The bell jingled merrily, disrupting the silence of the falling snow around us.

Nothing happened for a minute.

Captain impatiently tapped the ground with a boot and jingled the bell again, this time with more vigor. I wasn't sure what the mad governor expected. Was this some sort of a ritual? Ring your own bell before you come in? I definitely didn't suspect for someone to already be inside the toddler-sized home.

As the bell rang, loud door banging and what sounded like boots stamping on a staircase and also crunching on glass was heard from within. I once again stared at the tiny home in disbelief. Was it connected to some sort of an underground tunnel?

An antiquated full headgear which probably once belonged in an aviation museum emerged out of the cardboard smoke stack, rotating towards us. Large round green goggles appeared next.

"MY CAPTAIN!IT IS GOOT TO SEES YOU!"The head spoke with a fluctuating, loud, male voice.

"Whatss that?"A leather-gloved arm poked out of the window, pointing at me.

Shouldn’t that question start with ‘Who’? I wondered. Why is he shouting anyway?

“Zis is our lovely, new fruitastic recruit. He is labelled Charles Snippy!”

The one who answered to Captain proudly declared.

“I discoverated him in zee park, taking a nap on mein pretty snow petunias!”

A sing-song explanation of our meeting came next.

Too tired to question the lack of sense or truth in that statement, I merely let out an incomprehensible murmur that quickly turned into a tired moan.

I pulled my hood down as far as it would go try to hide myself from any further conversation with the two clearly delusional mutton-heads.

Petting the green-goggled head Captain deigned to take care of the further introductions:

“Pilot, zis is Mr. Snippey, our marvelous new intern in Snipping!Snippy, zis is our resident Pilot. He is literally a model citizen!”

Pilot’s head stared long and hard at me, seeming to weigh and evaluate me with its gaze. It somehow felt extremely piercing and judgmental even through the aviator gear.

“HOW LONG WILL IT BE STAYING HERE, CAPTAIN?”

the next question noisily reverberated out of the smokestack.

I frowned at the uncalled-for antagonism.

“Well, until next Monday...

and then forever after that!”

Captain said in an absent tone.

“FOREVER?!"The head in the smokestack didn’t seem pleased, “But that's simply IMPOSSIBYURRR!"

"Why is this happening, Captain?” Pilot asked sourly, “Did I DOOOS something HIDEOUSSSSLY wrong? Aren't I ENOUGHS?"

Pilot sneaked a glance at me once more, grumbling grudgingly as his head descended into the smokestack, disappearing within with a look of infinite sadness.

“You mustn't hog Captain's space-time forever, my dear Pilot. Captain belongs to all peoples of all worlds,”

Captain sat down and looked inside a tiny window, speaking in a gentle yet a tad scalding tone,

"I have decided to magnify zee statistical population of Captainia and Greater territories and Mr. Snippy here is a VERILY important part of such wide multiplications and drastic expansions!"

"I SUPPOSE... If it is indeed a veritable necessity. We shall have to make room for such an unfortunate, grave inconvenience..." Pilot's gloomy voice echoed from within with a sigh.

Then, Captain stood up, reached towards me and then began dragging me towards the cardboard house.

“Have no worries, Charles! Soon you will be home and feel right as rain!"

I had no energy left to resist, but I did have an inkling of how things were going to pan out for me...