The Little man went "boom"

So I was walking through the woods one day… It was a normal summer day. Hot, humid, and a probably hotter than last year, but not too hot that any of the kids would notice. I had been walking for a while along a path that resided on my property not too far away from my house. I was trying to clear my mind and identify different plants when a very short man came bumbling down the path. He was mumbling to himself under his breath. When he saw me he tipped his hat and said, “Excuse me madam!” and rushed over. “I seem to be lost could you point me to the nearest pub?” I was somewhat flustered. he couldn’t have been over 3 feet tall. He wore a red robe with brown pants and sandals. On top of that, he wore a green hat. “Y-Yes just follow this path ‘til you get to a gravel road and then turn to the right…” I explained to him how to get to the nearest gas station. He left with another tip of his hat and a “Thank you madam!” I let him go without the slightest bit of remorse but whatever he was, he was clearly in the wrong year. 





I felt suddenly quite ill. My tongue was dry. ‘Maybe I’m just dehydrated.’ I thought to myself. I stepped carefully over stones and made my way up the next hill before I heard a deep booming explosion from the distance. My heart stopped. I had had a bad feeling about the short man from the very start, but this, this was most absurd. Whatever had caused the explosion was very close by. My thoughts went immediately to my children and I rushed home, feeling less and less well. 





 I was quite relieved to see both of my children were safe and sound playing a game in the yard. After I made sure they were okay I felt much better and full of curiosity at this point, grabbed the keys to my car, and drove to the gas station down the road. I kept my eye out for anything strange on the roadside. 





I first noticed that The little man must have walked unbelievably fast to get here so soon. I could see a trail of smoke coming from where the gas station had been. I knew for sure it had blown up. I knew it had happened. I rounded the corner half expecting there to be fire everywhere and hoping everyone had survived. Yet the gas station was still there. People stood chatting in front of the little store and a man was filling his truck at one of the pumps. some kids were playing in front of a house nearby feeding a bonfire, that had been the source of the smoke. I had just been highly paranoid. I turned into the gas station and filled my tank as to not attract any unwanted attention. 





I came home feeling strange. Happy to see that nothing tragic had happened. Yet still with many questions filling my mind. What had caused the great explosion? Why had everyone seemed so unaffected? What did the little man have to do with it? Which I’m sure he did, and most importantly, Where did he come from? These questions were spinning through my mind as I struggled to find sleep. Eventually, I fell into a fitful sleep. What had become of the little man? 





I woke up to my alarm blaring. I turned it off and shot up. I had my shoes on in seconds. I prepared breakfast for my two sons and They began asking about their father again, they always wanted to know where he was and why he was gone for so long, they were just kids so of course, they were curious. As always I had to explain that he was on an important job and that he would be back soon. I looked over at the spot where he usually sat drinking a tall glass of iced tea. I missed him, but I had to be strong, otherwise, the kids would begin to worry. His job was never consistent, but luckily he got to stay home for weeks on end and it paid well. 





After breakfast, I got together with some of my friends and we went to see a movie. I came back and had almost forgotten about the events of yesterday. I went for a walk, this time I brought my kids. They would run around picking flowers and mushrooms and all sorts of things. As we were exploring I came across a path that split off of the main one. 





I peeked in and it was dark. It looked almost like a different place. I stepped in and there was silence. It was too dark to even see my own hands. A very faint purple light lit the area slightly and as my eyes adjusted I realized that this wasn’t part of the forest, this was a room. The walls were made of grass and leaves and trees. I saw a shadow move in the distance and a tiny shape turned a corner up ahead. I walked forward and heard a loud boom in the distance, turning the corner just in time to see a portal emanating a soft purple light. The fiery light it emitted was vibrating in a strangely solid fashion. Like water, it seemed to crash around inside an invisible barrier. It started going faster and faster, Becoming brighter until it was almost too bright to look at. Suddenly it stopped. It pulsated a few times and then twisting itself into oblivion, disappeared. The portal had closed. I turned around and saw a tiny slit in the wall of darkness. 





I stepped lightly, one hand on the wall to my right. I put my hand through the slit and felt a warm breeze. I stepped out. The walls collapsed into the ground and they seemed to get sucked in. Disappearing probably forever. The birds were singing and the air was hot and humid. My two kids were running around just as they had when I entered that strange place. I knew somehow that I wouldn’t be seeing him again, and I smiled.





                           -Johanan Woodring