The Photos

I didn't know who she was. I didn't know her name and I never saw her before. And I had no idea why there were 15 photos of her on my iPad2.

She took the photos in front of the mirror in my bathroom, using my iPad2. She posed in various clothes and facial expressions and while she was very pretty, the way she held the iPad made the photos look a little odd.

I hooked the iPad to my computer to check the metadata of the photos. She took them yesterday while I was at work. Did she break into my house, grab my iPad, take photos of herself and leave? It was a bit late, but I added a passcode to the iPad. A weird feeling washed over me. A quick look around the house confirmed nothing was missing, so she wasn't a thief.

It didn't make sense. Why would she do this? Was it some bizarre prank? Or could it be some kind of warning? I was curious about her, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to meet her if she was real.

I disconnected the iPad from my computer and studied the photos. She was almost too pretty, like she was Photoshopped. But at the same time she looked happy, genuine, alive. I didn't know what to think. I set the iPad down and went to get a soda.

As I walked into the living room, I did a double take and my body tingled. There she was, sleeping on the couch, wearing a lavender tank top and white shorts from some of the photos.

She wasn't there when I looked around the house. She looked real. I stood a few feet away from her, not sure what to do.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes and gave me the warm smile she had in some of the photos. "Hey sweetie." She stretched and assumed a cat-like, prostrate pose.

My heart beat faster and I felt my mouth getting dry. It took a few seconds to say something. "Who. Are you?"

The girl giggled and said, "I'm your girl, silly. Or I should be." She got up and sat upright, placing both hands on the couch. "You could say I'm all the girls you could have had, if you only tried."

My body was still tingling. "What are you talking about?"

"Boys can be so clueless sometimes." She let out a pleasant sigh and said, "Do you remember all the times you wanted to approach a pretty lady, say hi, talk to her, but you never did? I'm what you could have had if you only tried." She got up and approached me.

She could see my tentativeness. "Don't be afraid." Her perfume smelled like fabric softener. She gave me a warm kiss. "You're a great guy. Don't let it go to waste." She disappeared.

I stood dumbfounded for a few seconds and gently slapped myself to see if I was dreaming. I wasn't. I took a few deep breaths and my heart finally calmed down. I went back to my iPad, expecting the photos would be gone. They were still there.