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The last line brought a smile to her face.

The eighth grade. He couldn’t figure out how to get her bra off and she’d broken out laughing. He was so naive. Not that she knew a hell of a lot more more. She remembered both of them standing up. His face was beet red, He hadn’t finished growing and she had a couple of inches on him. He stood on his toes to kiss her. She went on hers to make it that much harder. It wasn’t nice of her, but she hoped it would make him laugh. Then a door slammed and both of them panicked. She shouldn’t have told all of her friends about it, but she did. And that was it. Today would be the next date after over eight years.

She set her phone down thinking about high school. He had a an athlete’s body and had finally grown taller. She figured he’d never want to see her again after the gossip she spread so she never did more than smile when they walked by. And then there was school. She was good at it and it was going to be her ticket out of Iowa. It was going to be Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Yale or maybe Stanford for her.

And it worked. Valedictorian, Merit scholar, and full rides to four Ivies. In her last year at Columbia she even met the guy she thought could be THE guy. Just out of law school he started at a firm in the six figures. Smart, funny and a fucking liar and cheater. Everything came crashing down in just a few hours two days after she graduated. She just sat in her apartment stunned until about three in the morning. With three Ben and Jerrys empties on the floor she went to her PC and noticed another email about the high school reunion. And there was Chris’ name. All she could remember was the gossip she spread and how innocent he was. Maybe apologizing would make her feel better. She threw herself into it coming up with about thirty drafts before she remembered the calls they’d had back in December. Somehow she must have been thinking about him back then. She didn’t believe in fate, but maybe it was a sign. Maybe he was the one to talk to. She called at five in the morning Iowa time. He didn’t hang up or yell at her. Somehow he stayed with her through several calls over the next few days.

She’d come back home to help out with the harvest, but the real reason was to spend some time with him. Her parents always took a few days before the custom cutters came come through and everyone worked eighteen hours a day on the harvest. She told them she wanted to just have the place by herself to think about the future. And now she was just back from dropping them off at the little airport. She looked at what she brought and changed to something a bit sexier without going over the top. She put on Mom’s hat and walked out into the nearest corn field.

She could spend a couple of hours walking in the field like she did as a kid. Late August and the corn was about a foot and a half taller than her now. Not the best year - it'd regularly go well over eight feet, but not the worst either. When they were kids they figured out paths they could take through the rows to hide. You had to cut a few plants here and there if you wanted to go fast, but Dad never said anything. She was really good at it.

It felt so glorious. The smell, the feel of the fresh air. The quiet. Even the bugs. There were spider webs still with a bit of morning dew on them. New York City seemed a million miles away.

Five minutes later she suddenly stopped.

“What?” She said out loud.

It looked like a an old yellow oil drum partly pushed into the ground. It was really dirty like it had been around for a long time, but the ground around it looked like it hadn’t been there for long. It’d damage a combine. She’d have to get it out somehow.

She heard a pneumatic sound - like those doors on Star Trek. Then some light came out from the other end and a corn stalk moved. Adrenalin started to flow and she felt the hairs on her back come up.

A duck strolled out from behind. A little - well not for a duck - white duck wearing pants and a red sweater. She tried to say something.

“What the..”

The duck bowed

“To whom may I have the pleasure of speaking with today?” he sounded exactly like you’d expect a cartoon duck to sound.

“ummm… Nicki”

“It is so nice to make your acquaintance Miss Nicki.” he said with formality in his voice “I’m called the Professor.”

This couldn’t be real. Maybe it was a dream or maybe she had fallen and was hallucinating. The little duck - the Professor - continued.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt whatever you were doing, but you see I’m managed to get stuck and need your help.”

She was just staring at him. At least he didn’t seem to be a threat now.

“Ah, perhaps you’ve noticed I’m not from around here. This is the form I like since this clever gentleman in California - yes - It was California.” he sounded like he looked. “Walt made these drawings for films. Mice, ducks and other creatures. It was so clever. I like ducks.”

“You *knew* Walt Disney?!”

“That’s it - Disney. I had forgotten that.” he bowed again slightly “thank you!”

“You’re an alien, you’re an alien?”

“On Earth perhaps. You might call me a space going flâneur. I’ve spent more time on this planet than any human. It’s something of a hobby for me.”

“Dr Who! You’re just like Dr Who!”

“Doctor what? I don’t know I’ve heard of that person.”

“He - well - she now. She time travels all over. On BBC, haven’t you ever..”

The duck interrupted. “I time travel, but you can only go one way - forward. I use it to shorten my trips. There are many shortcuts if you’re clever, you see. But I must be going and I need help getting unstuck.”

She pointed to the drum. “That? I bet it’s bigger on the inside than the outside.”

The Professor just smiled and shook his feathered head.

“Could you try moving it?”

“It’s in too deep.”

“Just try”

The Professor looked worried. There was something about those cartoonish eyes. She had a huge soft spot in her heart for animals and was even vegan for ethical reasons. Nicki knelt down and pushed. It was in solid. She pushed as hard as she couldn’t make any progress. She looked at it and sighed before turning towards him. Even crouched she towered over the little duck. She shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re really stuck. We could dig it out, but it'd take time and I've only got a couple of hours."

“hold out your hand.”

“Why?”

“Just hold it out. Trust me.”

She knew better, but he was a cute little duck.

“Lower..”

She put it waist level for him. At least she thought it was a him. He reached into a sweater pocket and pulled out what looked like a can of sardines. He looked at it and smiled.

“So that’s where I put it! I’ve been looking.”

It went back into his pocket and he started rummaging through other pockets before a huge smile came to his bill. He held out something that looked like a smooth dildo only much smaller - like a lipstick.

“This shouldn’t hurt”

He pushed it against her wrist. It was surprisingly cold. They looked at each other for a few seconds and there was a crackling sound.

“Shit!” that stung! I thought you said it wouldn’t hurt.”

“Shouldn’t hurt…” The Professor pointed to the drum. “Try it now.”

The stinging faded quickly. Getting into position she gave a loud grunt and pushed. To her amazement it just slid out - almost like it was in loose sand.

“How in the hell?” she stood up staring at the drum in disbelief. “What did you do to me?!”

“I increased your strength about twenty times.”

“But .. my bones would break.”

“Everything else changed in you. Your bones, tendons, everything is much stronger now too.”

She picked up a small rock and broke it in her hand. It was like breaking a clod of dirt.

“Sweet. You mean I’m like superwoman?”

“I don’t know who that is, but it will wear off in a few minutes.”

“That sucks.”

“Would you really want to be that different?”

“Sure!”

He shook his head. “I’ll never figure out some things about humans.”

“Will you take me with you?”

The Professor looked annoyed now. “Don’t be silly. Look at yourself. You wouldn’t fit inside”

“But I helped you and I’ll never have another chance like this.”

“The places I visit would be too hostile. You’d need a special spacesuit.”

“You can’t make one of those?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“But you just.”

“I can change some things like your body. Making something new is too difficult.”

She didn’t care that he saw her pouting. She picked up another rock and tried to crumble it. It finally cracked, but it was all she could manage using both hands.

__________

The more detailed 4000 pixel final render goes out to donors

Description
The last line brought a smile to her face.

The eighth grade. He couldn’t figure out how to get her bra off and she’d broken out laughing. He was so naive. Not that she knew a hell of a lot more more. She remembered both of them standing up. His face was beet red, He hadn’t finished growing and she had a couple of inches on him. He stood on his toes to kiss her. She went on hers to make it that much harder. It wasn’t nice of her, but she hoped it would make him laugh. Then a door slammed and both of them panicked. She shouldn’t have told all of her friends about it, but she did. And that was it. Today would be the next date after over eight years.

She set her phone down thinking about high school. He had a an athlete’s body and had finally grown taller. She figured he’d never want to see her again after the gossip she spread so she never did more than smile when they walked by. And then there was school. She was good at it and it was going to be her ticket out of Iowa. It was going to be Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Yale or maybe Stanford for her.

And it worked. Valedictorian, Merit scholar, and full rides to four Ivies. In her last year at Columbia she even met the guy she thought could be THE guy. Just out of law school he started at a firm in the six figures. Smart, funny and a fucking liar and cheater. Everything came crashing down in just a few hours two days after she graduated. She just sat in her apartment stunned until about three in the morning. With three Ben and Jerrys empties on the floor she went to her PC and noticed another email about the high school reunion. And there was Chris’ name. All she could remember was the gossip she spread and how innocent he was. Maybe apologizing would make her feel better. She threw herself into it coming up with about thirty drafts before she remembered the calls they’d had back in December. Somehow she must have been thinking about him back then. She didn’t believe in fate, but maybe it was a sign. Maybe he was the one to talk to. She called at five in the morning Iowa time. He didn’t hang up or yell at her. Somehow he stayed with her through several calls over the next few days.

She’d come back home to help out with the harvest, but the real reason was to spend some time with him. Her parents always took a few days before the custom cutters came come through and everyone worked eighteen hours a day on the harvest. She told them she wanted to just have the place by herself to think about the future. And now she was just back from dropping them off at the little airport. She looked at what she brought and changed to something a bit sexier without going over the top. She put on Mom’s hat and walked out into the nearest corn field.

She could spend a couple of hours walking in the field like she did as a kid. Late August and the corn was about a foot and a half taller than her now. Not the best year - it'd regularly go well over eight feet, but not the worst either. When they were kids they figured out paths they could take through the rows to hide. You had to cut a few plants here and there if you wanted to go fast, but Dad never said anything. She was really good at it.

It felt so glorious. The smell, the feel of the fresh air. The quiet. Even the bugs. There were spider webs still with a bit of morning dew on them. New York City seemed a million miles away.

Five minutes later she suddenly stopped.

“What?” She said out loud.

It looked like a an old yellow oil drum partly pushed into the ground. It was really dirty like it had been around for a long time, but the ground around it looked like it hadn’t been there for long. It’d damage a combine. She’d have to get it out somehow.

She heard a pneumatic sound - like those doors on Star Trek. Then some light came out from the other end and a corn stalk moved. Adrenalin started to flow and she felt the hairs on her back come up.

A duck strolled out from behind. A little - well not for a duck - white duck wearing pants and a red sweater. She tried to say something.

“What the..”

The duck bowed

“To whom may I have the pleasure of speaking with today?” he sounded exactly like you’d expect a cartoon duck to sound.

“ummm… Nicki”

“It is so nice to make your acquaintance Miss Nicki.” he said with formality in his voice “I’m called the Professor.”

This couldn’t be real. Maybe it was a dream or maybe she had fallen and was hallucinating. The little duck - the Professor - continued.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt whatever you were doing, but you see I’m managed to get stuck and need your help.”

She was just staring at him. At least he didn’t seem to be a threat now.

“Ah, perhaps you’ve noticed I’m not from around here. This is the form I like since this clever gentleman in California - yes - It was California.” he sounded like he looked. “Walt made these drawings for films. Mice, ducks and other creatures. It was so clever. I like ducks.”

“You *knew* Walt Disney?!”

“That’s it - Disney. I had forgotten that.” he bowed again slightly “thank you!”

“You’re an alien, you’re an alien?”

“On Earth perhaps. You might call me a space going flâneur. I’ve spent more time on this planet than any human. It’s something of a hobby for me.”

“Dr Who! You’re just like Dr Who!”

“Doctor what? I don’t know I’ve heard of that person.”

“He - well - she now. She time travels all over. On BBC, haven’t you ever..”

The duck interrupted. “I time travel, but you can only go one way - forward. I use it to shorten my trips. There are many shortcuts if you’re clever, you see. But I must be going and I need help getting unstuck.”

She pointed to the drum. “That? I bet it’s bigger on the inside than the outside.”

The Professor just smiled and shook his feathered head.

“Could you try moving it?”

“It’s in too deep.”

“Just try”

The Professor looked worried. There was something about those cartoonish eyes. She had a huge soft spot in her heart for animals and was even vegan for ethical reasons. Nicki knelt down and pushed. It was in solid. She pushed as hard as she couldn’t make any progress. She looked at it and sighed before turning towards him. Even crouched she towered over the little duck. She shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re really stuck. We could dig it out, but it'd take time and I've only got a couple of hours."

“hold out your hand.”

“Why?”

“Just hold it out. Trust me.”

She knew better, but he was a cute little duck.

“Lower..”

She put it waist level for him. At least she thought it was a him. He reached into a sweater pocket and pulled out what looked like a can of sardines. He looked at it and smiled.

“So that’s where I put it! I’ve been looking.”

It went back into his pocket and he started rummaging through other pockets before a huge smile came to his bill. He held out something that looked like a smooth dildo only much smaller - like a lipstick.

“This shouldn’t hurt”

He pushed it against her wrist. It was surprisingly cold. They looked at each other for a few seconds and there was a crackling sound.

“Shit!” that stung! I thought you said it wouldn’t hurt.”

“Shouldn’t hurt…” The Professor pointed to the drum. “Try it now.”

The stinging faded quickly. Getting into position she gave a loud grunt and pushed. To her amazement it just slid out - almost like it was in loose sand.

“How in the hell?” she stood up staring at the drum in disbelief. “What did you do to me?!”

“I increased your strength about twenty times.”

“But .. my bones would break.”

“Everything else changed in you. Your bones, tendons, everything is much stronger now too.”

She picked up a small rock and broke it in her hand. It was like breaking a clod of dirt.

“Sweet. You mean I’m like superwoman?”

“I don’t know who that is, but it will wear off in a few minutes.”

“That sucks.”

“Would you really want to be that different?”

“Sure!”

He shook his head. “I’ll never figure out some things about humans.”

“Will you take me with you?”

The Professor looked annoyed now. “Don’t be silly. Look at yourself. You wouldn’t fit inside”

“But I helped you and I’ll never have another chance like this.”

“The places I visit would be too hostile. You’d need a special spacesuit.”

“You can’t make one of those?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“But you just.”

“I can change some things like your body. Making something new is too difficult.”

She didn’t care that he saw her pouting. She picked up another rock and tried to crumble it. It finally cracked, but it was all she could manage using both hands.

__________

The more detailed 4000 pixel final render goes out to donors