The Campaign Rally

Daphne had been my assistant for a few years now and had become indispensable to keeping me on schedule. She was getting to the point in her career where she could find something better than just being an assistant. I'd make her my chief of staff but Connor had been with me from the beginning. Was her hair always dark pink? And since when did she have pointed ears?

"Hold on, let me give you a once over." Sara turned me around and glanced me over before straightening my tie.

"Do I pass inspection?" I asked.

"Always." Sara gave me a kiss.

"Ah, gross." My son Max grimaced.

His sister Jennifer gave him a light punch.

"It's romantic." She said.

"Ready?" They all gave me a nod. As I turned to leave I glanced at my right hand and raised it for inspection. Something was missing.

"Is something wrong?" Sara asked.

"I'm missing my ring." I said.

She held up my left hand that had my wedding ring on it. "A future senator should know their left from their right."

"Of course. I don't have a ring on my right hand." But I was sure that I had an important ring on my right hand.

We left the bus and were met by the press and supporters. This was becoming a highly watched contest. The previous senator for our state had retired and polls had my opponent and I too close to call. Every vote was going to count and my campaign manager, Carol, had me running from rally to rally. She had run the previous senator's last two campaigns successfully so I was willing to trust her, despite the harsh schedule.

"You don't need to be nervous. The people love you." My wife whispered in my ear. She had been my confidant since I entered politics and knew how much I hated giving public speeches. I was much better at one on one interactions.

When we arrived at the steps to the stage, Carol was waiting for us. The mayor of the city we were in was given the indication to start my introduction. I couldn't take my eyes off Carol. She was nearly 50, so why did she look like a young woman with straight black hair? I always thought she had brown hair.

"Do I have something on my face?" Carol asked.

"No, your face is fine." I said.

"Well then be careful because the press might read into you looking at a woman that isn't your wife that way." She said.

"...Your next senator, Robert Adams!" Mayor Hills finished my introduction and my wife gave me a little push toward the stage with a smile.

As I shook Mayor Hills hand I had a similar thought that I just had with Carol. He was an older overweight man that was starting to bald. But the man in front of me was in his mid 20s with sandy blonde hair. The man I had met before was jovial with a big welcoming smile, but this man had a serious resting face.

After shaking hands with those on the stage I arrived at the podium. Before I started I looked at my right hand again, I had a ring on that hand. Where was it? A soft cough from Carol brought me back to reality. The speech. I needed to give a speech. I gave a loving look to my wife before launching into a speech that I had given a number of times before.

The crowd cheered and booed at the right moments. I spoke of the greatness of the past and the hope of the future. Not one to shy away from problems, I spoke about the obstacles we faced as a state and a nation. Then I went on to outline what needed to be done to correct those problems and why I was the one that could accomplish the task.

To the cheer of the crowd my wife joined me followed by my children. We waved and shook hands with those close to the stage. Carol gave me a tap on the shoulder to indicate we needed to move on. We had to get to the next town for an evening rally. When we got to the stairs Daphne stopped me to show me a video on her phone.

It was an interview of my opponent, state senator Kelly Marks. I had known her for years and was glad she was my opponent in this race. She was a principled politician that bucked her own party when they went too far. We still disagreed on a fundamental leave, but we could at least discuss our differences. I wasn't catching what she was saying as I couldn't take my eyes off her ears. Humans didn't have silver fox-like ears.

"We might need to be prepared for her to go dirty." Carol said next to us. "I know the two of you have been friends in the past but you never had to run against each other. Once you give me the word we have a number of ads ready."

"I want to run a clean campaign. If she wants to go dirty, let her. The people will see the difference." I said.

"While that is a noble sentiment, research shows that negative campaign ads are more effective than positive ones." Carol said.

"If I can't win by sticking to my principles then I don't want to win." I said.

"You can only get your principles into law if you win. If you lose, someone else gets to put their principles into law and who wins then?" She replied.

That was the politicians dilemma. You wanted to be principled and never compromise but sometimes the only way to get change enacted, was to to bend a little. It was much easier when I hunted monstrous rats in the sewer.

Hunted monstrous rats in the sewer?

"Honey, are you okay?" Sara was looking at me with concern with her hand rubbing my back.

I had been staring at my right hand and knew I was missing a ring.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Maybe we can adjust a few meet and greets coming up. Give you some time with your family." Carol looked at me with concern.

"It'll be okay. I can rest after the election." I said.

Continuing on from the stage I started to shake hands, kiss babies, and smile for cameras. A politician's bread and butter. As I got closer to the campaign bus, I started to slow down. Something was about to happen. I had been through this before. When I scanned the crowd I was sure I was going to see a specific face. It was the face of the man that was going to kill me.

But he wasn't there. We kept going and I shook more hands and smiled for the cameras. Back on the bus I stared at my right hand. A Storage Ring, that was what was missing. Earth didn't have Storage Rings. Where would I have received a Storage Ring?

"Sir, are you sure you're okay?"

"Vesta. You look like Vesta." I said.

"Who's Vesta?" My wife asked.

"Please tell me there isn't a scandal on the horizon." Vesta looking Carol said.

"Lariss, you're Lariss." I pointed to Daphne. "Then there was Floriana and Raginhard."

"Dad, are you okay?" Jennifer looked concerned.

This was a dream, a beautiful dream. I pulled my wife into a hug and squeezed her with all my might. God I missed her. But this wasn't her.

"Robert, what's going on?" She sounded worried for me. Of course that is just how I thought she'd react. Everything around me from now on would be just how I thought it should be. In life I never made it back to the bus.

"I'm sorry. I love you so much and I'm sorry you had to mourn me so soon." I said.

"Robert?" She said.

I let her go and pulled Jennifer into a hug and kissed her forehead. "I wish I could have walked you down the aisle. I'm sure you accomplished so much in your life."

It was hard to let her go but I did to pull Max into a hug that he struggled to stay out of. "I know you're worried about living up to my expectations. I hope you weren't pulled down by that. I'd be proud of whatever you ended up doing."

"Robert, you're scaring me." Sara said. I gave her one more hug and kiss.

As I passed Daphne I said, "See you in a moment." I then walked off the bus.

People were still milling about and started to greet me as I walked among them. This was a perfect dream from a life that was cut short. Staying here I could spend a lifetime with those I loved. But they'd only be reflections of what I remembered them to be. My real family have lived years without me. I had another world to live on, another world that needed me. And specifically an elf that needed me. I needed to let the past go.

I soon found who I was looking for. They didn't have the same face that they had in my last moments on Earth. Like a few others, they had a face from my new world. As they raised the gun I looked into the eyes of the woman that switched me at birth and that I had called mother.

The smell of gunpowder was overpowering. The gravel was harsh against my skin. The screaming and yelling seemed so far away. I wanted a drink of water to get rid of the metallic taste in my mouth. When my eyes finally focused again, the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen were looking down on me.

I reached my trembling red covered hand to cup her cheek as tears filled those eyes. I just wanted to continue to gaze into those eyes. But everything was starting to unfocuse again and my hand dropped.