of his house, contemplating what he would do. A logical, scientific approach would be best. He had to be careful and methodical. When dealing with unknowns, as he was here, one must proceed with caution. He decided it would be best to practice going to and from this world so he could do it any time he wanted. If he practiced enough, he may be able to do it quickly enough to escape danger if he ran into it.
Forty minutes later, after trying repeatedly to return home, he developed a tight feeling in his stomach, thinking maybe he had made a big mistake. It had taken him almost two months to get back to this world after his first visit. What if it took him longer to get back home? What if he could never get back home? His heart raced and he began to feel overwhelmed.
What he needed was some cold water on his face and to relax so he didn’t panic. He went to the bathroom sink and turned on the faucet. Nothing. Of course. The water pipes aren’t connected to anything here . Trying the light switch, knowing already what he’d find, he confirmed that, of course, the same was true for electricity. Any food he had in the refrigerator would soon go bad. If he took months to get back home, he would starve to death long before he was able to return.
The butterflies in his stomach were working overtime. He shook his head to clear it and stepped outside for some fresh air. After taking two deep breaths, he sat down on the front porch. He needed to explore the surrounding area to see if there was a source of food or some sign of civilization. Perhaps there were people here who could help him.
While mentally planning what he would do, he sensed something near. He wasn’t sure what the feeling was, but he was sure something was close to him, something alive and moving. His hand shook slightly, he noticed, as he waited and willed himself to be invisible. The palms of his hands felt clammy and his breathing came in quick, ragged breaths, much too loudly. There, ahead of him and to the right, there was rustling in the underbrush.
His mind suddenly filled with images, making him jump. The images were of a small furry figure sleeping at his feet. His sigh seemed a scream in the quiet forest.
“Skitter?!” he called, realizing afterward that he probably needed to use the communication method he used when he was here before. Projecting an image of himself petting his furry friend, he was glad to see the unique rolling gate of the bulbous, furry body coming toward him. At least I’m not completely alone.
Large green luminous eyes looked up at him and Skitter chittered unintelligibly while sending pictures of Sam’s house disappearing the last time he was here. Right on top of those images, Sam saw the moon cycling in the sky. Without really knowing how, he realized that Skitter was telling him that more than a year had passed since he was here before. As impossible as it seemed, Sam did not doubt the images.
“Skitter, my friend,” Sam said while sending images of himself stuck on a rock out in the middle of a vast ocean, “I’m stuck here. I don’t know what to do.” He followed up by sending a picture he imagined of other people gathered around him, leaning in and reaching out their hands to help him. “I need help.”
Skitter looked at him questioningly, twitching his whiskers and chirping softly. An image of some crumbling walls filled Sam’s mind. Sam understood that it was a question, somehow. Skitter was asking him if finding another structure, like his house, would help.
With a nod, Sam mentally answered his furry companion. “Yes,” he said, while projecting an image of himself smiling and nodding, not realizing until after he did so that the image was the same as the way he looked right at that moment. “I think that would be a start. Let me get some things and you can show me where those walls are.”
*****
Skitter chuckled to himself. The communication from this Sam was so crude! That last bit, where