Your Favorite World

Mr. Fritz’s Bug
At Last The Year 1923
Beedler’s Welcome
Benign Time Travel

Mr. Fritz’s Bug

Observing the flights that raced across his retina,
Mr. Fritz finally eased out of his hammock. He had
nothing else to do this lazy day. First he put a thick
lens invention in front of his eye. The world jumped
with details. He fine tuned the box all the wires ran to.
The connection created vision made of horizontal
lines that he could follow like yarn left behind in
a maze. Taking up the fading thread of one, he
pursued it across the field, along the dazzling wall
of garden flowers to where it landed on mossy bark
of an old elm tree. He tuned the dials to see more
clearly what was happening on the trunk. The line
ended in a little green bug who had flown all the way
here. It waved its six legs to another bug it met and
Mr. Fritz had to zoom in close for this astonishment.
The bug whose life he chose to chase, pulled out a
blur of something and had it punched in the smallest
machine. It passed the timecard to another bug,
who then counted out frail scales of money. Mr. Fritz’s
bug stuffed them under its wing and sprang with a joy
off back into the wind.




At Last The Year 1923

Andrew always wore a cardigan and like a mother
kept Jocko safe in there. Going up country his pet
caused a stir riding in the open touring car.
Arriving in New Hampshire, swimming in the river
to cool off the hot air, Jane’s white legs were nipped
underwater. At last the year 1923, when Andrew died,
his dearest friend cried and cried. A broken heart,
alone, so sad without him. It must seem like a dream
to know about these things happening. Once upon an
afternoon the family would gather together at the zoo
to go see Jocko and so remember Andrew.




Beedler’s Welcome

Heavy footsteps creaked on the porch outside
Beedler’s door. His two year old daughter went
wide-eyed into his arms. The house almost shook
with the knock.
“Come in, Pat,” Beedler called. He tried to calm
his baby while the door swung open to reveal
an eight foot tall robot.
“Parents As Teachers...” The metal gleamed and
stepped inside.
“It’s okay,” he brushed the little golden head of
his daughter. “Pat’s here. She’s going to play
with us.”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Beedler…” The robot’s
height bent towards the floor. “Hello Bella...”
“She’s a little scared,” her father smiled, “It’s
okay, Bella.”
“Before we begin, Mr. Beedler, I would like
to ask you a favor…With your consent, my
advisors will be arriving shortly for a routine
evaluation of my work…”
“Fine. That’s fine, Pat,” Beedler nodded.
So Pat began. “Look Bella…Pat has a box...
Can Bella open the box?”
Bella was interested enough to take a step
away from her father. The robot held the
brightest toy at the end of an extension.
The small hands quickly found the lid and
pried it open. A cube blinked inside.
Pat chimed, “Bella found a cube...”
The girl held onto the lighted cube.
“Let me find something else…” Pat
continued and a sliding panel opened
for more. Then Pat dimmed and slumped.
“Don’t worry,” Beedler told his daughter.
He had a screwdriver and wirecutters.
He worked away with the tools and
sang a song he made up.
When the advisors showed, shortly
afterwards, they could hear strange
music piping inside. An elderly man
in a blue smock knocked on the door.
Beedler called, “Hello,” and the group
opened the door to the outrageous sight
of Pat in red sequins bellydancing on
top of a bending table.




Benign Time Travel

They turn you into a sort of a ghost so there’s
really nothing more you can do. Observe the world.
Float unseen except to a few. To them you may be
no more than a faint glassy shine moved along
the wall. In those moments you travel, you will
experience wonder. You may want to go back
again and again. They never seem to let you stay
long enough. Of course their machines will return
you for air in the place where you’re from. Then
sign on the line, you will pay as you go, follow
what you are missing, fade into your favorite world.




cover & writing: allen frost
written 1998 at 411 miami place huron, ohio