"Open the Door. Close the window."(Kevin Hughes) I looked around the room. It looked pretty much like any other room. Except it had two doors; the one I came in, and the one on the opposite wall. There was a window on one wall, it was open. I didn’t see anyone, but I heard a voice tell me to close the window. So I did.

“That’s better.”

I turned at the sound of that voice. The hair on the back of my neck rose up in an evolutionary response older than my brain. Fear.

Standing there (and where was the creature when I first came in the room?) was a…a…a..being. Just as tall as me, sort of snapped like me, and that…well, that is as far as any description I could give. Oh, and the smell. I guess if you mixed jasmine with cinnamon, then baked it in chocolate, you might come close to the smell the creature gave off. A smell that somehow made everything …pleasant.

“Open windows on your planet let the air in…and no offense, but your air stinks.”

I could feel myself growing calmer. I liked this…creature. It was honest. And it made me laugh.

“Tell me about it, I live here!”

The creature laughed again. I caught a whiff of its breath. This time you would have to mix lavender with peppermint and add just a touch of rose blossom…and you would be close. Again…it made everything more…pleasant.

The creature laughed. Then with a gesture with its..a…er…arm (and again, that isn’t the right term, but what is?) that said: “Please, you first.” It shouldered me towards the opposite door. I stepped through…it followed. Now I was in another room. One glance told me it wasn’t on Earth. A window was on the far wall…and it was opened.

“Would you like me to close the window?”

I was overcome with smells, smells of childhood, the crown of a newborn’s head, the soft soapy smell of a healthy body as you wiggle in a tub, woodsmoke hanging low on a winter’s day, strawberries in full season…and a plethora of other smells that brought out the best of my senses.

“No. I like it open. Your air…smells nice.”

“Thank you. Your’s can too.”

I turned to face the creature…although…face isn’t exactly what it had…but something played that role on its shape.

“How?”

“Just follow me.”

With that - and a nod in my direction- the creature walked to the opposite wall, opened the door and waved me in.

I didn’t hesitate.

Once I was through the door, the smells were everywhere. Some of them must trigger knowledge. Because after a few minutes I began to think. Really think. The I smiled. I understood how to make our air, our planet, smell like this. I turned back to the creature.

“We need to go back to my world.”

“Why?”

“We have to open a few windows…and close a few doors.”

“Don’t you mean minds?”

I laughed.

My breath smelled like mint covered almonds dipped in whipped cream.

“Those too.”

---