Amos passed through the shimmering circle of light. He felt a slight churning in his stomach but no headache or other symptoms.  The scientist moved from the fluorescent cellar to defused daylight and heard a faint singing or humming in the background.  “Odd,” he mumbled to himself.   

Amos kept walking.  At last, he stopped and turned around to check on the status of the shimmering circle and panicked because it wasn’t there.   That can’t be,” he thought.  My calculations indicate that it should always be there.  Amos could see his faint footprints in the grass, and he turned and backtracked, placing his feet carefully in the impressions until they stopped.  “This must be where I came in,” he declared.  “Ten steps further will take me back to my basement.”   He began counting, got to fifty, and realized there must be an error in his calculations.  He reversed his direction, recounted to zero, and just stood there, waiting for something to happen. 

After a while, he opened his lawn chair, sat down, and thought intently about his faulty equations.  In the distance, he noticed a man carrying fishing gear and a lawn chair.  Amos hurriedly repacked his knapsack and set off after him.  

He found the fisherman sitting alongside a tranquil lake, threading a most unhappy worm onto his fishing hook. “Good morning to you,” hallooed Amos. 

“Aye! This worm is the most uncooperative nightcrawler I have ever tried to take fishing.  However, he will contribute to my supper even though he doesn’t want to.  Say you’re a stranger in these parts. My name is Adital.  Who are you visiting?

“If you don’t mind, we could chat while you secure your supper,” replied Amos.

“Aye, a tarradiddle!  Just what I need to drown out this worm’s sad cries.   So!  What brings you to Piscary?”

Amos settled his lawn chair next to Adital and began, “I am a traveler from far away, and I’m looking for a place to settle. My name is Amos Lenit, and I come from Springfield.” 

“I have never heard of any place called Springfield,” replied the fisherman swinging his captive worm into the lake. 

“Piscary?  I’m not familiar with that place, either.”

“Well, Piscary is a lovely place, and this part is famous for its beautiful lakes and splake fishing,” answered Adital.

“That sounds wonderful!  Would you welcome a retired physics professor looking for a new home?

“What in the great abyss is a physics professor,” wondered Adital. 

Avital’s[RP1]  attention was cut short from his musings about terrestrial career paths when his fishing pole bent sharply and almost flew out of his hand.  It became evident that the hapless worm’s cries for help had attracted the attention of a large fish.  During its attempts to console the nightcrawler, the fish had become affixed to the hook.  He didn’t have much time to contemplate his situation because Adital quickly hauled them to the shore and deposited the fish in a waiting basket. 

“Amos!” shouted Adital, “would you thread a nice, fat worm on the hook while I deal with this fish?  If I catch a few more, please come to supper.”

“That is the best offer I’ve had all day.” He rummaged in the worm bucket, looking for a fat, passionate squigglier.   Soon he found an eager candidate, longing to make friends with a denizen of the deep, and threaded him on the hook. Either Adital was an excellent fisherman, or perhaps the lake was teeming with fish, but it wasn’t long before his fishing basket was full.   It looked like there would be seconds if anybody wanted them.

“That’s good enough for today,” Adital proclaimed and gathered his fishing gear.   Amos helped as best he could and shouldered the fish basket as they left the lake.

The trip to Adital’s house became a fascinating journey Amos would remember for a long time.  One thing he noticed was an incredible abundance of wild animals.  Walking on any forest path will send the creatures you encounter running for cover as you approach.  Not so here.  Rabbits ate calmly, deer strolled in front of them, and songbirds were everywhere. None had any fear of their presence. 

Amos asked Adital about this, and he replied, “We live in communion with nature. We respect all life.”

Amos shook his head in disbelief.  “On Earth, if we see anything, our first inclination is to kill it.”

“Ah, Earth!  I hear Earth is a terrible place.”

They passed the place where Amos had emerged from his Portal.  At that instant, Amos made a decision.   He realized that returning to Earth would bring him back to a world filled with pollution, political strife, and racial disrespect. At that moment, he looked forward to a fine fish dinner and felt more contentment than he had in many years. 

The pair arrived at Adital’s small cottage shortly afterward.  They met an oldish, grey-haired woman wearing a long, iridescent, blue dress, “that you, Adital?  You’ve been gone a while!  Did you catch any fish?”

“Yes, Mother, we caught much fish, and we will have a feast tonight,” bragged Adital.  “Mother, this is Amos; he will visit with us this evening.”

 “Amos, this is my mother.  We share this cottage and get along quite well as long as we avoid each other as much as possible.”

“Adital!  You are so rude!  Have you no respect for a poor, crippled, and quickly becoming senile woman?  I have worked in the garden all morning, weeding and picking vegetables for tonight’s supper, and this is all the thanks I get.  Shame on you, Adital!”

“Oh, mother, poor Amos is going to believe you!  Mother has a degree in Ideology and spends most of her day writing children’s books.  You might be a character in one of her books someday.”

“My real name is Dorine, and I am pleased to meet you!”  Bye the bye, have you ever been to Proxima?  I want to include that place in my next book.”

“No, Miss Dorine, I’m from Earth and have not been to Proxima,” replied Amos sheepishly.

“Wonderful!  You can send cutting-edge material back when you go, and I will include you in my next book.”

“Oh, Mother! Enough about your books. Let’s eat now.” interrupted Adital.

And eat they did!  Adital prepared the fish, Dorine fixed vegetables, and some strange tubular Amos thought it might be related to potatoes.  They were a peculiar purple color and had a curious taste like none he had experienced. The conversation centered around Adital and his stories surrounding a heroic tale of high adventure in the Picarian wilderness. 

“Can this be something you are making up?” queried Amos, “or does it exist?”

“It’s nonsense,” exclaimed Dorine, “Adital has a vivid imagination, and he makes up most of what he says as he goes along.   One of our family traditions is romantic storytelling.”

“Napoo! No one knows what adventures await them when they begin a journey.  I have spent too much of my life being a regular guy, and I’m yearning for an expedition.   Amos, this quest is perfect for us.  You are starting a new life, and I am so slumberous I feel like a character in one of mum’s books. Let’s have an adventure!” 

In the coming months, Amos would question his decision-making many times. Still, after a delicious dinner and the lure of adventure in his otherwise dull life, he contemplated the suggestion for about four seconds. 

“Come to think about it, that sounds like a wonderful idea!” he exclaimed.

Adital had no idea what he had begun.  However, fate had destined these two swashbucklers for a quest beyond their wildest imagination.  They talked late into the night, and Adital painted a picture of strange, mythical creatures, bizarre, lycanthropic hybrids, and even fire-breathing dragons.  Amos was caught up in his spell and couldn’t wait to begin their journey.  Dorine sat, listened, and shook her head.  She gave them two days and figured they’d be back home.  Little did she know of Amos’ tenacity.  None of Adital’s mythical creatures could discourage a galactic traveler of Amos’ stature.

The following day, they set off. Dorine had prepared food for their journey, Adital found a giant knapsack for Amos, and they divided as much of the supplies they could carry between them. They had a hearty breakfast, wished Dorine bye-de-bye, and trekked down a broad path through the woods. Dorine watched her boys disappear and shed a silent tear.