It had been Sept 26 1968
half a century ago
when Rick Smithers had vanished inside his own house
The only witness had been the Mexican cleaning lady Maria
who Rick had employed to clean his house on Wednesdays.
That Wednesday Sept 26 1968
Maria had been featherdusting the sofa in the living room that midmorning.
Up in the upper floor Brendn had been listening to
a 45 on his record player and discussing the
Vietnam War protest
scheduled for that Saturday
at the University Campus.
The funk rock tune had been loud
and so Maria
had nearly missed hearing Rick Smithers
open the basement door to his
basement laboratory.
The University biochemistry professor certainly
got Maria's attention
when he'd slammed the basement door shut
in his anger and frustration.
He had then just stood there for a few seconds
and Maria and him had stared at each another in mutual distaste
for the wall shaking funk rock
tune Brendan had
pumping out of the tube driven
Seabreeze stereo.
Then Rick had seemed to make up his mind on what to do next
and had strode towards the first step of the stairs
Maria watching him.
Then as Maria had watched her employer raise his left foot to take that
first step
a greyish white mist seemed to have materialized
in front of the square classes wearing crew cut professor
Smithers.
Rick had stepped into the misty fog
which had hidden him from the Mexican cleaning ladies view.
Then the greyish white mist had billowed into nothingness
and it had taken the Mexican
a few seconds to realize that Rick had vanished with it.
She had screamed and
the funk rock tune apruptly stopped
as Brendan came out of his bedroom to see what was up.