Short Stories and Nonsense. W.R. Lacy
see us. We have to hide, and this is the only way we can work successfully. This way, all we have to deal with is all the weird animals that you have around here.”
There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I could tell he was anxious to get back to work.
“We will talk more later. I’m sure you have many questions about us,” he said.
I was so relieved. I could hardly wait until they had time for my questions. I went to bed excited and anxious. The next morning, I was up at the crack of dawn, anxious to have a talk with my new friend. I pulled the drapes expecting to see a lot of commotion going on, but nothing was moving. No activity at all. I looked closely at the hole in the snow. It had been squished down.
It looked like nothing had been going on. I ran outside and took a good look. Sure enough, it looked like nothing had ever been there. I was so sad. I really wanted to know more about those little snow bunnies. Oh well, perhaps another snow day.
To the Moon and Back
When I was younger and had more energy, I could go all night or all day long at whatever I was doing. As I have gotten older, everything has slowed down. So before I got too old to enjoy myself, I decided I would take a road trip. I started on my trip, and I was really looking forward to it. I had always dreamed of going to the wild, wild west. I started out with a packed car and an excited little dog. I was thrilled that this trip was finally going to happen. Everything started out at a good clip. Things seemed to fall into place. So far, I was having a great trip. The scenery was beautiful! The weather was beautiful, and everything was going according to plan.
I planned to just take my time and stop whenever I wanted and to look at everything I wanted to look at. I stopped at a roadside park for a break and a snack. I was walking my little dog and enjoying the cool breeze and the gorgeous mountains when suddenly Tink started barking and pulling at her leash. I figured she saw a squirrel or a rabbit. I looked around, and at first, I didn’t see anything. Suddenly, a flash of bright green light burst in front of my face! I was blinded for a few seconds. When my vision returned, nothing seemed the same. I didn’t recognize anything. My car was gone, and none of the buildings or other cars were there. The road was now a narrow trail. Thank goodness, Tink was still with me, but she was scared to death! I picked her up because she was shaking to beat the band.
Since nothing looked the same, I decided to take a walk down the trail and see what I could see.
I walked for some time, and the terrain stayed the same. Soon, I came to a large clearing. In the middle of this clearing was an old-fashioned log cabin. There was smoke coming out of the chimney even though it was ninety degrees outside. There was no one around. Some chickens were pecking and scratching in the yard, but other than that, nothing stirred. I walked a little further into the clearing, thinking maybe someone was in the cabin. I yelled, as was the custom, but got no answer. Tink had not tried to get out of my arms, and as I started to put her down, she got clingy. So I continued to hold her. We walked around the house, but apparently, no one was home. A well sat in the middle of the yard, and as it was a hot day, I decided to get a drink. I put the bucket down into the well and pulled up a half bucket. A dipper hung by the well, and I used it to get a drink. The water was cold and sweet. Perfect! I gave Tink a drink from my hand, and she lapped it up. Apparently she liked it also.
We started to go up on the porch and sit in the shade until someone came home and we could find out where we were. Just as we started up the step, a loud clanging came from inside the house. It sounded like an alarm clock in a bucket. Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. I was surprised when a giant of a man came to the door. Long black hair and a beard were part of his attire. He looked at me and acted as if I weren’t even there! He walked up to the bench, took a dipperful of water, and drank deeply. As he finished with his water, he turned to me. He looked me up and down as if he had never seen a woman before. He never said a word. He snapped his fingers, and before him, a table appeared. It was loaded with all kinds of food, main courses, and desserts. It smelled heavenly too! He motioned me to sit down, and a dinner chair appeared. I sat down and was suddenly ravished! He handed me a plate and proceeded to pass all the food to me. I took what I liked, but some of the food I didn’t recognize. Still, he didn’t speak. I waited for him sit down, but he just motioned me to eat. By that time, I was ready! He motioned me to put Tink down, but she would have no part of it. She growled at him, but he appeared not to notice.
I held her and ate until I could hold no more. It was probably the best meal I have ever had. When I could hold no more, he looked at me and raised his bushy eyebrows. I nodded, and he snapped his finger. All the food disappeared! I sat with my mouth open. Still he had said nothing to me. I started the conversation with, “Where is this place?”
At last, he spoke, “This is on the far side of the moon.”
I laughed out loud. I had never heard of anything so preposterous.
His expression never changed. “Why do you laugh?” he said.
“I have never heard of such,” I replied.
“Well,” he said, “this is so.”
I told him what had happened to me and wondered how I got where I was. He chuckled and stated that this sometimes happens. “A stranger will be picked out to discover our secret.”
“What secret?” I asked.
“You will find out soon enough,” he replied.
Now I was really interested! Just what was supposed to happen?
He looked at Tink and said, “Do you love your dog?”
“Very much,” I replied.
“Well,” he answered, “she might be changed.”
“I don’t want that! She is the only stable thing in my life, and I don’t, I won’t allow her to be hurt in any way, form, or fashion!”
“So be it,” he replied.
“Now what happens?” I asked.
“You probably won’t be aware of anything actually happening, but some things will be slightly different.”
I think I could handle that, I thought.
I think you can, I heard from a voice in my head. So far, so good! No horns growing out of my head, or links.
We didn’t talk anymore but just sat on the porch enjoying the day. As the sun slowly began to sink into the horizon, I wondered where we were going to sleep.
The man cleared his throat and said, “You will sleep in the cabin tonight. You and your dog will be safe here. Nothing will happen to you.” It seemed as if he were reading my mind. He got up and left without another word.
The night was getting cooler, so we decided to go inside the cabin. Finally, Tink would get down. She had a heyday smelling every comer of the cabin. The inside of the cabin was not what I was expecting, much larger than it looked from the outside. The floor was covered with thick, soft carpet.
Beautiful drapes hung from the windows. And the bed, the bed was so large it took up most of the room. Heavenly days, what a bed! The covers were plush and thick. Everything was arranged in an orderly manner. There was a bathroom that did not seem to be there from the outside of the cabin. I carefully opened the door. To my surprise, a large tub was filled to the brim with warm, inviting water! There were even bubbles! I couldn’t resist. Slowly, I undressed and stepped into the warm water. Heavenly, I could have stayed there all night, but Tink let her needs be noted. Slowly, I got out of the tub, and there was a large, warm, fluffy towel. I dried off, and by that time, bed clothes were ready for me to step into. I dressed and went outside with Tink. After she was finished, we came back into the cabin and went to bed.
As I lay there, I thought about what had happened to me on this day. Unbelievable! I drifted off to sleep and had the wildest dreams ever. I dreamed that I was back where I had been. It seemed so simple. I was in the car driving down the highway, happy as a lark. I wondered where I would be when I woke up. After an extremely good