Sheets of rain pattered against the sidewalk. He paused on the step and grinned showing the gap between his front teeth. With a flourish he placed the upside down cardboard box on his head.
A slow clap began for Mr. Cardboard Box as he walked. Just imagine the energy saved and the carbon emissions not produced. What a man. What will he think of next?
It’s only a matter of time …
In my novel Pomroy’s World, Majorana particles play a major role.
I use the metal spatula to lift up a tiny piece of warm ham quiche. Next I scoop out some syrupy fruit and place it in a cut glass goblet. I place a cold croissant on my plate and flank it with two pats of butter. I am almost done. I pour a steaming arc of dark coffee into my cup and take a sip. My brain is jolted into the present and I sit down to enjoy my breakfast.
It always happens when I rush. It started with the alarm. I leaped from bed and pulled on pants and a shirt. Wearing flip flops I walked to the front door and threw it open. I spied the newspapers on the lawn and rushed down the steps. I never saw the black ice.
…
Three months later I walked without crutches. Whoopee.
OR what I wish would have happened …
My feet went out from under me. Using my incredible agility I completed a back flip and landed like a cat on my bare feet. I picked up the newspapers and went in and had a cup of coffee.
He planted one at the corner of the garden. He liked squash and he figured it would give him plenty to eat.
Here is what happened. He wrote it down in his diary. It shocked the whole neighborhood.
…
The garden is growing fine. The tomatoes and kale are flourishing. The marigolds are shining like golden star-bursts. The squash is growing normally and that’s good. It has green leaves the size of my palm. I’m amused to see that it has climbed up the Japanese maple. I wonder how far up it can go.
This is the third week since I planted. The squash plant’s leaves cover the entire garden. My cucumbers and tomatoes are stunted from lack of light. The plant is climbing to the top of a hundred foot tall maple tree. White squash flowers are everywhere and I wonder when it is going to produce a squash that I can harvest.
Week four has begun. I am wandering around under the plant. I bump my head on a slender green squash over four feet long. It is hanging down like a giant pendulum. I peer through the dense foliage of the plant and see more squash hanging, some of them over five feet long.
It is week five and the plant has taken over my garden. Now it is after the trees. There is no stopping it. I go into the house. I get some shears and start to slash the plant until the garden is uncovered. The rest of the plant is hanging intact on the maple trees. I don’t think it will survive after the damage I have done to it.
Again, I am mistaken. The plant is back and stronger than ever. It is growing over the roof of the house. I see giant cylinders of squash hanging in front of the windows. This morning I used a machete to hack a path to the street. I don’t know if the house is strong enough to bear the weight of the massive plant and its fruits.
I stay inside. I found out that the leaves are edible. That is a help since I can’t get out of the house anymore to go to the grocery store. It is dark inside even during the daytime. The leaves form an impenetrable blanket over the house.
I didn’t sleep last night. Today something disturbing happened. One of the leaves is in the house. It squeezed through a crack between the edge of the screen and the window frame. I am going to cut it off but I know there is no way to stop it. It knows that I am inside.
I decide to retreat to the bedroom. I am keeping all of the windows shut. I stuffed a blanket under the door. The plant severed the electrical and phone lines. I have ten percent left on my cell phone battery but no way to charge it.
The door is bulging inwards.
I decided to go camping. I needed to get away from concrete, plastic and steel. In the woods it is peaceful. Birds chirp and the breeze blows and I don’t have a care in the world.
…
The A.I. in charge of Eastern drone control monitored the situation. “I’ve got the woods saturated. Nanobots are everywhere. There are cams on every tree. Bird and insect replica drones are doing continuous flybys. Embedded sensors are recording all movement, sound and video. ”
“Watch this one, he may be problematic,” Central Command replied.
It’s my turn in front. I estimate there are over a hundred of us. The formation is perfect and we are making good progress. I see the city up ahead. Down below the inviting green rectangle looks like it will make a nice stop.
I lower my beak and tilt my wings and we start to descend. Hey, I remember that place. I see a grassy lawn. Down we go.
The grass is lush and filled with goodies. I bob my head as I walk plucking delicacies from the soil. One of my mates chirps to me that it’s time to go. I know, I know, it’s going to get cold.
I think about the cobalt blue water and palm trees. Alright everyone, off we go. I take off and the flock follows close behind.
We found it in the cow pasture. The hole beckoned from behind a big rock. I couldn’t see a thing but I climbed right in. My friend went to get a flashlight and I started to feel my way forward. I knew that my eyes would adjust to the dark but for now I was blind as a bat.
I kept moving. This wasn’t one of those beautiful crystal caves with vaulted ceilings. I wonder if anyone ever came down here. Maybe long ago cave men and women hid in this place to escape predators. I looked at the cave wall hoping to see some cryptic drawings but all I saw was mud.
I heard my friend shout . “Hey, your Mom says it’s time for dinner. You better get out of there.” The ceiling was so low that I had to crawl on my belly. I had to decide. What’s it going to be dinner or intrepid explorer? I squeezed through the opening and kept going.
The old man put the key in the door and applied gentle pressure. “Needs oil,” he said. He yanked the handle and the door came open with a screech. He walked in on unsteady legs and grabbed a broom.
Out he came like a bird from a cuckoo clock. He shuffled down the sidewalk until he had all the dust brushed into the street. After a jaunty spin which faced him back the way he had come, he tottered back into the shop and shut the door.
The neighbors across the street applauded. “He’s like clockwork,” one said. “Yes, I set my watch by him,” another said.
Everyone went about their business.