2. Suisy

CLOVER

It’s time to go! I pull Aldrich back across the street, forgoing the crosswalk and bee-lining it to Suisy.

Aldrich doesn’t seem to mind that I’m dragging him around. But when Suisy’s door creaks open and I try to pull him in, he stops. I can practically see his willingness to go along with whatever I’m doing evaporates. It even waved at me as it floated away in the night breeze.

I tug on his hand. “Come on. We have to go, like, yesterday.”

He stops me with very little effort. “If you left the day prior, then you would not be here to be killed by a…” He gestures in the general direction of the speeding truck. “And you expect me to get in your…” Another gesture towards Suisy. “Although the one that almost got you was larger…” He huffs. “What was that beast?”

“A truck,” I respond and resume trying to get him into the van.

“A truck… Yes, a truck almost killed you. No. I will not be getting in your truck.”

“Well, technically, Suisy is a van.” I quit pulling on Aldrich and open the sliding back door to sit for a moment.

That was a close call. It was probably the closest I’ve come to actually dying. I don’t have time to dillydally, which is a tragedy. Dillydallying is one of my favorite hobbies, but I can hear the siren in the distance. So I really need to get Aldrich on board with Suisy. And why is my face wet?

So instead of getting in and driving away like I want to, I pat the spot beside me.

“Don’t worry, Suisy isn’t like other vehicles. She’s one of a kind, and I trust her with my life.” I give him a smile and pull some yarn out of my bag.

Aldrich hesitates, then gingerly sits beside me, eyeing my van with a whole lot of distrust. He wraps his very muscled arm around my shoulder, and it’s exactly what I needed to clear my mind. It’s strange to think that this guy I just met, in another realm, no less, makes me feel so at ease.

I snuggle into his side and sigh contentedly. “See, nothing to worry about, and I promise you’ll be safe in Suisy. She doesn’t go nearly fast enough for much concern.” I pat the old bucket of bolts affectionately. “And she definitely doesn’t go as fast as that truck.”

Suisy was a birthday gift from my mother that soon turned into a farewell gift. As soon as I saw the butter yellow and the painted flowers, I was in love. It made me appreciate Mom even more than I already did.

Aldrich gives my shoulder one more small squeeze before he lets go and stands, pulling me to my feet. “Thy see no horse, and whilst ‘tis be folly, thy shalt oblige.”

Horses are so pretty. Oh! Should I get a pony? Maybe not. Even if I cleaned Suisy out, I don’t think a pony would ride comfortably in it. Maybe I could get a trailer. Something to look into another time, perhaps.

“MIP!” I call for him one last time before pulling Aldrich into the van and shutting the door behind him. The sirens are getting closer, so I climb into the driver’s seat and finally let go of Aldrich as he takes the passenger seat. “Be sure to buckle up! Safety first!”

Aldrich looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. Maybe I have. It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing I’ve picked up from the other realm.

“Clover! Look out! There’s a scary man in the van with you!” Mip squeaks from my shoulder.

Or maybe Mip is my second head. “Where have you been?” I ask as I pull Suisy away from the curb now that we’re all here.

“The donut shop was throwing out the day’s leftovers. Did you know they throw whatever’s left from the day in the dumpster?! Perfectly edible baked goods. Wasted.” He throws his little hands up. “But it looks to me like I should have been with you! Maybe then we could have avoided the big scary.” He points at my new travel buddy. “Although, it looks like you won’t have to worry about him for long. Hehehe.”

“What?” I ask, glancing over in his direction. Sure enough, Aldrich is fading.

He yelps, patting himself all over and then reaching across the small space between us to try to grab onto me. In his haste to anchor himself, he misses my leg, arm, hand—you know, all the grabbable bits—and ends up with a handful of boob.

“Oh… Well, this is unexpected,” I say. “Although, not entirely unpleasant.”

“Get your filthy mitts off of Clover, you barbarian!” Mip launches himself at Aldrich, and his tiny little crocheted self lands the softest punches ever on my stunned passenger’s cheek.

I smile to myself as I move Aldrich’s hand from my boob to my shoulder. Mip continues to pummel Aldy. I guess in the commotion, Aldrich didn’t realize he was still groping me.

Humming, I wait until Mip has finally tired himself out. He’s huffing by the time he walks back across Aldrich’s arm to perch on my shoulder again.

“Mip, I presume,” Aldrich says, glaring at the little cutie on my shoulder.

“In the flesh, buddy,” Mip says, snuggling into my neck and wrapping one of my blond curls around him. I giggle.

Mip is my best friend. I met him in one of my first blips to the other world; only that particular time, the blip lasted a couple of hours. Fortunately for me, I was asleep on my little beanbag sofa in the back of Suisy. It was a lovely day, and I had found a nice quiet spot by the beach to rest after being on the road with Mom all night.

I had just woken up from my nap, and I wound up waking up in the other world. But before I fell asleep, I had finished putting button eyes on my newest crocheted doll. It’s the cutest little thing. About three inches high with a little leaf outfit and purple hair. It reminds me of those little fighting girls that are supposed to be sugar and spice and everything nice.

Anywhoodles, Mip fell out of the tree I was leaning against in the other world and landed right in my lap. And the moment he touched me, I popped back into my realm with Mip.

Mip ended up clinging to me, and we discovered he could stay with me if he was inside the dolly I made. Hooray! I met his friends and made more friends, and now he and his friends pop in and out when they please.

I unlocked and handed my phone to Aldrich.

“Look, tons of vehicles like Suisy are great, and oh, look at this.” I show him how to flip through my collection of pictures of friends I’ve made and tons of vans and cars with colorful flowers and designs.

After about six minutes of the fastest internet browsing I have ever seen, he slowly says, “Suisy… is a vehicle. And vehicles are now used in place of horses?” Aldrich is looking around the van.

“Yes. Well, sort of. Horses aren’t really for transportation anymore. They’re more like pets… or a hobby. Or… a lifestyle. But people who still have ranches and stuff use horses for working and things.”

“I see.” He turns away from me to look out the window. “The world has vastly changed since last I walked it.”

“How long has it been?”

“What year is this?”

“Uhm, good question. It’s at least 2022... I think… There was this virus, and since then I kinda lost track. It didn’t seem important to know, but I do know it’s getting close to winter. I saw snow just last week on a mountain pass I went through. I love snow.” I pause, then point at the phone. “Oh! My phone will tell you. There’s a button for that. It looks like a clock or something, I think. I mostly use it to catalog my crochet projects.”