The Last Elf by George P. Saunders

Author:George P. Saunders [Saunders, George P.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2012-01-30T16:00:00+00:00

~ ~ ~

When the last elf opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Junkett pulling the back of Penny’s dress, dragging her away from the Bandanglesnort, who was lying on his side, shaking his head. He, too, apparently had fainted, like the last elf.

Pete and Mindy were also waking up from the trauma of coming through into Other World Time. The last elf could see that no one was hurt – just, well, groggy. Somehow, they were all put to sleep once the Bandanglesnort entered the vortex.

“You alright, Snooter?” the last elf asked the Bandanglesnort, who was already checking his wings and tail for any possible damage.

“I guess,” the huge beast replied. “But I can’t tell you for the life of me how I landed. I don’t remember.”

“You didn’t land, Mr. Bandanglesnort,” Penny said. “We just ended up here, plain and simple.”

“Just like that,” Peter said. “Just ended up here. Like magic.”

“Yep. Something like magic,” Penny smiled. Of all of them, she was the least disturbed by what had just happened.

The last elf and the Bandanglesnort looked at the new environment around them. They were on the edge of some kind of forest, with huge trees that looked like no trees Pete or Mindy had ever seen before. In fact, from his own time, the last elf couldn’t recall seeing trees such as these. They seemed to glow in the dark, twinkling like the stars above.

Not only that, but the moon was a deep red color, like blood.

Junkett was the first to notice the moon. He didn’t like what he saw. Forget the moon – he didn’t like what he saw of this place at all.

“It’s the color of blood,” Junkett barked quietly to Penny. “I think we should turn right around and go home. When the moon is the color of blood, take my word for it, not a good sign.”

Pete walked over to the last elf. “So now what? Where are we?”

“I am not sure, Peter,” the last elf said, shrugging.

Penny’s voice came out in a whisper. “We’re in the world of the Dark Elf, Pete. Everything’s different. The sky, the trees, even the animals.”

“What animals?” Junkett asked, renewed worry in his voice.

“You’ll see, Junkie,” Penny said.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Junkett moaned. “Lions and tigers and bears, right?”

Penny nodded, and smiled at Junkett, then giggled while she scratched his unhappy old ear.

“See, Other World Time is just slightly to the left of our real time,” Penny explained. “That’s what the wizard said. That’s why the moon is a different color, and everything is a little bit … spooky.”

The last elf wondered if his magic would be effective in this slightly “off to the left world” Penny just described.

There was not much to wonder at anything else, because no more than ten feet from all of them, the earth began to move.

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