Frescoes of the Mind

Three stubby sheep with fire red wool convened atop a majestic mountain at daybreak just as they had many times before. As they began their hushed incantations storm clouds rushed in and a nebulous being emerged—a swirling mass of wind and wool known to all sheep kind: Sheepnado.

They were in no mood for breakfast as they watched their shepherd become engulfed in the swirling mass. The Sheepnado is a violent storm that can be triggered by the slightest movement of the flock. The ultimate defense mechanism.

They were able to transform themselves back into Wolves so they could keep going over the hill without triggering the storm. They felt guilty leaving their shepherd, but standing idle was no way to live!

Their shepherd's life now a fleeting memory, the Wolves pivoted focus to arming themselves for the battle ahead. However, without opposable thumbs, they'd have to improvise.

Slowly, the wolves began to peel back the shepherd's skin - being careful not to puncture it. They should have asked their prey to put the lotion on the skin, but that time had passed. They would need to make their disguise very, very carefully.

The loud whirring of the printer broke Fra's concentration as she was reading a fun fact from the SyFy thriller, "A.I. Wolves" - where an evil A.I. leads a pack of wolves. Hearing the faintest of footsteps, Fra knew she had exactly 8.605 seconds to finally see WHAT IS HE PRINTING

Reaching for the printer she bumped the Frascar, its golden body struck the ground with a loud thud and it rolled to the side, a problem for another time. Fra needed to see what was on those pages. The footstep grew closer. Her heart raced. Then she saw the pages were all blank!

"Perché non avete acquistato il toner per il fax?" screamed her father, who looked frustrated in his sleeveless undershirt. She quickly raced down the stairs with the papers in hand, grabbing he face-shield on the way, hoping the store was still open.

A bright red “Chiuso” hung in the window of the fax store, confirming what she already knew to be inevitable. The final transcript they’d printed, “The Case of the Red-Faced Thespian” (S4E12) would be the last before the lights went out. Her watch blinked 10:43 pm 12/31/1999.

She put the transcript back into the side bag of her CIAO Piaggio, cursing the day she decided to work from Italy without making sure to have internet. While early NYE fireworks echoed throughout the city, a new title started forming into her mind. "ECHOES OF THE MIND".

“Yes! And it will be a two-parter”, she exclaimed. Under a sky of fireworks, she began writing. She had just gotten to the part where the kidnapped heiress had fashioned a weapon out of pork loin and a bowl of cheese sauce when she realized she had missed a critical ingredient.

Her story had no romance. Sitting back, she realized the void left by her own lackluster love life had creeped into her writing. Then she thought of him...

The man who had saved her. Who had rescued her from certain death. His thick mustache and chocolate brown eyes were forever seared in her memory. Which brought her to the same question she always had when he crossed her mind. What if?