It was a cold, wintry evening in northern Maine in the year 2120. The snow was falling and eight inches had already fallen on top of the eighteen inches from the day before. Over a foot of snow was expected by early morning.
Most people were snug as a bug in their homes—the furnace going, drinking a hot cup of cocoa, watching TV reruns of Murder, She Wrote. Louie Carrillo sat in his cozy access chair. He was glued to what Jessica Fletcher and the Sheriff discussed. He looked out the window of his living room and the snow was so thick you couldn’t see anything—just a deep white fog.
His wife Margaret was busy crocheting a sweater while she watched Murder, She Wrote. Even though the program was over 130 years old or more, the mystery channel always showed it. Even in the year 2120, people enjoyed Jessica Fletcher solving a mystery in that special way she did.
Louie and Margaret’s son, Peter was a police officer and he was on duty. They hadn’t heard from him since he left for work four hours ago. His daughter, Mary was upstairs writing her novel. She worked part-time at the newspaper during the day and wrote her novel at night. She was an enterprising young lady. She was also trying out for a part in a play at the local theater.
Louie was an architect and he mostly worked remotely at his home office. Margaret was a seamstress, and she had her own business which she worked from home making clothes and selling them.
A loud, hard pounding arose from outside.
“What on Earth is that awful noise?” asked Margaret.
“I have no idea, but it seems like it’s close by. It’s certainly not the plow,” said Louie.
“No, definitely not. There it is again!” yelled Margaret.
Mary came downstairs. “What is that awful pounding?”
“We don’t know, dear, but I’m going to check it out,” announced Louie.
“Oh, no, be careful. You never know these days who or what it could be with so many strange creatures from planets we never heard of. And people on Earth have now turned into very strange beings who hardly speak or utter a word but do a lot of damage,” said Margaret.
“Nothing is good. Everything is so scary. My novel is about this strange world we’re now living in,” said Mary.
“I’d love to read your novel, dear. You’re always so busy writing your words to stories that someday people in many places will be reading. I truly marvel at your talent,” said her mom.
Louie ventured outside after donning his heavy winter gear. The wind howled, and the snow blew in all directions, the temperature a chilling -15°F. The pounding noise continued and grew louder, longer, and more insistent. Louie sensed it was footsteps—footsteps of something quite huge. Louie longed for the days when the world was still normal. Those days were gone forever.
He couldn’t see ahead of him, but he turned on his i-tope-flashlight with its powerful light that helped him see miles ahead of him. Louie kept walking but it was hard to walk as there was already more than one foot of snow on the ground.
Louie stopped in his tracks. A huge, snowy creature stood in front of him. It was almost eight feet tall and blew out big gusts of snow, roaring almost like a lion. The snow monster had very fat, huge snow paws shaped like baseballs, and Louie estimated they’d fit a shoe size 20. He had diamond-shaped round, blue crystal-ice-like eyes and an oblong-shaped long red nose and a mouth with white incisors. He wore a blue coat that was almost like a blanket around him and a tall green stove-pipe hat. He was to say the least a bizarre but out of this world creature. Louie wasn’t sure if he was a good guy or a bad guy.
Louie’s heart pounded in his chest like a hammer banging a nail into wood. He didn’t know what to do. He stood perfectly still, hoping this imposing, yet somehow festive creature would turn around and go away. Louie started praying the “Our Father”.
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven, Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and deliver us from evil, Amen.” Louie then blessed himself.
The snow monster picked him up with one hand and in a big booming voice said, “Who might you be, Earthling?”
“Louie Carrillo is my name and I live here so please put me down! Put me down immediately!” demanded Louie.
“You make a lot of noise for a small fellow. I can see you a lot better when I hoist you off the ground. Now I’d like your help, little fellow,” said the towering snow monster in his booming voice.
“Help? What kind of help?” yelled Louie, becoming very agitated with this monster.
“Come to my snow hut and we will discuss it,” said the snow monster.
“Do you have a name, snow monster?”
“My name is Jezi. I live alone in my snow hut in the woods. My family are back on the planet of Uranus. I was sent here by the leader of our group–Urzel. When Urzel gives an order, you go do your task. He sent me here to Earth to get minerals, fuel and food. He figured because of my size, being over 100 tak-taks, that I could just travel here to Earth and swoop up everything I need to bring back to our planet. I landed here about two weeks ago and I don’t even know just where I am or even how to begin shopping around for all the things I need. When I saw your house with the bright lights and all those nice decorations outside, I imagined some form of life was there, so I made a lot of noise to get someone’s attention. I took note that there were no other houses anywhere here and hoped whoever lived in your house would take pity on a lost creature from Uranus,” explained Jezi.
“Put me down Jezi. I’m getting dizzy up here,” griped Louie wondering why his evening was turning out like this. He had to contact Margaret. She must be worried.
“Alright, you little vermin, I’m putting you down! But I’m the boss here!”
“I was a bit shaken when I heard all the commotion and noise outside. My son, Peter, is a police officer. He could probably help us so you can collect all of these important items,” said Louie trudging through the snow and through the woods. He took out his X-cell bingphone and bingeda message to Margaret.
I am safe. I am with the snow monster, Jezi. He’s from Uranus and needs my help. Don’t worry.
Louie
***
Margaret’s bingphone beeped loudly and she read Louie’s message. She was mystified by it. Louie helping some Snow Monster from Uranus? Dear God, what was happening? She decided she would send a message to her son, Peter since he was a Policeman. He could go save his father from this Snow Monster.
Margaret binged the following message to her son:
Your Dad has been kidnapped by some Snow Monster from Uranus, named Jezi! Go save your father!
Mom
Peter binged a message back to his Mom.
Dad was kidnapped? If he binged you, I don’t think the Snow Monster kidnapped him.
Peter
Maybe I assumed that but I’m terribly worried.
Mom
I’ll go look for Dad and this Snow Monster. Stay put and don’t leave the house. There might be other alien creatures out and about.
Peter
As Margaret sent a thank you to her son, Mary came to her side, pages of her novel in tow.
“Where’s Dad?”
“Believe it or not, dear, he’s with a snow monster from Uranus who needs his help!”
“What? A Snow Monster from Uranus? I’ve got to go back upstairs and start writing a new story!”
***
Officer Peter Carrillo drove his squad car to his family’s area. He parked the squad car and got out with a flashlight and rope. He carried two guns: his service pistol—a Glock 17—and his laser gun in case he encountered aliens from outer space. Off he went into the woods in search of his dad and this snow monster…
Continue to Part 2
About the Author
Cel
ine Rose Mariotti is an accomplished writer whose work has appeared in magazines all over the USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Australia and India. Some of those magazines include: Night Roses, Green’s Magazine, Poet’s Review, Poet’s Art, Tombigbee, Offerings, Poets at Work, Hindu Young World, Magnolia Quarterly, Lone Stars Magazine, Pablo Lennis, Poetsespresso, Artifacts, Quantum Leap, Frost Fire Worlds, Children’s Magazine of India, Tigershark Publishing, Atlantean Publishing, Pink Chameleon, FreeXpression, Northern Stars Magazine, Creative Inspirations, Utopia Science Fiction Magazine, Poesis, Rainy Day Poems, and many more.
Bewildering Stories has accepted some of her poems for publication and Shemom has accepted two of her poems. Altered Reality Magazine has published several of her poems. She has had several books published. The books are: “Olivia MacAllister, Who Are You?” Another book is “I’m Too Young to be President” published by Clayborn Press of AZ. “Leapy the Frog” was published by Magbooks of HongKong. WriteWords.com published “I Have a Friend on Jupiter”; “Minister’s Shoes” and “Minister’s Corporate Escapades.” And some other books she self-published: “Through Celine’s Eyes,” “Words of Inspiration,” and “Red, White and Blue,” all poetry books and a nonfiction book, “What Corporate America is Really All About.” She has also self-published “I Hear The Banjo Playing,” a ghost story. Her newest book is “The Return of George Bowman,” a sequel to “I Hear the Banjo Playing.” Hierath Publishing has published her book “Atomic Soldiers.” He has also accepted her other two books-“Out There in Space” and “The Rebellion.” Celine has a B.S. degree in Business Administration with a minor in English from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. She plays the guitar and banjo; has her own home business, CRM Enterprises and her own online newsletter she publishes. She lives with her family in Shelton, CT. She loves Las Vegas and she loves to watch the soap operas.
