Don't ask me why, but back in college, I used to run a few miles around campus in the middle of the night.
One night, as I followed my usual path through the University of Northern Iowa's defrosting grounds, I noticed bursts of light in the distance. As I approached the area, the source of the lights became much more evident. I saw that the flickering was only coming from the tennis courts nestled near the recreation center. The courts' bright floodlights were blinking due to a dying bulb or two. Despite the normality of the situation, the night's haze made each flash both much more diffused yet prominent, painting a rather eerie picture. However, I simply kept running and thought nothing more of it. My mind focused more on the cleansing shower that awaited me after my workout.
Later, deeper into the heart of the night, I jolted out of bed.
Luckily, my on-campus apartment bedroom was so compact that I only had to turn, and I was practically already typing on my laptop at my desk. That night, I let my fingers dance across the keyboard because I couldn't dare let the spark of the idea that rendered during my dreamstate slip away.
What if someone passing by the tennis courts saw similar bursts of light, but instead of a simple defective bulb, they noticed another teen playing tennis?
Except… the teen was alone. And he was the light source.
With each surge of light, he seemingly would be teleported to the other side of the court before hitting the ball back to himself.
As the unbelieving witness drew nearer, the teen heard, turned, and locked eyes with them. With a smirk and one final wink of light, he disappeared into the night...
That seed of an idea planted a concept that's stuck these few years since and has now grown into a story. I can see almost all of it so vividly in my imagination. Now, it's time to do the work and get that story down on paper.
I'm so confident in this story that I'm thrilled to announce:
