Dinosaur Bees

Steve McQueen's Lines in The Blob
Andrew K. Peterson

It’s a shooting star. But I did. But you see a lot of them out here at night. I mean, there’s a lot of them out at night. You can’t see them in town, that’s why I come up here. No, that’s not what I mean. I mean, you can see them better up here. No, no, it’s not what you think Janey, girl. But it’s not Janey-, Jane. I’ve never brought anyone up here before. Never. Well, you’re not crazy. Boy that was close! C’mon, I want to see if I can find it. Could’ve sworn it landed just over this hill. No, I still think it’s close by. No. No, eh, well I’m sorry about the bumpy ride. Well, listen, why don’t we go back to town and I’ll apologize? I’ll apologize over a sandwich, I mean on me. Okay? What was that? Where’d he go? Hey! You okay? What’s the matter? Well, here, let me try, maybe I can get it off. Okay, come on, we’ll get you in the car. Okay, here, take it easy now. Here, better put this on, we’ll get you there as quick as we can. Better put this on. Boy, I hope the doc is in. Come on! Hey, doc?! Watch your hand. Hey, doc, this man’s been hurt! Will you get the door? I don’t know. He’s got something on his hand. We ran into him on the old North Road. Well, I don’t know, doc, it was kind of like a big blister on his fingers, you know? Doc, it’s gotten bigger! It was just on his hand before. Huh? Oh, no, no. Huh? Right, right. Yeah? Sure, doc, sure. What’s up? Yeah, for what? Okay, I give up. Ohh, I get it. Well, thanks anyway, but you can keep the crown. You mean you. Alright it’s been a ball, you know, but I gotta go. Now look, I just don’t have the time to prove anything tonight, do you understand? Okay. And we’ll do it just like you say. Backwards. You said you can keep this kitty car backwards. To the lights. Okay. When! Mm, I told you I’ve got to leave now! Ah, ah, ah, ah! Hi, Dave! Hey, what’s up, huh? We’re just here sitting for the light. Yeah. I don’t… Okay, don’t bring the fathers into this. I’ll never do it again. Huh? Wuh, whatever you think I’m doing, Dave. Well, yeah, yeah. Hey, Dave, that’s an idea. Hey you know, you know, 80-90% of accidents are front end jobs, you know in Australia they got these airplanes with the seats in back, they got a, uhm, collisions, the got a ca- um, no good, huh? Okay. Lock me up. Eh? No more foolin’ around Dave. No, I mean it. I promise, right Jane? No horse play, Dave. No, no more foolin’ around. No, no, no, Dave. Yeah, you’re not kiddin’. Why? Yeah. I’ll bet he did. Oh, I got a lecture, promised to be a good guy. Hey, I almost forgot! I got to do something for the doc. I got to go up to the old North Road and check on some people. You want to come with me? Sure, at this time of night? Why don’t you, why don’t you come with us, it will only take a half hour? You can go to the movies afterwards. C’mon. Hey, man, look at this. Hey, look at this. Hot! I don’t know. Probably big as a moon when it started. Well, it’s all that’s here. Yeah, sure. Hello? Hello? Doesn’t look like there’s anyone here at all. C’mon. C’mon. Doesn’t look like there’s anyone here at all. Well, sure looks like it. No, no, I guess not. No, no thanks. Okay, sure, the spook show! Yeah? I don’t know. Yeah, that’s right. Sure, I guess that’s the least we could do for the old man. Come on, let’s go. Listen you stay here, I’ll go in and tell the doc. Yeah. Yeah, well, you know, maybe he, took the old man over to the hospital, anyway I’ll check. Listen, I’m gonna check in the garage and see if the doc’s car is there. I can’t, I can’t. It was… it’s got the doc, it’s got. Just like the old man’s hand, only it was on his whole head, and, then, in just a second, he disappeared. He was all gone, he was all gone, you know he ju- di--, disappeared, just a sec- I’m sorry. Get in the car, Jane. I’m gonna go to the police, they’ll know what to do. Dave! Doc Hallan’s been killed! Over his place, come on, you’ve got to come now! Well, I’m trying to tell you, this thing it killed the doc. It’s kind of like a mass, It’s kind of like a mass, that’s getting bigger and bigger. It’s I know, I know. Look Dave you’ve got to see this thing to believe what I’m telling you! Yeah, maybe it was, I don’t know. Dave, I’m not kidding I swear. Come on over the Doc’s see for yourself. Wait a minute! You’re not going in there? that thing might be in there waiting for you! I’m not kidding. There. I think this was the room I saw him in. You’re not going to let him do that? Okay. Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t know, Dave. I can’t figure it. But I know I saw the dog. I don’t know. No. Yes, yes I’m sure it is. No. Dave, those Kids had nothing do with this. Dave Greiss, and Mooch Miller. But that’s not true, Dave, he never left. He didn’t leave. Look, Dave, I bet his car’s still in the garage. Dave, this is all wrong! I don’t know! Alright, I agree, but I still don’t see why you had to call our folks. Well, give us a chance to find out what happened, you know we didn’t tear up doc’s house, Dave, how long have you known me have I ever done anything like that? Dave… Dad, I saw something terrible tonight. Dad, it isn’t vandalism! Doctor Hallan is dead, and he was killed by some sort of a monster. Now I know, because I saw it, dad. Sure, pop. Get out of the house, as fast as you can, I’ll be over. You scared me do death, what are you doing here! Listen, Jane, I told you to wait over there. Come on, let’s go around the corner. Huh? Oh, I’m sorry, the least I could’ve done is thanked you for coming out tonight. I never knew I had to talk before, at least not as much as I do now. You know, I wish that we – I must be getting confused. I know we saw the old man, I know we took him to the docs, and I know the doc sent us out to find out what happened. And I know the old man had something on his hand, something he couldn’t get off, something that kept getting larger. And then I think, think I saw the doc, he was standing by the window, he was trying to get out. That thing was all over him. And, and then, just dissolved as I stood there. I think I saw this. You know, plenty of people in their right minds thought they saw things that didn’t exist, you know, like flying saucers: the light was just right in the angle in the imagination. Oh, boy, then if that’s what this is, and this is just an ordinary night, and you and I are gonna go home and go to sleep and tomorrow that sun is gonna shine. Just like yesterday. Good old yesterday. I don’t know. I, I… I don’t know. How do you know I did? Okay. Now what do we do? How do we get people to protect themselves from something they don’t believe in? Okay. I mean, I don’t like it much, but I guess the only way you can find that, is to go out and find it. I’ll go get the car. You sure you want to go with me? I wouldn’t give much for our chances. You know, wandering around in the night for something that if we found it might kill us? Who? Hey, you know that’s, that’s worth a try. Tony, let me see you outside? Tony, this is important! Outside! I’ll explain, now this is important. Come on! Would you believe me if I told you that there was something inside of that rock we found tonight? Something that can wipe out this whole town? I saw this thing kill Doctor Hallan tonight. That’s right. I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure, if it can kill Doctor Hallan, it can kill somebody else, Alright. We’re gonna find this thing, and we’re gonna make people believe us. Where is he? Come on! Heey! That’s funny, the door’s not locked. Well, no, this is Friday, the store closes at ten. Then old Mr. Wintermeyer sweeps up, then he, collects all the push-carts. Huh, he works around for a couple of hours, but I’m sure he’d never be this late, not- Hey, Mr. Wintermeyer! Hey Mr. Wintermeyer, where are you? I’m going to turn on the lights. I don’t know. Oh, it’s a broom and stuff Mr. Wintermeyer cleans up with, it’s spread all over the aisle. What’s the matter?! Jane! You alright? Now listen, it’s gonna be alright, you hear me?! It’s, going to be alright. Can’t stop that thing. Take it easy, Jane. Jane, there’s nothing we can do about it. Now you just put this on, we’re gonna be alright. I don’t know. That thing probably isn’t far away. We’ve got to get away, before it comes back for us, alright? Hey, it’s in there! It’s in there! It’s in there! We’ve got to call the police! They want evidence, they’ve got all the evidence they want! You talk to them, Tony. I’m supposed to be home asleep. If they think I’m running around loose, they’ll never believe us. Here’s a dime. Come on, come on. Ask for Dave, and, listen Tony, you give it to them straight. You tell them to get out to this store quick, and tell them to bring every piece of hardware they can find in the police station. Alright, we tried to do it the right way, now we’re going to wake this town up ourselves. Any way we can think of. Alright, now kill the hor- kill the horns, knock out the noise now. Listen to- listen to me, now listen to me everybody, this town is in danger. Now several people have been killed already. Now we-, now we had to make this noise, we had to make it so you would listen to us, so we could warn you. Now look, now look Sarge, just give me a chance to talk to them. Dave, make them listen to me. There is a monster, we saw it again in Dad’s store. And it’s bigger now. Dave! look at me. Do I look someone who’s playing a practical joke? Am I laughing? Or am, am I scared stiff? Hey, who’s in the store, huh? Dave! Dave, the theater! Danny! Now listen, it’s too late! It’s all over us. Take it easy. Now wait a minute, old man? you wanna die? You want to die? Hello? Yeah, hey, listen it’s all over us. Oh, okay! Okay, but not for long. Yeah. Cellar! Okay. Now listen is there any other way out of here? Hey, now you be quiet, shh! Well, I know you’re not. Hey, listen, Jane- Let me have that a minute! CO2. Hey, that’s it! It’s cold! That’s why it didn’t come in the icebox after us, It can’t stand cold! You got anymore of these things? Huh? It’s running out. The phone! Hey Dave, hey Dave, Dave hey Dave, anybody on the phone, Dave, can anybody hear me? CO2! This thing’s running out! Hey Dave, Dave, Dave, can you hear me? CO2! Fire extinguishers! Yeah, I’m okay. Dave, listen, I wanna, well, I want to thank you for getting us out of there, you know? For a while I didn’t think we’d make it. What are they going to do with that thing? It’s not dead, is it? Just frozen. Yeah, as long as the arctic stays cold…

ANDREW K. PETERSON :: Museum of Thrown Objects (BlazeVox 2010), bonjour meriwether and the rabid maps (a Fact-Simile chapbook, 2011), Here Come the Groovies (w/Joseph Cooper), and between here & the telescopes (w/Elizabeth Guthrie) :: recent/forthcoming poetry online at The Offending Adam, Otoliths, Buddhist Poetry Review, Disingenuous Twaddle, Cricket Online Review :: coeditor at Livestock Editions, a small press devoted to experimental poetry :: dwells in Mass.

Chad Redden ::	Growing Up Baptist

Sherri Marilena Pauli ::	Translations in Rainstorms on Salt Flats

Megan Kennedy ::	Afraid

Jenni Lord ::	Five paintings

Steve Subrizi ::	Migrating to Portland
	Backstroke

Ben Segal ::	Tell It Again From Your Mouth

Russ Februaryy ::	I Put My Fingers In Your Eyes

Elizabeth Glixman ::	American Cats Are Overweight Studies Suggest
	Why Did Frankee Stein Become A Free Market Capitalist?

Nick Sturm ::	The Fences
	Three erasures

Andrew K. Peterson ::	Language, An Actress
	Steve McQueen’s Lines in The Blob

Rich Ives ::	Anatomy Lesson

Gabrielle DeMarre ::	Stan

Kristen E. Nelson ::	Song of Praise i. Him One
	Song of Praise ii. Him Two
	Song of Praise iii. Him Three
	Yvette

Acquanetta M. Sproule ::	A Nursery Rhyme