nwoD edispU

by Tim Baer

There was a boy hanging upside down from a fence. Bless God, he just hung there from his knees, his back to the fence, his straw-blond hair hanging down in ragged spikes, a hideous grin on his face. I thought at first he might be stoned, but he looked too young upon closer inspection.

"Boy," I asked as I closed the distance between us, "what are you doing?"

"I'm hanging upside down from this fence, mister," he replied. The smile never wavered. His eyes never met mine. In fact, they never met anything. They had a glazed look to them, never quite focusing on anything.

"But why are you hanging upside down from that fence?" I asked, probing deeper into this mini-mystery.

"Because the alien told me he'd tell me all the secrets of the universe if I did it," he said.

Stoned, definitely stoned--and at such a young age, I thought to myself sadly, shaking my head. I turned and began to walk off. Several steps down the sidewalk, I paused and turned back to look at him one more time. There, sitting on the boy's left knee, was a grayish-mottled creature about nine inches in height. It looked at me for a moment with its big almond-shaped black eyes, then it waved at me with its right arm. Bless God, it waved at me!

There was a man and a boy hanging upside down from a fence.

Baruch Hashem, they were just hanging there from their knees, their backs to the fence, their hair hanging down in ragged spikes, hideous grins on their faces. I thought at first it was a man and his son, but as I got closer, I could see that the boy was of no blood relation to the man. Perhaps he was adopted? Kidnapped? A reward waiting to be collected mayhap?

"Good day," I called out. "What are you two doing?"

"We're hanging upside down from this fence," replied the man. The smile on his face never wavered. Neither his eyes, nor the boy's ever met mine. In fact, they never met anything. They had a glazed look to them, never quite focusing on anything.

"But why are you hanging upside down from that fence?" Such a mystery to delve in to I could not let pass by.

"Because the alien told us he'd tell us all the secrets of the universe if we did it," he said.

Psychopath! I thought to myself with a snort. Perhaps it was not such a good idea to be caught hanging around these two after all--I might get collected with them. I sadly shook my head and began to walk off. Several steps down the sidewalk, I paused and turned back to look at them one last time. There, sitting on the man's left knee, was a grayish-mottled creature about nine inches in height. It looked at me with its big almond-shaped black eyes for a moment, then it waved at me with its right arm. Baruch Hashem, it waved at me!

There was a crowd of people hanging upside down from a fence. Blessed be the name of Allah, they were just hanging there from their knees, their backs to the fence, their hair hanging down in spikes, hideous grins on their faces . . . .