Vanilla Smoke

• Beth Goodman, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2010

The third time I heard the deafening bang, I was curled up in the foetal position on the bathroom floor. Yet again the smell of vanilla smoke filled the room. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and instead of calling the police, I hammered on the wall. Both fists out and readying myself to scream, there was a resounding thump from the other side.
‘What on Earth do you think you are doing?’ A voice echoed back at me.
‘What?” I screamed back, my blood pressure unsteadily rising.
‘I… Can’t hear…you!’
My stomach sunk and I nearly resumed my former position. Realising what I needed to do to get answers, I pulled myself up and ventured next door to ask my crazy neighbour personally.

The two story brick duplex looked decidedly ominous as I climbed the steps. I lifted the heavy brass doorknocker three times, the noise resounding in my head.
The door sprung open.
“Oh finally, you’re here!’ The man standing in front of me wore a black suit with a red bow tie, and red suspenders. His hair standing at odd angles sat atop a long boyish face that seemed very young. Extending a hand towards me,
‘Hallo. Well don’t just stand there like a stunned mullet! I’m Wilf.’ I took his hand and he shook it vigorously.
‘Pip.’
‘Pip? Interesting indeed. Well come in, come in!’
I followed Wilf into the house, identical to mine.
‘The noise, I was just…Oh God….’I We’d walked straight into what should have been the living room, which instead was replaced by a console, sparking and spitting some greenish sludge. A greenish glow was emanating around the walls.
‘Oh no no no! Not the defibrillator!’ He rushed forward and started to push buttons and pull levers.
I stood, flabbergasted. The room was rotund and built of metal, with a large glass window encircling it. The windows showed my city, my home, like it was looking down from a great height. No sooner than Wilf had stopped the sludge, the thick vanilla smoke started to leak on the other side.
‘Oh can… you… help please!’ He exclaimed, straining to hold down a black cord that was slowly pulling him upwards.
I snapped to my senses and rushed to add my weight to his.
‘No…. I mean the smoke. Pre….ss the purple button. In fact…’ He reached behind himself, handing me a spanner. ‘Whack it with this!’
‘Uh, okay.’ I slammed the spanner into the button and the smoke stopped.
‘Slight technical difficulty, sorry for that.’ Wilf let go of the cord. ‘Tea?’
I nodded dumbly, my hands shaking. ‘Please. What is this…?’
‘Spaceship. Obviously. By the way, we should reach our destination in about two hours.’
‘Destination?’
‘Ever since you were a little girl, you wanted to see the universe. Well, I can do better than that. I’ll take you to see them all.’
He handed me a cup of tea, and gestured to an armchair.
‘Have a seat.’