"How did he get here?" asked Mike, his face pale with shock.
"What's wrong? You two look like you've just seen a ghost," said the Appelt double.
"Uh... Sorry, Sir. You... You just look a lot like someone we know," stammered Blake, still shaken.
"More like someone you're trying not to see," replied the stranger. Thoughtfully he rubbed his chin. "Are you running from someone?"
"No, it's nothing like that. He just did us dirty. He's a liar and a thief," spoke up Mike.
"Well... That's certainly disturbing, my fine sir. I can't say that I like the idea of a thief walking around with my face," he replied sorrowfully.
"Oh, don't worry... This guy is pretty far away. I doubt you'll ever cross paths," said Blake, finally recovering his wits.
"That's comforting to know. I guess we should be on our way then. You obviously want to get home," the stranger said as he urged the reluctant horses into a trot.
"Why did we stop, Pa?" asked another familiar voice sleepily. The muffled sound was coming from below, in the wagon.
"We're helping some fine gentlemen get home, Son. It's time for you to start supper, we'll be stopping in the next town, after we say goodbye to our new friends," replied the exact copy of Appelt.
"Yes, Pa."
Blake and Mike looked at each other, and burst out laughing.
"What's funny?" asked the other Appelt, confused.
"We're just happy to be here," Mike replied somewhat truthfully.
"Julie! Julie! Where are you, Honey?!?!" Mike called desperately, as he jumped off of the still moving wagon.
Noticing something white blowing in the breeze, by the back garden, he knew Julie was doing laundry. His legs carried him swiftly in that direction, and he promptly ran neck first into an empty line.
Head spinning, Mike looked up into two very familiar faces. Julie's - and his own!
Rubbing his eyes, he looked again. With the same result. "What am I doing up there?" he thought to himself, still dizzy.
"Mike?!?! Is it really you?" cried Julie, as she knelt down and held his head on her lap.
"I hope you know it's me, and that you don't go doin' this for every feller who gets knocked out by your lines," he replied grinning.
"Oh, Mike! I've missed you so much," exclaimed Julie, tears streaming down her face.
"I've missed you too, Darling. More than you'll ever know," replied Mike, as he wrapped his arms around her.
Several hours later:
"I still can't believe the three of us are really sitting here together," marveled Mike.
"And I still can't believe Appelt and Collins kidnapped you two... I mean I knew he was greedy, but this is just... Evil," mused Larry.
"Unfortunately it's true," Blake replied grimly, as he wiped homemade strawberry jam from his mouth.
"Then what are we going to do about them? We can't very well just ignore this, even without the device, they'll just start over," said Larry.
"I have an idea," grinned Blake. "We met a couple of guys on our way here - the exact doubles of Appelt and Collins. No surprise, they're snake oil salesmen. As far as I can tell, they don't have any real ties to anyone else in this world. But we can make sure first..."
"I think I see where you're going with this, and it's brilliant!" Larry exclaimed, laughing.
The next morning, in Deersberg:
"So you two don't have any other relatives, or even close friends? That must be so hard," Blake said sympathetically.
"It's our destiny, my fine Sir. We were put on this beautiful Earth to help our fellow man, not enjoy a life of leisure," Appelt's double replied dramatically.
"You've already done so much for humanity. I would like to do something to repay you and your son.
Instantly, greed flashed into the man's eyes, but he controlled it almost instantly. "What do you have in mind?" he asked curiously.
Blake grinned. "Stick around, when the time comes, everything will become clear..."
A few minutes later:
"So let me get this straight. We go home from the bedroom, and end up on the side of the highway. Then we either hike or hitchhike to Appelt industries. Once we get there, we act like we are going to call the police. Then we spring the trap," recited Larry.
"Exactly," said Blake.
"And I get our two new friends on the road towards the cornfield, and look for a red flag in the middle of one of those fields," added Mike.
"I do believe that we have everything ready," grinned Blake.
Back on Earth, at Appelt Industries:
"Come on up, we can talk this over. There's no need to involve the officials," Appelt invited smoothly over the secretary's intercom.
"I can't believe they came back to us," marveled Collins, his eyes shining with excitement.
"We got lucky, Collins. We can't afford to make any more mistakes," Appelt said grimly, as he hid a syringe in his sleeve.
A knock at the laboratory door distracted both men. Appelt opened it wide, and Larry and Blake strode in.
Without wasting time, Larry grabbed Appelt's wrist with one hand, and Mike's hand with the other. Appelt gasped as his wrist was grabbed, wincing.
Seconds later, the three men were in a cornfield. Larry released Appelt, who fell to his knees. The two friends went back to the laboratory immediately. Collins was preparing a syringe, his back turned.
"Want to see that other world you've been dreaming of, Collins?" asked Blake, as he grabbed the scientist by the shoulders, and pulled him away from the counter.
Larry grabbed Blake's arm, and the three disappeared from the room.
"I don't believe we did it," said Larry.
"You better believe it!" exclaimed Blake with a celebratory whoop.
Blake then took a long collapsible fishing pole, purchased on the way into town, and a red bandanna. He set the extended pole into the soft soil. The bandanna just poked above the tall cornstalks.
Collins was looking around with wide eyes, trying to study everything at once. His boss was laying on the ground, motionless.
"So much for employee loyalty," chuckled Larry.
"I hope Mike gets here soon with our new friends," said Blake, as he removed Appelt's wallet from the sleeping man's pocket, and ID tag from his shirt.
The two men then tackled the still awestruck Collins, and collected his as well. He put up a half-hearted struggle, but went back to exploring after they released him.
"Hey! You actually did it, didn't you?" Mike marveled, as he looked at Appelt and Collins.
"Sure did. Are the doubles coming?" asked Blake, looking in the direction that Mike had come from.
"Yeah, I just hope they'll go along with this," Mike said worriedly.
"I'm sure they will. I mean, they'll be getting a life of ease and riches compared to this," said Blake confidently.
"Hello, gentlemen," greeted the Appelt double, as he and his son approached the little group.
Blake stepped forward and shook hands with them warmly. "I'm Blake, you gave my friend and I a ride the other day."
"Yes, I remember well. You may call me Charles Landings, and my son here is Paul," said the still confused snake oil salesman.
I told you about those people who look like you, well here they are. And they have plenty of money, nice homes, and easy jobs."
"I'm confused, why did you bring them here? I had hoped they would remain far away," said Charles, frowning.
"That's just the problem. We need to get them somewhere that they can't hurt anyone else. With your help, we can do that. And at the same time, both you and your son will have many great opportunities," explained Blake.
"I'm listening," said Charles.
Some time later:
"Well, that's quite a tale - even for someone in my line of work," admitted Charles.
"But will you help us? This is important," said Blake still tense despite Appelt and Collins being securely bound and gagged.
"You said they have a nice place to live?" Charles asked again.
"Yes, they both have nice places. And I will help you settle in," Blake promised.
"Well, I guess we could... In the interest of justice, you understand," replied Charles smoothly.
Several minutes later:
"Bye Blake, I don't know what I would have done without you," said Mike.
"Please tell Julie thanks for everything, and that I'm going to miss her and Don?" Larry said, becoming choked up.
"Guys, why the long faces? This isn't goodbye forever, we can come back any time we want," Blake reminded his two friends.
They looked at him somewhat sheepishly. Once goodbyes had been said, Larry, Blake, Charles, and Paul disappeared from the cornfield.
Six months later, in Mike and Julie's kitchen:
"So how are Appelt and Collins taking to country life?" asked Blake, as he scraped the last bits of apple pie off of his plate.
"Oh, you should have seen them when they left the area! Collins was trying to collect a bunch of old copper and steel, trading all of the bottles of medicine for it. Appelt was trying to get me to help him get home - which I truthfully told him I couldn't, since you have the device," laughed Mike.
"Very good, let's hope they don't get into too much trouble," Blake said chuckling.
"How are Charles and Paul doing?" asked Mike.
"Larry and I helped them get settled in, and he's still helping them to learn the ropes at Appelt Industries. They're smart, and want to make it work. I think they have a good future ahead," Blake said thoughtfully.
"I'm just glad Appelt and Collins can't hurt anyone else now. I had no idea that they would go that far just to make a buck," said Larry.
"That was a delicious meal as always, Julie. Next time, you must come to my place," he said smiling.
Nina nodded. "Yes, let me do the entertaining for once. It's my turn to show off my blueberry pie," she said proudly.
"Of course, I can't wait to taste it," smiled Julie.
The end!
Cover image made in Canva using their gallery