The Streetcar to Andromeda. Celeste Hammond Streiff
tricksters. When they’re not on official business delivering messages to other worlds and planets, what they really like to do is hang about on sky hooks at Shultz’s Beer Parlor and swim around in the cans of varnish that he leaves for them atop the bar.”
“Cans of varnish!” I yelped and laughed as my mind’s eye conjured up images of the little green stick men swimming around in cans of varnish, doing the backstroke, and tossing beach balls back and forth. “What else do they like to do?” I chuckled.
“Well, they love to talk and chatter away nonsensically about anything and everything. It was said that eons ago the great god, Stryf Thesaurus, loved them so much that he bestowed the gift of language upon them— and they haven’t stopped talking since.” Jesse winked at me and continued. “Let’s see, they’re keen on playing musical instruments and they absolutely love to march in parades. They’re best sport is to strike a match and light up tiny canon bombs, you know those little round black ones? They like to throw them at your head to get your attention.”
At that I laughed so hard I literally fell off the tree stump and rolled around in the grass until my stomach was aching. Egging me on, Jesse chuckled and said between snickers, “ They utterly delight in beating you at a game of ‘Craps’ and the more chaos they can cause, the better, I mean if something has gone wrong you can be sure that The Little Men are at the bottom of it!” “And,” he added, “…their favorite tool is the Monkey Wrench!”
”The Monkey Wrench?” I yelped.
“Yep! They love to throw them into things to mess em’ up.”
Alas, that was the last straw. I got the giggles so bad that Jesse had to cover my mouth and hold me so as not to awaken the sleeping neighbors, all the while chuckling to himself.
When I finally calmed down, Jesse told me about the vast and marvelous alternate world of the Martian Empire that existed mostly in the 81st dimension. It was fascinating! The 81st dimension, by the way, just happens to coincide with a four block square area of our very own neighborhood, and that was where Jesse and Parker engaged in most of their adventures. Well! I was amazed. It was as though he and Parker and his other exiled friends, Slug Sherman, Spike Morgan and Shorty Runyon, could pass through some sort of invisible barrier and arrive in the 81st dimension simply by taking a walk down our street. Jesse said that the Star Map of the 81st dimension hung low in the night sky directly above us and what really surprised me most was that the Milky Way in the configuration of the Star Map, was within walking distance and hung right over the intersection of Pershing and Murdock street, exactly a half a block from our home at 548 N. Dellrose. He said that Shultz’s Grocery store could become Shultz’s Beer Parlor when you were in the 81st dimension, and that they were one in the same.
“But,” I asked, “How do you guys get into the 81st dimension?”
Jesse spoke musingly. “Ah well Lee, it’s sort of like imagination. Imagination can be a very powerful thing. It’s an entirely separate world with a life of its own, and if you want too bad enough, you can go there. Someone once said, ‘If you can conceive of something, then it’s possible.’ I believe that and feel that just because we grow up it doesn’t mean we have to lose our dreams.” Jesse shook his head, “Most adults are really just little kids with old faces anyway.”
I had to smile at that. Jesse had a strange kind of wisdom, but it was wisdom all the same. Later I thought about what Jesse had said and wondered if someday I’d have enough wisdom and imagination to enter into the 81st dimension in the alternate world of the Martian Empire.
Jesse and Parker take “A Cosmic Walk.”
CHAPTER 2
THE MIGHTY MOSCOVITCH
Later that night Jesse told me about the Dark Ages of Mars. The Dark Ages of Mars was a very dark time indeed. It seemed that way back in AL- Five Billion there was a shadowy territory called Sytris Major. Sytris Major was a wild and terrible place filled with many strange ferocious beasts and creatures. The whole region was so dangerous that hardly anyone would enter therein. At times it was cautiously traveled by bands of marauding Nomads and once in a while by a brave Hero like, The Mighty Moscovitch.
Now The Mighty Moscovitch as you can imagine by his name was a very big man, not only in size, but also in his heart. The Mighty Moscovitch’s name by the way, should always be written in red ink or in some way be made distinctive. Jesse said that Moscovitch was very particular about that. Moscovitch reminded one of an ancient Viking king, wearing bits of wooly bearskin here and there and a winged metal Viking hat. His voice boomed whenever he spoke and when he laughed his long red hair tumbled and shook, ‘round his powerful shoulders. His trusty sledgehammer was always fixed in his huge leather belt ready for action, and Moscovitch was definitely a man of action. He did have one quirk in his dress though. And that was his bright red suspenders. Moscovitch absolutely loved his red suspenders and would put any man down quickly that made fun of them. They were a gift from someone very famous, but he never said who.
One day while the Mighty Moscovitch was on his way to Eden, he passed through a particularly perilous untamed section, and happened upon a fierce twelve-foot worm-like *Nymi-nog beast.
The Nymi-nog was salivating profusely over a frightened plump green caterpillar in his slimy grasp. The poor writhing caterpillar screamed and cried fearing he was about to be devoured.
Well, this stopped Moscovitch abruptly in his tracks. Planting his big hands on his hips he bellowed at the disgusting Nymi-nog, “HEY YOU!”
Snapping around, the Nymi-nog darted a fierce glance at Moscovitch. His yellow eyes gleamed as he bared his pointy blue teeth hissing viciously at Moscovitch.
Unruffled, the Mighty Moscovitch pounded his chest and yelled again. “Yeah you…
leave that little guy alone and pick on someone yer’ own size.”
At that the Nymi-nog promptly dropped the caterpillar and violently swung his snake like body around to face Moscovitch.
Now free, the grateful caterpillar quickly humped away.
As the Nymi-nog grimaced, the glowing yellow slits of his eyes narrowed.
Moscovitch called out loudly, daring the savage beast. “Come on! Let’s have at it —just you and me.”
The Nymi-nog raised his claws and rippled his strong tail, whipping it from side to side like a Komodo dragon.
Moscovitch pawed the ground with his feet, acquiring traction.
• A Nymi-nog is similar to a Jabberwocky, in kind.
Then showing real fierceness, the Nymi-nog lowered his head and twisted his neck in an aggressive stance.
Moscovitch stared straight into the Nymi-nog’s eyes, anticipating the Nymi-nog’s every quiver.
Then faster than you could say “Trilobite,” the Nymi-nog charged Moscovitch.
Like a mad Scots in battle, Moscovitch rushed him at him head-on while screaming a ferocious war cry.
Clashing with a tremendous force, they grappled and wrestled, thrashing each other to and fro. Suddenly the Nymi-nog threw his head back then quickly plunging it down, he sunk his pointy blue teeth into Moscovitch’s muscled arm, causing