Lost Near Leo

I had a wonderfully fantastical half-baked dream about summertime love. 

There I was, in my single-story home that was just on the edge of my hometown city. I was trying to bake a pineapple upside-down cake. Emphasis on "trying". I had found a recipe on Tinder, but the recipe called for crushed up pills of Viagra, which I didn't have, but it was supposed to make the cake batter become "erect" during baking. Due to my lack of the ingredient, my pineapple upside-down cake came out only half-baked. Sigh. Oh well. I tried. 

While my confectionery crisis was unraveling and crumbling apart, I saw a live news story on TV covering a sci-fi film convention that was currently in town. The event was being held at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, located downtown. 

It was a mild summer day, with a constant gentle breeze, puffy clouds, and the birds were chirping as they fed on the birdseed that I regularly left outside for them. It was a perfect summer day, so I wanted to get out and actually go do something different for once. I hopped in my rusty 2011 Ford Escape and headed downtown. 

Most of downtown was encompassed by a giant wooden wall with jagged points, resembling the wall of an 18th-century fort. Only pedestrians could proceed from this point, so I parked in a parking garage, paid the fee, and made my way to the convention center. 

The area was busy and bustling, and the streets were filled only with taxis and buses, as they were the only vehicles allowed within the fortified core of the city. 

I paid a measly $85,000 for my admission ticket, and went into the main convention hall to explore. Inside, I found that many attendees were in cosplay costumes. Many of the exhibits were interactive and elaborate, providing immersive experiences that mimicked various movie sets from various sci-fi and fantasy films. Amazed by the creative effort of the event, I was in a wonderland of imagination. 

Eventually, I came across an "Umbrella Corporation" exhibit where Milla Jovovich was in a red dress, making an appearance as her Alice character. She was busy signing autographs on "Resident Evil" posters for fans. Next to Milla was a gorgeous young woman that looked like she could have been Milla's clone. 

I wandered up closer to the exhibit, and I heard Milla introduce her daughter, Ever, to the crowd. Ever looked ethereal, as she was dressed in a lovely light blue floral print backless slip dress with a sunflower pattern. She looked at me, and her smile made me feel seen. We stared at each other for a moment, and it felt like love at first sight. 

As Milla maintained her Alice persona as she interacted with the Resident Evil fans, Ever broke her gaze and grabbed a literal silver platter with mini bite-sized rainbow bagels. 

"Try my rainbow butthole bagels!" Ever randomly declared, trying her hardest not to laugh. 

PPSSSHHHH!! I sprayed my pink lemonade I was drinking all over, laughing my ass off. I could not EVEN! 

Ever, with a giant grin on her face, went along the line, offering everyone a sample rainbow bagel. Yes, the bagels did, indeed, resemble little rainbow buttholes.

When she came to me, we locked eyes... again. I grabbed a rainbow butthole bagel and popped it in my mouth. It was a swirl of fruity flavors and it paired nicely with my pink lemonade. 

I kept moving toward the back of the line, partly because I was shy and didn't know what to say to Milla, but also partly because I wanted to have an opportunity to try more of Ever's rainbow butthole bagels as she moved down the line. 

Eventually, the crowd thinned out and my turn came at last. It was now just Milla, Ever, and myself, as I was the last in line. 

We spoke about the sci-fi and fantasy genre, and how the development process works for brainstorming story ideas. Being a web developer, I understood the language of development. 

Somehow, the conversation steered toward location scouting, and Milla told me that there were directors in town looking for potential shooting locations. 

At this point, Milla officially introduced me to Ever, and explained that Ever was going to be in a fantasy movie, and that the filmmakers were looking for an enchanted location near a river. 

I told Milla about a small town, called Leo, that was near the city. I explained that the area had a serene river, and it would potentially make for an ideal shooting location. 

While Milla and I had been talking, Ever sat still, staring at me with dreamy eyes, and I noticed. As Milla and I conversed, I kept side-eyeing Ever, and Milla obviously noticed this. 

"Maybe he and I could go together and scout out a few spots up there," suggested Ever to Milla. "You have to go to that Director's Guild next, right?"

"Yes, cupcake. How will you get there?" Milla asked. 

"We'll have to take a taxi, a trolley, and a train to get there," I said. 

"Here. Take my Multipass," said Milla. She handed Ever a purple metallic card. 

With that, Ever and I grinned at each other like a couple of excited kids about to go on a silly shenanigan. 

~~~~~~~~

Ever and I were outside the Convention center, waiting for a taxi to pull up. It was late afternoon now, and it was nearly dinner. The crowds had thinned out, and most people had left the convention center. 

Suddenly, a vintage yellow taxi pulled up, and we got in. You'll never guess who the driver was. That's right... it was Bruce Willis. 

"Where can I take you?" Bruce said in a gruffy voice. 

"The Lion Diner in Leo," I said. 

"Multipass!" exclaimed Ever, flashing her card with a giant grin. 

"Very good," said Bruce. "If you don't mind, I need to stop and pick up a car battery. Off the meter." 

We pulled away, and we wound our way through the city, heading northeast. There were no seat belts, so whenever we made a turn, Ever and I would slide into each other, mostly on purpose. Giggling like a couple of little kids, we flirted with a playful banter as we rode along. 

As he had mentioned, Bruce stopped at an auto parts store, stopped the meter, and went inside. He emerged a moment later with a strange "Die Hard" battery and put it in the trunk, and we continued on our way. 

When we came to the city limits, indicated by a chain link fence with barbed wire, Bruce stopped. 

"This is as far as I can take ya. I've used up all my points, and I'm banned from leaving the city limits," explained Bruce. 

We paid the fare, and got out of the taxi and crossed the city limits border. A short ways up the road was a trolley stop, which was also a bus stop. Although there was a bench to sit on, Ever and I remained standing as the next trolley would be along any minute. 

~~~~~~~~

When the trolley pulled up, the driver requested to see our pass. 

"Mooool-tee-paws!" grinned Ever flashing her card. Her playful gesture made me smile. 

We rode the trolley for a whole five minutes to the train station. The station was next to the Saint Joseph River, and by now, we were in a suburban area with plush, green lawns and white picket fences. After about ten minutes, a bright yellow and red passenger train pulled in. Again, Ever flashed her card. 

"Maawwwl-tuhp-ASS!" she said trying not to laugh. 

We boarded the train, taking a seat on the side of the train that allowed us to see the river as we went along. The train followed the riverbank for about twenty minutes, arriving in Leo. The station was right next to Lion Diner, a vintage 1950s style diner. Leo was a small, quaint and quiet town. It would soon be evening, so Ever and I stopped into the diner where we each had a chili dog, nacho cheese fries, and strawberry-banana milk shakes. 

Ever and I locked eyes as we were each sucking from milkshake straws. Gazing into her gorgeous blue eyes, I felt a deep connection with her silly, youthful soul. As we gazed at each other, feeling a mutual connection forming, someone went up to a jukebox and pressed "play". 

Sucking away on milkshake straws in the Leo Lion Diner staring at each, with the summer evening twilight setting in, Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" began playing in the background. 

We both burst into laughter, finding the whole scene ironically nostalgic, yet beautiful. 

~~~~~~~~

Familiar with the area, I led Ever by the hand to a nearby park that sat along the bank of the river. It was now twilight, and the summer evening was peaceful and serene and enchanted with the emergence of lightning bugs illuminating the grassy fields that lined the banks of the river. 

The park had been a spot where I had done photoshoots years prior, and I showed Ever the quaint and enchantingly photogenic spots. 

When Ever asked why I wasn't doing photoshoots anymore, I simply said that I didn't want to get into it, and that was that. She respected this, and I respected that she respected that. 

The park had a pathway that followed a field of tall grass that ran along the riverside. At some point, however, the path forked off into two directions. I paused, stating that I didn't remember the fork in the path being here before. Curious, I took Ever's hand and led her left, down the pathway I hadn't seen before. 

We kept going, and we found ourselves on a winding pathway that led us through an enchanting field of daisies. The magical summer evening scene enchanted us with sparking fireflies, glowing in the fading twilight. 

"This would be an ideal spot for a shoot!" smiled Ever. What a gorgeous and warm smile she had! 

At this moment, we locked eyes, standing on a path, alone together in an enchanting field of daisies with glowing fireflies during the summer twilight. We embraced, gazing into the depths of each others' souls, feeling a mutual connection of intimate desire. I ran my fingers up her neck and through her soft hair. There, we shared our first kiss, a magical moment that we could both be lost in forever. 

~~~~~~~~

"MEOW!"

Ever and I jumped at the sound of a cat meowing. Startled, we stared at a strange turquoise cat with glowing eyes that was staring back at us. It had seemingly come out of nowhere, but it seemed to want us to follow it. 

The turquoise cat led us further down the path, until it felt like we were becoming lost. I no longer recognized the area we were in. It felt strange, almost like a naturally liminal space. 

Suddenly, the strange turquoise cat led us to another field of daisies that surrounded an enchanting Renaissance-era castle that looked like something straight out of a Disney movie.  

The cat opened the front gate, seemingly to indicate an open invitation to enter the castle, then it vanished into the field of daisies. 

Full of wonder and curiosity, Ever and I stepped into the castle. It wasn't what we were expecting. The interior was one massive kitchen. It was a quaint and rustic bakery kitchen, with finely carved wooden cabinets, a giant brick oven, and a pantry full of baking ingredients. It was a magical bakery kitchen, and Ever was beside herself, full of youthful excitement and wonder. 

"Ahhhh! Whaaaaat!" Ever exclaimed, her eyes sparkling and her mouth agape. 

Next to the pantry door were two other doors at the back of the room. Both were identical arched wooden doors. The back wall of the room had no windows, but there were arched windows along the front, giving a view of the enchanting daisy fields outside. 

Curious, we looked through the first back door next to the pantry. It was only a broom closet, with various janitorial supplies. 

Then we looked through the other door. The scene before us was completely surreal and dreamy, appearing to be a completely different dimension. There were fields of daisies with strange and bizarre huts that resembled creative cakes and other baked confections. 

As peculiar and dreamy as the place appeared to be, and wanting to explore it, we restrained ourselves from entering the door. We stared at it in wonder, then closed the door. 

Ever was ready to get to baking. On a counter next to the sink was a cake cook book, and Ever flipped through it. She found a recipe for a strawberry poke cake. 

I watched as Ever retrieved ingredients from the pantry and began preparing to bake the cake. She preheated the brick oven to 333 degrees, and poured the batter into a 3-foot by 3-foot pan. Then, she put the pan in the oven and set the timer to 33 minutes. 

While the cake was baking, Ever got the ingredients ready for the next steps. Once the oven timer chimed, she placed the cake pan on the counter to cool. It would be a while before the next step could be taken, so Ever cuddled up next to me, and we looked through the cook book together, getting ideas. When the cake was cool enough, it was time for the next step. 

"Come help me poke my cake," said Ever in a flirty tone as she tried not to laugh. 

Ever was plush up against the counter, and I came up behind her and softly ran my fingers up her exposed back to her shoulders, then I ran my fingers down her arms, moving the palms of my hands atop her hands. Together as one, we took our index and middle fingers and began inserting them, poking holes in the cake, slowly sliding them in and out.

"Gotta make it moist," I whispered into Ever's ear, snickering. We both began snickering uncontrollably as we continued sensually poking the cake together. 

Then Ever took a squeeze tube full of strawberry pudding and began squirting it into the holes. I guided her hands as we made stroking motions with the tube together. Giggling and snickering together, we laughed at the silliness of it all, and I loved her goofy and playful aura. 

Next, it was time for the icing on the cake. We lathered up the cake with frothy light pink strawberry frosting, and I somehow managed to get my thumb covered in it. 

Ever turned around to face me, and she sat up on the edge of the counter. She wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me close. She softly wrapped her hands around my left wrist. Gazing into my eyes, she wrapped her lips around my thumb and began sucking off the frosting. 

OH LAWDY! She did it so well that my thumb felt like it was about to have an orgasm and squirt icing all over her face. 

Chemistry was baking between us, and we kissed with heated passion. I pulled her off the counter, and with her legs still wrapped around my waist, we made out, kissing hard. Her lips were delicious, her skin soft, her hair flowing free and wild. 

In a whirlwind of passion and heat, we tore through the kitchen like a tornado. We knocked metal pans and utensils off of countertops. A bag of flour fell to the floor. A jug of milk got spilt. Somehow, we made our way into the pantry. In a state of ecstasy, we were now less aware of our surroundings and we found ourselves in a cramped passage in the pantry. 

I leaned up against a wooden panel at the end of the short pantry passage. Suddenly, the panel broke, and Ever and I crashed through the wall, landing on the floor of a contemporary hotel room. Ever, who was on top of me, looked up and recognized where she was. 

"We're in my hotel room!" Ever said with wonder. 

Breathing heavy and in a trance from the intensely hot make-out session with Ever, I was feeling a bit hazy. "Huh? Cool beans," was all I could manage to say. 

She smiled down at me, and I felt young again as we gazed into each others' eyes. Our connection felt natural and necessary. We kissed softly, and we stood up together. 

Looking out the window, I recognized that we were now in a high-rise hotel that was across the street from the convention center. The hotel suite was connected to another, and Ever went into the other room, where Milla was just returning from the Director's Guild meeting.

"We're back!" I heard Ever say from the other room. 

 "What happened to you?" Milla asked ever in a concerned tone.

"We got lost near Leo, but I think we found an ideal shooting location!" said Ever with a giant grin on her face, looking disheveled with her hair a wild mess.