mile walk, and Lilia shut upped the whole way. When the bracken arch appeared in sight, Lilia ran off screaming something like "I've missed you so much!" and ran to the party host, Jamie, and to my delight, there were about five adults to watch over the little annoyances. I snuck off before one of the adults started telling me something along the lines of 'oh Lilia's just so cute today, with that beautiful brown curly hair of hers pulled back with that gorgeous blue ribbon...blah blah blah...such a pretty blue dress... blah blah blah,' I was not going to waste my time just agreeing and staring off into the distance.

I walked slowly till the excited shrills of Lilia's friends faded away in the distance, Leaving only the sounds of rustling leaves and the small whispers of the wind. God, I loved the wind so much, the happy feelings it always brought me. I laid back onto the lush grass, losing myself in my own conscience.

I hadn't actually fallen asleep, I had just been in a daze absorbing as much peace and serenity my body could hold, when I flipped back into reality. I smelt rain coming, and I realized that I had turned my pocket radio on during my half-consciousness. The loud ow-wank ow-wank of the emergency broadcast came up, and I tuned in as the broadcast alerted of a severe thunderstorm right over windmill park. I sprang up onto my feet, turned my radio off, and dashed back to the group.

"Where's Lilia?" I gasped.

"Oh, hello there Ophelia. It's good to see you again," Jamie's mother, Mrs. Marka, called out to me. "Lilia lost her ribbon in the woods, and is looking for it right now."

"Careless, little idiot," I murmured under my breath and then responded aloud: "Thanks Mrs. Marka, I'll go look for her." I sprinted off to the clump of trees that was Lilia's favorite spot to go. I swerved and dodged trees and vines, and after about ten minutes, the sky had turned dark and Lilia still was missing. Cold sweat began dripping down my forehead, and the rain began to fall. The first flash of thunder erupted from the sky, and the drum of thunder followed milliseconds behind it.

And the second flash was all I saw.

Electricity was flowing through my veins as ebbed away the strings connecting my soul to my body. and I was sure of one thing; those strings just snapped.