A large basset hound walked into sight, collapsed on the ground, started to scratch itself, and disappeared. Voila “The Judge.” The dog belonged to the Van Gelder family who owned the house before me. It was infamous around town for repeatedly being hit by both cars and trucks and surviving. It also smelled like a swamp, but I suppose that’s the price a dog pays for having nine lives. The Judge died peacefully of old age in its bed a month before the Van Gelders moved out.
As the fence turned red again, my vintage Briggs and Stratton lawnmower reappeared nearby. Magda came back into the room holding the portable phone. “It’s George. He says it’s important.”
I took the phone. Gee-Gee went back to the table and began eating again. “George. What’s up?”
“The dog is back, Frannie. It’s sitting next to me right now.”
“Your dog? Chuck?”
“Chuck and Old Vertue. They’re sitting side by side in my living room. And it’s alive, Frannie. Old Vertue’s alive again. And there’s someone here you’ve got to meet. He’s the one who brought them. He says he knows you. His name is Floon?”
“Caz de Floon,” Floon called out in the background.
“I’m coming over.” I pressed the disconnect button on the phone and let my arm drop to my side.
“Are Gee-Gee’s friends here?” my beautiful wife asked.
“Yeah. One’s over at George’s house. We’re going over to get him.”
The boy and I stood on the safe side of the front door. I had my hand on the doorknob. He had his on a cinnamon bun Magda warmed for him to eat on the way.
“Do you think it’s safe to go outside again?”
He bit into the bun and spoke through the gooey sweet. “We waited long enough to see if anything else would change after your fence turned red again. I’d say we’re back to today. Hey, there’s really only one way to find out—”
Eyes squinted almost shut I opened the door. I guess I figured if either the end of the world or creatures from outer space were waiting outside, by closing my eyes I could make them go away.
Things looked all right. I slowly let out my breath. What exactly had Crane’s View, or at least my street, looked like a day ago? The white Saturn was parked in front of the house across the street and not my dad’s Jaguar. Check. The jumbo hammock hung on the porch next door. Check. My motorcycle stood like a mean yellow toad in the driveway. Check. All systems go.
Taking it slow and uneasy, I walked down the porch steps. When I reached the last one, a step away from terror firma, something grabbed my shoulder and jerked me backward.
“Watch out!”
I was so shook up that I forgot to have a heart attack. Gee-Gee was laughing like a fool. I grabbed his hand on my shoulder and made to flip him. He shouted, “No, don’t! My knee! My knee’s screwed up!”
“Why the hell did you do that? Do you think that’s funny?”
“Take it easy. It was a joke. Lighten up, man.”
“Lighten up with all this shit going on? Are you stupid?”
“No, Uncle Frannie, I’m you.”
“Well then, behave yourself like me. I mean… Look, let’s just go and stop fucking around, okay?”
Pauline called out from our bedroom window. “Bye, Gee-Gee. See you in a little while!” She was leaning on the sill and it did not look like she was wearing a shirt.
“Bye, Pauline! I’ll be back soon.”
“Let’s take the Ducati. It’ll be faster.”
He shook his head. “Bad idea, boss. Better to walk there.”
“Why?”
“Look around. Look at the trees and the street. They’re still working on bringing things back to now, can’t you see? We’re not up to full power here yet.”
After a heavy rain the world is different for a while. Rich new smells are everyplace, grass shines, leaves on the trees too as they drip water and change color. Branches fly up, things steam, animals reemerge from their hiding places shaking off water with furious twitches ... all small things but all things. When I did what Gee-Gee said and once again paid close attention to the things around me, I saw he was right—it would not be a good idea to drive to George’s house. Because like the world after a rainstorm, everything around me seemed to be changing too. The aliens had brought us back up to the correct time, true, but they weren’t finished yet and that was now evident.
First I noticed a long black crack on a neighbor’s white wall disappearing like a piece of spaghetti being slowly sucked into someone’s mouth. Next a pair of large whitewashed rocks reappeared at the beginning of another neighbor’s path. A moment ago they weren’t there. I knew these details—I saw them every day but they had been so trivial, so much a part of the humdrum ho-hum of life that I’d never given them a second thought. Only now did they matter when they were literally being re-placed in a world I once thought I knew. What’s that famous line? “God is in the details.” Amen.
If we’d driven to George’s on my motorcycle there was a hell of a good chance we might have fallen into a pothole along the way that was there twenty years ago but some forgetful alien forgot to fill.
Despite the urgent need to get over to George’s fast, we kept looking around.
“Look at the telephone wires.”
“And that tree—the white birch. It was half the size a minute ago.”
“Those curtains just changed.”
These changes went on and on, almost all of it small stuff, but happening everywhere to what seemed like everything.
“It’s kind of cool. These guys really take care of business.”
“Gee-Gee, have you seen them yet? I mean actually seen them?”
He hesitated, seemed to be weighing what he could and couldn’t say. “Yeah, I have. That’s why I got you out of that car and back to your house—they told me to. And they also told me to keep my mouth shut if you asked questions. After seeing what they can do here, I sure as shit ain’t gonna disobey them.”
Halfway to George’s house, Little Me had a new revelation. “I gotta tell you something. I don’t think you’re gonna like it.”
I’d been wondering what would happen if you sprayed an alien in the face (faces?) with Mace. A bird flew across our path and disappeared. Tweet tweet—gone. “Jesus, did you see that bird?”
“Yeah. Listen, I think I got the hots for Pauline.”
Silence. Keep moving.
“Did you hear me?” Silence.
“Come on, man, say something.”
I pointed a stiff finger at him. “The more one knows, the more silent he becomes.”
He whistled. “That’s a neat line. Did you just make it up?” “No, Gee-Gee, I read it. And at one point in your life you’re going to realize books are cool and being a tough guy is stupid. Believe it or not, you’ll give up one for the other. It’ll save you a lot of time.”
“Say another one. Quote something else you read.” He was serious. His face was wonder and please-tell-me.
“Here’s one that fits this moment– ‘I go to search a great perhaps.’ The dying words of a famous writer.”
Hands in his pockets and limping, he matched his pace to mine. “Meaning, like, no one knows what death is but I’m going to find out?”
“Or I’m dying and there’s nothing else I can do but go find out.”
“Yeah, that’s what I meant.”
“Take a right here.”
“I can’t believe you’re friends with George Dalemwood. That guy was a spaz.”
“And you were a sadistic dumb fuck bully. Why haven’t you asked me anything, Gee-Gee? I’m the future standing right next to you, but you haven’t asked even one question about what my life is like. Why? Aren’t you interested? Don’t you have any curiosity at all?”
It was his turn to be silent. We walked on. Twice he turned to look at me but said nothing for a long time.
“They told me something. They said I shouldn’t tell you because it might affect the way you act. But I want to tell you.”
“So tell. What is it?”
“They said after this is over, if it works and things go right, I’ll be sent back to my time and never know this happened. I’ll live my life I guess the way you already did and then end up ... like you.” He made an unhappy, impatient face.