The Portal

500 Words  - written for Facebook Writers Link  Group - Due 7/29/19

Crum and Maggie stepped into the early morning light.  Crum decided it would be hot today.  Maggie, well, she only wondered why the hold up?  “Let’s kick it into gear fercrisakes.  There’s fresh scat to find and roll in.” She pulled on the leash.

Once across Sam Page Road, Crum released Maggie from her bonds and thus any obligation to follow the rules of Man.  Tail wagging frantically, she threw herself into the off trail pucker of Mary’s Woods.

Most mornings Crum was ambivalent at best and often downright hostile to walking of any kind.  His old body woke cranky these days, so his mood depended on his sleep the night before.  Good mood or bad though, he always felt an obligation to be a contrary old fart in all matters public. Being contrary was a life style choice and he reveled in it.

The morning Sun flickered erratically through the sway of the tall trees.  Moments of light settled here and there causing Crum to notice things he had not before.  Today, the light landed on a hole in the old stone wall to his right. He stopped and pondered the wall.  Had that hole in the wall always been there?  Was it really a break or some kind of new mischief? 

Crum stepped off the trail and headed towards the wall.  Maggie ran past him and into the void.   She disappeared the second she passed through.

“Dammit Mag….”, he stopped mid sentence.  Not a sound, not even license tags jingling.

Crum picked up a stick.  Holding it bayonet style, he followed it through the break in the wall.  The stick began to disappear. A moment of disorientation came and now Crum was staring at a big neon sign.   

The sign read, “STOP! Portal is one way only.  Think about this before entering.  This is a no whining, no bitching, and no complaining community.  Life is perfect here.  And BTW – No Dogs!  Questions?  Push the button to your left and speak up.”

Looking around, Crum was pretty sure he was no longer in the pucker of Mary’s Woods.  Every bush and tree was manicured like “Better Homes and Garden”.  The place was immaculate.  In the distance a huge smokestack belched smoke in perfect circles. 

Crum reconsidered the sign and pushed the button.  He pushed it again.  The speaker erupted with an ear drum punishing screech.

“What?  Who’s there?  What do you want?  Calm down and speak up. I can’t hear you.”

Crum winced at the volume and impoliteness of the inquiry.  He spoke.

“Uh, So Life is perfect here huh?  And you don’t take dogs?”

The speaker screeched.  A voice said, “What does the sign say bub?  Can’t you read?”

“Just wanted to verify.  Might like to live in a perfect world.”  

Crum looked at Maggie, scratched her head and continued, “But if I couldn’t bitch about it, what would be the point?  Think I’ll pass.”

Crum leashed Maggie and they walked back through the break in the wall.
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This is my first piece submitted to the Facebook group - The Writers Link Group.  Not sure how I like it, but I did work more than usual on it trying to polish up the 800 plus word turd I started with.

As always, any comments are welcome.