Free Beyond by Maureen A. Miller

the majestic cap of night.
    "This is beautiful," she said in awe, stepping up to an odd tree. The trunk was gray, with a granular surface similar to cement, yet, when she tapped her knuckles against it, it had a spongy feel. The foliage looked like purple cabbage bushes glued to short, thin branches. The branches looked like Tyrannosaurus Rex arms. Next to it was another unique tree with spindly twigs that appeared as if they had been burned and would disintegrate under a simple breath. Beyond that was a clump of foreign vegetation. Rows and rows of plant life lined up under the night sky. Aimee squinted and could even distinguish cliffs and more waterfalls dotting the forest, as an intricate canal system fed life to this unique world.
    Aimee jolted when something moved in the underbrush beside her. A furry head emerged from the leaves and she gasped, retreating in fear. Its fur was white with roots that were nearly black. The front legs poked out of the leaves. They were stout, only a couple inches high with black spongy paws made to support a creature the size of an elephant, not this little furry fellow who appeared to be no bigger than a Koala bear. The animal had a round black snout, but the eyes were barely visible beneath the mop on top of its head. It took another step out from its fertile shelter and Aimee tripped backwards, feeling Zak's hand land on her back for support.
    "He doesn't bite," he pointed out.
    "What is it?"
    "A Sumpum."
    "A Sumpum . You eat that?" She felt the warmth of Zak's palm through her suit. The contact felt good. She didn't dare risk turning to look at him.
    "Some people do. I'm not too fond of it."
    "I couldn't eat it. It's too cute." She smiled at the furry-headed creature. "Why does it have such huge feet when it's so small?"
    She frowned when Zak laughed at her question. To her dismay, he released her back and leaned over with his hands on his knees and started to whistle.
    Aliens whistled?
    The Sumpum cocked its head in Zak's direction. It's plump, spongy feet took a few tentative steps towards them and Aimee started to stiffen. Zak was close enough to detect her resistance and whispered, "Don't worry. Bend over and call him. He gets intimidated if you're too tall."
    Aimee mimicked Zak's stance.
    Okay, how do you call an alien miniature llama?
    "Come here, little fellow," she cooed. "Don't be afraid."
    The Sumpun swung his head towards her and she thought she detected the shift of ears within the downy mass of hair. The thick feet took a few more steps until they were on the edge of the dirt.
    "Should I go up to him?" she whispered, wanting nothing more than to pet this precious creature.
    "No, he'll come to you."
    "Come on, boy." She tried again and held her hand out in invitation.
    The feet hit the surface with the sound of a wet sponge on a car. The Sumpum was longer than she expected, the back end of his body still tucked in the leaves, as a long dachshund-shaped body stretched out two inches above the turf. It continued plodding towards her until finally its thick rear feet emerged from the underbrush. Except, that wasn't the end of the Sumpum. His long body kept going until finally a third set of feet accounted for the rear of the six-foot long creature. On its backside was a tuft of white hair and she swore it wiggled slightly as it approached.
    "Can I pet it?" she asked.
    "Yes, but be careful. If you scare him, he'll stand up."
    "Stand up?"
    "On his hind legs. If he feels intimidated by height he stands up on his rear feet. It's an awkward sight."
    Aimee dropped down into a full crouch and extended her hand. The Sumpum shuffled over and nudged it with the top of his head.
    "He's so soft!"
    The creature tipped its head up inside her palm, the spongy nose tickling her skin. The Sumpum made a sound as if he sneezed and then the front half of his body turned back towards the underbrush. Eventually the back half fell in behind—and soon the creature disappeared into the bowels of the