I looked across the arena, scanning over all the bystanders at the rodeo. My eyes moved from one person to another, analyzing them subconsciously. After I had observed the stands, I looked over to where all the pretty cowgirls were. They were all getting ready for their next ride. Some of them were just sitting back behind the old black panels, laughing and having a good time in a large group preparing for the barrel races. However, I found them uninteresting. Somehow, I ended up distracted by a flash of something black and white. I curiously looked over to see what it was. Where’d it go? I know I hadn’t just been seeing things. There was something back behind the panels, and I was going to find out what.

So, I left all my bull riding friends to go find out what the mysterious thing in the shadows had been.

“Man, where do you think your going? There ain’t nothin’ back there. You’re Just seeing things. Now what’d you have to drink last night ol’ Jake?”. My friends voice carried across the alleyway that led to where the flash had been. I stopped to reply to him.

“Now, now, Josh. Don’t you go gettin’ your pannies in a wad just cause I saw something interesting around here and you didn’t. Well, you comin’ or not?”

“Naw boy. You just go on by yourself. If you come back smellin’ like a skunk I might just have to whoop your scrawny little butt like your daddy used to...or probably still does!”, Josh said in his little chuckle when you can tell hes a a beer or two.

“Aw shut up before I bring back that skunk and let you smell it for yourself”, I replied. But I was too far away now for him to hear me, so I continued into shadows.

It wasn’t long before I reached the spot where I saw the flash. I looked to the right, then the left, then up and down, too. I guess there really wasn’t anything back there. I was just about to turn around and walk back when a beautiful figure of a cowgirl on a huge black and white gelding ran full speed around the corner. My heart pumped wildly at the sight of her long brunette hair flowing in her wake. And her fierce hazel eyes felt as if they were burning holes in my heart. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, and her horse named Cody was just the icing on the cake.

“Whoa boy”, she said in a whisper where I could hardly hear. The horse stopped right in front of me, and he was so close I could feel the vapor of his breath hitting my face. We sat staring for almost a minute into each others eyes. Finally, she broke the silence.

“So, what may I call you by?”, she said confidently.

“Jake. And you? Or can I just call you beautiful”, I questioned trying hard to keep myself from going insane by nerves.

“Well, you may call me that, but everyone else calls me Tyler”, she smirked.

“I might just have to call you both then”, I remarked.

“Fine by me”, she said staying completely relaxed, yet fierce with her angelic face.

She mounted off her horse the most graceful I had ever seen it done. I thought to myself that she wasn’t just an ordinary cowgirl. She worked hard at rodeo, and she wasn’t going to let the others distract her. She had come to the shadows alone to warm up her horse. She was doing speed drills, and thats when I saw the flash. I couldn’t wait to see what Josh said when I brought back the “skunk”.

“Well I’ll be! That wasn’t no skunk! It twas a lady! Does she stink, though? Well never mind that. She’s awful purdy, Jake!”, Josh said drunkly. You could tell he had a couple more beers while I was gone.

“Josh, just hush your mouth before you get yourself into trouble. Josh, this is Tyler. Tyler, this is Josh”, I said introducing them.

They exchanged their hello’s and I took Tyler over to the concession to buy her a drink. We stopped and talked for a while and got to know each other. We exchanged a little kiss before it was my turn to ride. The touch of her tender lips and the intensity of the kiss felt like a kick in the head by a bull.

“Jake, promise me you won’t ever leave me like all the rest of the cowboys. Please?”, she asked with the fierceness now gone from her voice, and the softness of it showing.

“Promise”, I replied truthfully.

We shared one last kiss then it was my turn to ride. As soon as I nodded my head for the gate to open, our eyes met. I rode my eight seconds on the beast named “Bodacious”. The crowd cheered for I was the only one to complete the ride on that bull, but all I could think of was her. When I got back to the fence I turned and looked for her everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. She had disappeared into the shadows once more. I asked every cowgirl where she was that might know her, but they all had never heard of her or seen her before. I knew. She was a fragment of my wild imagination. A ghost of my fantasies, but real forever in my heart.