march, 2020 first place winner: on display by saul greenblatt

With weapons ready, Cre and Arn moved quietly through the forest in search of game. "Cre, look, a strange object."

“What could it be? let us look closely at this strange object," Arn said.”

“But maybe it is a monster that will eat us.”

“Cre, are we brave hunters?”

“Yes, but…”

“Then, come,” Arn said, and they walked cautiously to a glowing doorway. “It is like an entrance to something,” he said as he walked around it, "but there is nothing behind it. I would like to know where this leads," he said and stepped through the door way.”

“Arn,” Cre called. “Where are you?” Cre called several times. “He is gone. I must go after him. He might be in danger and will need my help,” he said and stepped through the door way. On the other side, they found themselves in a large, glass showcase in which there was a stuffed mastodon and three others like themselves pretending to fight the mastodon.

“Arn, I am unable to move."

“I can't move, either, but I see people dressed in strange garb walking by and looking at us.”

“Welcome, brothers,” one of the other of the same kind as Arn and Cre said.

“Welcome to what?” Cre asked.

“To your new world. You are here to show those who stare at us what was. This is where you will be for all time.”

Arn and Cre looked through tear-filled eyes at the parade of people who came to see the once-brave hunters from the past. A little girl looked closely at Arn and Cre. “Look Mommy, those two are crying.”

“Come along, Alice, they couldn’t be crying. They’re not real.” While teaching communication skills and English at a community college, Mr. Greenblatt wrote short stories and plays, one of which won a reading at Smith College. Since retiring in 2000, he has written short stories, novellas, and plays.