Adam Sandler couldn’t believe his luck when he discovered a pair of rollerblades along the street. A bizarre rattling accompanied every swoosh of his feet. Sensing he was being followed, Adam hastened his pace. The rattling continued. Adam pulled to the side of the street and removed the skates. All was finally clear; wedged between each of the wheels were fragments from the puka shell necklace Lucy had given him on their 100th first date. He feared Lucy would kill him, until he remembered that she would never remember giving the necklace to him in the first place. Close call.

Elizabeth Bates is a teacher and writer from Washington state where she lives with her husband, son, and two Siberian Huskies. Bates is the editor of Dwelling Literary. She is a columnist at The Daily Drunk. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Versification, Seaborne Magazine, Dream Journal, and elsewhere. Follow her on Twitter at @ElizabethKBates.