Skimpy Red looks down at her worn shoes. Maybe today she will polish them again and watch the grays and browns turn white once more. Skimpy Red yawns. Maybe today she will do just that; but for now Skimpy Red pushes them under her bed as thoughts begin to filter through to her senses and she understands another reality for the moment. Visions during the day? Wide awake? Yes, Skimpy Red has them; but not all that often. There must be something up; she thinks as the alter vibrations enter her mind.

The vision hits her hard now. The images are so clear and colorful and lifelike; an indication of its nearness and validity. Why so strong? She thinks to herself as the natural light of day around her begins to fade into nothingness and all-ness; and vision.

Eggshells; Skimpy Red sees eggshells. Tiny little pieces of fragmented ivory eggshells laying all around her. Some pieces are very irregular; and some more normally formed into little cubes or triangles. She picks up a handful of eggshells and they sift through her fingers like jagged little pieces of white plastic; falling to the floor once more.

A faint voice from somewhere behind her is singing "Jack and Jill climbed up the hill to fetch a pail of water". As Skimpy Red continued sifting eggshells through her fingers, she began to hum along with the faint singing voice.

The voice grew louder; and the vision began to shift into a blue-green watery substance that seemed guaranteed to overcome her; yet still, she breathed without hardship nor effort. The eggshells were beginning to float about her; swirling around and turning their white edges this way and that. Skimpy Red strove to understand the meaning of that which she experienced.

Like a vortex; the eggshells began to swirl faster; surrounding her now with their unusual circular upward motion. Skimpy Red looked up; and here amidst the blue-green swirls of fluid and above her head, was a focal point of jagged little eggshells trying to form an egg. Skimpy Red could see a bit of it here and a bit of it there. As she watched in innocent amazement, the formation of the egg slowly took place. But some of the pieces trying to join the formation were falling down a bit around her head; and could not seem to join as others.

Skimpy Red felt sadness engulf her; and she felt the need for the completion of the egg that strove to piece itself together once again in the blue-green fluid of her emotions. She felt a cry begin from deep within her; and the sound of her soul pierced the water and shifted the vibration of that which surrounded her. The egg above her head shattered.

With each piece that fell, an old but painful memory fell with it. One was a childhood scar; and the subsequent teasing. One was of her first lover; who died of AIDS. Another was the pain of still remembered betrayals by those she should have been able to trust. She remembered the pain of no one caring; and the pain of children ripped from her heart and the pain of love unrequited. All these memories fell down around her and one by one the pain melted into an endless string of pains; one followed by the other and soon all but forgotten in their path to the ground. Skimpy Red preferred it that way.

Skimpy Red just laughed. At that point the vision and its meaning became crystal clear to her; bringing her back into focus and back, into this reality that Skimpy Red spent her current time. Such silliness was in her soul right now; and it touched her and brought giggles and feelings of being little, and of sadness and joy intermingled in the most unique way within her. How old was she? Hmmmm now THAT was a good question; she thought to herself. She FELT maybe all of ten earth years; but knew, deep in her heart and mind, that she was much much older than even the number of eggshells that had floated around her just minutes before. She was most capable and willing to accept the age that others in this reality gave her to measure "time" or earth rotations or the figments of someones imagination that managed to capture a planet of humans as its most likely snare; but that number just didnt quite fit Skimpy Red.

Skimpy Red fetched her shoes from underneath the bed. She grabbed the white shoe polish and began to apply the polish in a circular motion; all the while singing that silly song from her childhood. Her thoughts were so young; and fragile and precious; and

most notable, very very innocent and childlike. She couldnt quit giggling. Not that she planned it that way; for Skimpy Red had never planned anything in her entire life. She lived life and did as she was required and didnt sweat the small stuff. Skimpy Red is as she is, and she does as she should and she loves, like very few love.

The jagged little pieces of ivory eggshells began to form an egg above her head all on their own. This time though, no pieces fell. Skimpy Red would see Jack tomorrow. Wow how long had it been??

v.kipp 4/5/01