Fleegle and I walk a twisty trail through a dense stand of trees in the forest, so thick that they block out the gray skies and shelter us from the rain. Off to the side of the trail, a sudden sliver of light the size of a house door appears.

I jump back in shock. “What in the world is that?”

Fleegle sniffs at the air, then says matter-of-factly, “It’s a leak. They happen all the time, but are usually too small to notice unless you’re looking. This one is way bigger than normal.”

“You mean there’s a normal? Wait a second.” I pinch my arm and feel pain. “I’m not dreaming. This isn’t Fleegle World?” I look at him for confirmation.

He shakes his head and raises his nose to sniff what smells are riding the breeze. “Smell that diesel exhaust? That’s the rich scent of People World.”

“Then what do you mean it’s a leak?”

“It’s a leak into the next world over, or under, or above, you can never tell.”

“You’re talking multiverse,” I say.

“Yeah, like when you give me more than one biscuit at a time.”

“Is that Fleegle World leaking into People World? I thought Fleegle World was only in my dreams.”

He steps closer to the crack of light, pokes his head into it and looks around on the other side. Suddenly, he pops his head back out, grabs the leash in his mouth and pulls me down the trail. “We gotta go. It’s definitely not Fleegle World.”

I stumble after him. “What is it? What did you see?”

“That crack opens into Cat World, and everything in Cat World is the size of a mouse in comparison to them.”

As we run I glance over my shoulder just as a giant paw the size of an SUV slashes through the light and claws at the ground where we just stood moments ago. “How can that be? Who dreams of Cat World?”

“Cats, and lots of them. And the occasional dog that’s too dumb to know better.”

 

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