Fair Winds Travel
by Jason E. Maddux
An electronic chime sounded as the man pushed open the glass door. He paused as a blast of cold air hit him in the face.
The all-glass outer wall of the Florida strip mall shop allowed in plenty of sunlight to the front half of the store, leaving the back half in shadows. The store was decorated like most travel agencies. Airline destination posters lined the walls. A couple of giant cardboard cutouts stood like colourful sentinels advertising all-inclusive Caribbean resorts. Two even larger cardboard partitions covered in travel advertisements divided the store in half, leaving only a narrow opening to what lay at the back.
A woman—the only visible occupant—sat at one of the two desks in the front. She looked to be in her sixties, with long sliver-grey hair. “Welcome to Fair Winds Travel,” she said, standing to greet the man. She wore a colourful sweater and black pants, which she smoothed down as she stood. “Where would you like to travel today?”
The man—slender, almost six feet tall with black hair and a dark complexion—took a hesitant step forward. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you could help me.”
The woman motioned to one of the chairs facing her desk. “I’m Barbara. Please have a seat.”
He nodded and did as offered. “I’m Charlie. I work next door at the Pizza Palace. My coworkers and I were wondering what exactly goes on in here.”
“Always happy to satisfy the curiosity of a neighbour,” Barbara said, smiling. She waved at the paraphernalia adorning the office. “I’m a certified travel counsellor, and this is where I help people plan their dream vacations.”
Charlie scratched the back of his head. “That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t explain the weird sounds—and that eerie glow we see from next door sometimes.”
“I don’t know what to tell you about that,” Barbara said, cocking her head.
The door chime sounded again. Another man walked in. Though he could have hardly been out of his teens, he was a mountain of a person. Any of the pro sports leagues would have welcomed his services. He nodded to Barbara, who nodded back as he passed through to the rear of the store, a wheeled suitcase trailing behind.
The newcomer’s arrival had thrown Charlie off his line of thought. He shook his head to reign his mind back in. “You know what I think,” Charlie said, bolder now. “I think this is a travel agency and you are a travel agent, but I also think this is a front for a secret government operation. I think you have a teleportation portal back there, and you use it to send government agents all over the world instantly.” He crossed his arms over his chest, daring Barbara to contradict him.
She let out a soft laugh. “I think you and my youngest grandson would get along.” When Charlie’s posture didn’t soften, she continued, “Look, that’s a great story and shows you have a wonderful imagination, but I only sell travel here.” She picked up a couple of brochures off her desk. “If you’re interested, several airlines are having sales to popular spring break destinations. Maybe you’d like to take these hotel brochures to see if anything catches your eye?” She offered the papers to Charlie.
A whirling roar came from the back of the store, followed by a bright yellow light that poured through the opening between the cardboard partitions. Just as quickly as they started, both ceased.
Charlie’s mouth fell open, followed shortly by his arms falling to his lap. Gathering himself, he stood. “You—you—see! That’s what I’m talking about. That man just took your portal to a secret destination in someplace like Russia . . . or China.”
“He did nothing of the sort,” Barbara said, the smile returning to her face. “Come with me.” She led Charlie to the back of the store and in front of two doors on the right wall. The bright light appeared again as the tall man walked out of one of the doors, drying his hands on a paper towel. “Charlie, I’d like you to meet my oldest grandson, Joey.”
“Hello,” Joey said, holding out his hand. Charlie remained motionless.
“Joey, would you mind opening the other door there?” Barbara said, pointing to the second door in the wall.
Joey shrugged and pulled open the second door. Inside stood a stacked washer and dryer unit. The suitcase Joey had rolled in sat rattling on the washer lid.
Barbara put a gentle hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Joey’s apartment doesn’t have a laundry, so I let him use the one here.”
Charlie’s mouth resumed its now familiar open position. Barbara used her hand to steer him back to the front of the store and to the door.
“You think on what I said about that spring break trip and then come back and see me, all right?” Barbara said, opening the door.
Charlie left without a word, trudging back to the Pizza Palace. His coworkers—having heard the sounds and seeing the strange light—greeted him with a barrage of questions.
The excitement of Charlie’s return caused them all to overlook the sharply dressed couple walking by, both carrying small, shoulder-slung duffle bags and wearing unusually heavy coats for October in Florida. Joey held the door open for the couple as he left the store.
The couple stopped in front of Barbara. “Mr. and Mrs. Ruhlig, is it? The portal is already warmed up for your trip to Moscow.” She nodded behind her. “Just be sure to head to your left. You wouldn’t want to end up in the restroom.”
Jason E. Maddux is an aviation attorney, who writes speculative fiction as a creative outlet each night once his two daughters are in bed. His short stories have appeared here and there in various magazines and anthologies, and many were finally corralled into We're Here to Help... Ourselves: Short Tales of Time, Space, Aliens, and Paperwork. After spending his youth moving around the southeastern United States, he now resides in northern Virginia. Follow him at www.jasonemaddux.com and on Twitter @Jason_E_Maddux.