Island Hopping, Visitors from an Alternate Dimension

            I was piloting a small plane between Islands in the South Pacific.

            The first stop was a small island that didn't really have a runway, but a nice long hard beach. Landing was easy and soft, but I wasn't too sure I would be able to take off with all the mail and other things the residents wanted me to take. I visited for a bit, stayed over night, and then in the morning I pulled everything out of the plane and we put up a catch wire at one end of the island.

            With the weight of the plane reduced to the bare essentials I was just able to get the plane in the air by taking off into the wind. I then realized that I should spring for pontoons, then I could land just about anywhere if the seas were calm enough. I flew back around and hooked the baggage and cargo (two passes, half each time.) I had to put the plane in auto pilot to go back and haul everything aboard. After the second trip I set a course for New Zealand, and a real post office. I chatted on the radio with the islanders until I was out of range.

            I landed at a real airport in NZ. I delivered some of my packages and put the others in the mail. A small family group offered me a place to stay when I dropped off my last packages.

            I woke up on the couch in darkness, hearing knocking and voices demanding to open up. I went to the front door and looked out the window next to it. I couldn't see anyone.

            "What's going on?" one of the sleepy teen daughters came into the living room in bright pink pajamas and fuzzy slippers.

            "I thought I heard voices at the door, but I don't see anyone. They were demanding us to open up." I checked out the window again. No one there. "Maybe I was dreaming.

            We heard the knocking again, and again the demands to open up. I shrugged and pulled open the front door, still, no one out there.

            "Maybe they're at the back door" the daughter said and went into the kitchen. I followed. There was no one at the back door, either.

            The knocking happened again and we both turned to the cellar door.

            "What?"

            I shrugged again, and opened the cellar door. Two small furry lemur-faced creatures bounded into the room, one walking right under the kitchen table. They had some sort of radio earphone in their right ears, a respirator type mask over their short snouts and were wearing armored vests with equipment belts around their waists. Each carried a small ray gun looking item held out in front of it.

            "Oh! How cute!" the girl squealed with delight.

            I pretty sure that's not the reaction they were anticipating. In fact, though their faces were difficult to read, they seemed as surprised to see us as we were to see them.  The door began to close on its own, there being an air pressure differential.

            "Hold the door open!" I shouted to the girl. She reached for the door. I could see daylight from the cellar door. Dawn was breaking wherever that door led. I turned to the Kangaroo/Lemur creatures, "You'd better go back while you still can. I don't know if the rift will stay open.

            "Oh, uh, yeah." they clicked their tongues at one another in a very rapid almost scratchy sound and then turned and ran for the door.

            The girl was holding onto the door handle with both hands leaning out with all her weight. The creatures dove through the door, one low and one high.

            Slam. The door pulled shut, the girl staggered back and caught herself on the counter across the kitchen.

            I checked the door. The handle was cold, freezing, even though the girl had wrapped both hands around it. There was frost forming on the hinges of the door as well. I opened the door, ice crunching in the mechanism. I saw nothing out of the ordinary past the door, just stairs down into the cellar.

The girl pushed past me and turned on the light.

            "That's never happened before,” she said with the inflection to indicate that something had been happening.

           

 

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