Hello friends:
I decided that my blog would, from time to time, feature a short story I’ve written and want to share. I had a lot of fun writing this one, so enjoy it. Leave a comment if you like. Next time I plan to post a review or two on books I’ve read that I like.
Dancing in the Stars
by Sue Eller
They were close. I knew if they caught me I would never get back to my own space-time. I ducked in to a country bar. None of the locals noticed; they chugged beers and danced to the twangy sounds, oblivious to my hasty entrance.
I donned my special glasses – the ones which enabled me to see the wormhole portal. If I could get close enough to jump in, I would be home before they could say, “interstellar gateway.” The trick would be to do it in a way that the Chasers couldn’t follow me.
The music started, and the revelers formed a circle around the glowing ring of neon. They couldn’t see it, and they couldn’t accidentally enter it without a field generator. I had one, of course, but so did the Chasers.
I moved closer to the circle, and two people stepped aside to let me in. They sang along to the music and performed the actions as they sang.
“You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out…”
Unbelievable! Here I am in who-knows-which galaxy, doing the Hokey Pokey. One of my childhood favorites. I looked at the gateway ring and estimated the distance. I was too far away. As we danced and sang, I worked my way closer.
“You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out…”
I accidently bumped the person next to me. He glared for about 3.2 nanoseconds, then laughed and moved a little, bringing me closer to my destination.
“You put your head in, you put your head out…”
I got a little dizzy with that move. I shook my head and it helped. As I turned around and back, I caught movement at the door out of the corner of my eye.
“You put your backside in, you put your backside out…”
We faced away from the center of the circle and my exit to freedom. The Chasers were here! They searched the room, and their empty, black eyes came to rest on me. They didn’t want to attract attention any more than I did, so they sidled through the crowd toward the dance floor. It was going to be close, but I knew the song. The verse I needed was near. Would it be in time?
“You put your whole self in…”
I jumped with all the strength I possessed, and my feet landed exactly in the center of the neon ring. I tucked my arms in close to my sides, and felt more than heard the whoosh! as I entered the wormhole.
When I came to – I forgot to take a breath before I jumped – I found myself in a grassy field. I could see my house in the distance. There were no Chasers in sight. I took another deep breath, got up, and started toward home.
As I walked, I sang the final line of the song and dance routine.
“And that’s what it’s all about!”
© 2014 Sue Eller
