Walter

WHAT GOES UP...

A resounding thud echoed in Walter's ears as he landed on top of the crushed stones that were now the size of small pebbles.

Sitting up, he looked at the funnel only to discover that it was farther than he had expected and was getting further away with every passing second.

He had landed on a conveyor belt and it was transporting him and the new pebbles to an unknown destination.

This would be a great time to get my bearings, he thought.

He watched as the trucks drove in and around the grey landscape, some loaded with stones, others without. The trucks were yellow, but there was so much dust being moved around that most of the color was now dull and muted.

Everything in this hole in the ground was grey, if not shades of grey. He imagined this was really the moon and they were in one of its craters.

Looking up at the varying shades of grey in the cliff walls made him think that he might just be on the moon. If it wasn't for the small patches of green poking its head over the cliff's edge, the world would seem a sad place in all this grey.

Small pools of water reflected nothing but the grayness surrounding him. He noticed that some of the pools were bluish in color as they reflected the sky above.

Lifting his head, he realized that all he would have to do if things got grey, was to lift his head and the world would show him that there was plenty of color and life in it. Even now, more and more green along the edge of the cliff was visible. Trees leaned in as they looked down into the moonscape. Branches swayed and waved at the little beasts working below them, letting them know that they were still up there, waiting for them.

The trucks were small and looked as if they were getting smaller still. Even the cliff seemed to be lowering itself as more trees came into view.

He looked down and noticed that his trajectory had changed. The shift had been subtle, but he was now climbing up a mountain of pebbles and from his best guess, he was almost to the top.

Unsure if he should disembark, he looked around to see if it would be safe for him to jump off the conveyor.

While trying to decide the best course of action, the conveyor had decided that it had had enough of carrying him and the pebbles and gracelessly dropped them off at the top of the mound.

His tumble down another slope was probably as funny to watch as his first, but it was at least less painful. He came to rest at the bottom of the mound in a somewhat familiar surrounding. It wasn't as wide as the last bucket that had scooped him up and it didn't pause for him to catch his breath either.

By the time he'd righted himself and gotten a decent footing within the pebbles, he was courteously dumped into another waiting truck. Righting himself as quickly as he could, he made his way into a far corner just in time for another load of tiny pebbles to be poured in.

He was able to keep himself from getting buried by the pebbles as three more scoops were dumped in. After a green mesh was pulled across the top, the truck began to move.

Walter made his way to a high point against the edge of the truck and was just tall enough to peer over the side.

He watched as they moved away from the mound and slowly started to climb up a road built into the side of the cliff.

He watched the grey hole in the ground disappeared behind trees and bushes.

He watched as they pulled onto a road and drove down it.

He watched as a familiar sight came into view. A large field of corn with a large red barn, next to a tall weather vane.

He watched as it disappeared behind the trees as more trees and fields whipped past them as they made their way.

Wondering where he was headed, he looked ahead and glimpsed a small town just coming into view as they rounded a bend in the road.